A group of staff and I toured Rafiki Children’s Home (left). They do a great job caring for and educating children who are orphans. It was an encouraging day to meet with, be encouraged by and provide encouragement to the people who work there. Former MITS staff Angela now works there, so there are networking opportunities.
A group of auto-mechanic students, Abraham, who teaches auto mechanics, Joel and I toured the GM East Africa assembly warehouse. We had a great tour and learned a lot about GM’s vehicles. The lady showing us around encouraged the students to pursue a career there when they graduate. Then we went to F.I.T.S., which specializes in auto repair.
A group of Jackton’s tailoring students, Jackton and I toured Amani Ya Ju, a business that employs women who have been refugees from all over East Africa. They have hundreds of products sold in Kenya and the U.S. We got to see their factory and hear testimonials from some of the women. We also toured the Kazuri Beads factory where beautiful beads are handmade from clay, hand painted and then fired in giant ovens until they are glossy and finished. Their products are sold in shopping malls all over Nairobi.
The business tours were multi-purposed. First, they served to get our soon-to-be graduating students out in the community to see some real life professional options in their fields of study. Second, the tours served to inspire the students to work hard so that they can incorporate ideas they saw and strive to be able to create the quality work they saw. Third, it served to encourage the teachers in ways they can improve their businesses.
