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 “AFTER GRADUATING from Calvin College last year and doing a bit of travelling over the summer, I decided that I wanted to take a year to see how my newfound finance degree could be used in a developing country. I contacted Partners Worldwide, an organization that my sister, Heather, interned with in Haiti for a while after her college graduation. The mission of Partners Worldwide is ‘to encourage and equip Christian business people to help the poor and each other.’ After talking with Partners Worldwide, I was presented with the opportunity to intern with them in Kenya.
“I have now been working in Kenya since last October and am enjoying my work very much. I work closely with three microfinance organizations around Kenya, helping them in their opperational/strategic planning, budgeting, and reporting. Along with these responsibilities, a good portion of my time is spent facilitating the communication between their Board and staff with our staff and donors/partners in North America.
“While finances are a big part of these partnerships, the focus is really in
mentoring and training. These three organizations are: Gitithia Rural-Agro Finance, Christian Entrepeneurs Savings Society (CHESS) and Full-Scale Saving & Credit Cooperative. In addition to my work with these organizations, I have been working very closely with Heritage of Faith and Hope Children's Rehabilitation Center, an orphanage near Nairobi that PW also supports. I am working with them in their management of the home and implementation of an accounting software to help in reporting to their donors.
“Overall my experience has been incredible and I am looking to extend my time here a bit longer before starting a Master's program in international and development economics in the Fall of 2009.”
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