The International Rescue Committee has been so fortunate to have had a longstanding relationship with Princeton in Africa since our very first Fellows landed in Rwanda in 1999. Whether it was Emily or Renee in 1999 or the 110 Fellows across 14 IRC countries over the years, we have been blessed by the relationship, the quality of the Fellows and the impact on what IRC does on the ground every single day.
Princeton in Africa & Kakenya’s Dream
Every fellowship year, Princeton in Africa introduces new host organizations into our network. We match these organizations with Fellows who can use their skills, experiences and passion to support these organizations in fulfilling their goals – long and short-term.
Without our host organization partnerships, we could not connect our Fellows to some of the most impactful projects on the African continent. Whether it be teaching a class about environmental issues in Africa and worldwide, securing funds for important projects in health and humanitarian relief, or designing websites and spreading the word about their organization, our Fellows assist their host organizations in tangible and lasting ways.
This week, we would like to share with you how our Fellows are supporting the growth of a comprehensive educational system for young girls in Kenya. We have two exceptional 2022-23 Fellows working at Kakenya’s Dream in Enoosaen, Kenya, a new Princeton in Africa host organization. Kakenya’s Dream is a non-profit organization with two all-girls boarding schools– a primary school and a secondary school. Kakenya’s Dream invests in girls from rural Kenya through educational, health, and leadership initiatives to create agents of change.
One of the 2022-23 Kakenya’s Dream Fellows is Sarah Louis. Sarah is a recent graduate of the University of Florida. She double majored in African American Studies and Political Science. As an Education Program Officer at Kakenya’s Dream, she is responsible for working with teachers, administrators, the director of the program, and the monitor and evaluation department to assess how effective the new government-approved curriculum is in Kenya. The new curriculum is called the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). She is developing a tool that compares the CBC with other international curriculums as a way to determine if the students at Kakenya’s Dream boarding schools are receiving a holistic education. The tool Sarah is developing will eventually be used as a model to help other African and girl-centric schools develop their own supplemental curriculum. Sarah says “my favorite experience thus far has been being invited by teachers to be a guest lecturer in a high school life skills class. Getting to interact with the girls here has been the best part of my job because I am able to learn more about their individual needs and how to best support them.”
We are happy to see our Fellows enjoying their work, finding value in their daily tasks, and interacting with the communities they are working in. Welcome, Kakenya’s Dream, to our network of impactful host organizations.
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Our History
In 1999, a group of Princeton alumni, faculty, and staff launched Princeton in Africa as an independent affiliate of Princeton University inspired by the University’s informal motto, “Princeton in the Nation’s Service and in the Service of All Nations.” In 2010, the program opened up to include graduates of any US accredited university in order to meet the growing demand from host organizations and allow more young professionals access to the unique opportunities afforded by PiAf. During the past 20 years, we have placed over 600 Fellows with more than 100 organizations in 36 countries, while developing more strategic partnerships across Africa and creating more opportunities for our alumni community to engage with the continent and with one another.