OLPCorps Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine Kenya

The OLPCorps team from Tulane University will work with a coalition of organizations in rural South Coastal province of Kenya. Our goal: Empower local children to tackle development, conflict and health challenges in their communities. The Objective: Help cultivate a student led initiative that incorporates the XO’s into community development and capacity building projects surrounding community health needs.

Meet the Team

Hilary N Ervin is a second year graduate student at Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. She is a candidate for a Master’s of Public Health in International Health & Development. Hilary has been in Kenya working and fund-raising for Hatua Likoni since July 2008 and has been involved with Voices of Africa since September of 2007. She has lived and worked abroad extensively on every continent save Australia and has a demonstrated commitment to community development and minority empowerment. She has been in Kenya for almost a year and is conversational in Swahili.

Adrienne B. Warren is a second year graduate student at Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. She is a candidate for a Master’s of Public Health in International Health & Development. Adrienne has been providing support and guidance to Voices of Africa since May 2008. Adrienne has worked in Haiti, Mali, South Korea and the Brazilian Amazon. She has a solid history working in diverse locations and is especially interested in grassroots development lead by women and youth.

Faith Kimanga is an undergraduate sophomore at Mombasa Polytechnic University. She is studying to complete a Bachelor’s of Arts in Community Development. She is a Kenyan native from Coastal Province currently residing in Likoni, she is a native swahili speaker. Faith has been associated with Hatua Likoni for over five years and has been a volunteer with Voices of Africa since August 2008 when Likoni operations began. Recently Faith became the Chairwoman of Voices of Diani a community based organization currently working to provide nutritious porridge to orphanages and schools and generate income for locally unemployed youths in Likoni.

Wilfred Atisa is an undergraduate senior at Strathmore University in Nairobi. He is a semester shy of completing a Bachelor’s of Science in Information Technology. Wilbur is a Kenyan native with a wealth of volunteer and community based experience throughout the country, he is a native swahili speaker. He plans to relocate to Likoni for the duration of implementation and is excited to complete the field-learning portion of his degree through the OLPCorps opportunity with the Tulane University team.

Alex C. Ervin is an undergraduate junior at Green Mountain College in Vermont. He is studying to complete a Bachelor’s of Arts in History with a minor in Education. He plans to become a teacher after he completes school and is using this opportunity to fulfill the internship/direct learning requirement for his degree. He has helped promote content generation for the Voices of Africa website for the past six months. Alex works every year with young children as a snowboarding instructor and is excited to expand his teaching to a community development based curriculum.

Meet the Partners

Hatua Likoni[1]: Is a coalition of community organizations working to create new opportunities and long term, self-sustaining solutions to the challenges we face in Likoni, Kenya. By increasing access to education; care for orphans; mentoring and guidance for youth; micro-finance loans; and jobs, we create opportunities that enable Likoni residents to achieve their goals, provide for themselves and their families, and uplift Likoni's living standard. It's our version of development: home grown, community driven development that empowers individuals to determine their own future and the future of their community. Our team is mostly Kenyan and all residents of Likoni. W e are knowledgeable about Likoni and the kinds of programs that are needed and will be effective in our community. We are extremely excited to work with the Tulane OLPCorps teams. We believe decisions made at the local level enable us to involve those affected by our choices in the decision making process, which is the essence of community development.

Voices of Africa for Sustainable Development[2]: Is registered as a non-governmental organization in Kenya, a 501c3 non profit organization in the United States, and has a sister organization named Terra Phoenix, a social enterprise in the United Kingdom. Its sole purpose is to engage in poverty alleviation and education for sustainable development in Sub- Saharan Africa. Our vision is to live in just world without abject poverty. To this end, Voices of Africa will foster sustainable development in Sub Saharan through information empowerment and fair trade. It is our mission to empower impoverished women and youth to improve their communities sustainably through the use of innovative and cutting edge information and communications technology and fair trade income generation. Working with the Tulane OLPCorps team will allow us to bolster our Likoni operations while empowering a highly impoverished and needy community of children.

SchuleTech Foundation: Is a nonprofit making organization working to educate and render Information Communication Technology(ICT) services and assistance to the young generation in Kenya. The foundation aims to be a center of excellence in terms of providing information technology and any others services in Kenya to educational institutions, non-governmental organizations and youth groups. The SchuleTech Foundation consists of individuals dedicated to the promotion and advancement of the foundations objects, through public education, training, and skill development. Membership is open to anyone wishing to render support, guidance and encouragement to individuals wishing to learn or enhance Information Technology related skills and activities. We are excited to work with the OLPCorps Kenya Team and their collaborating partners on this unique and amazing opportunity to impact and empower our countries youth.