Alex Haynie, nicknamed “Aliki” by some of his new Strathmore friends, is an associate at Strathmore University Foundation now in Kenya until December on a three-month exchange assignment to further the collaboration of SUF with Strathmore University.  A 2008 graduate of Princeton University from North Wales, PA, Alex is interning with three of Strathmore’s departments: athletics, community outreach, and alumni development. He is keeping a journal of his experiences and impressions.

I am sleeping and eating at a nearby residence hall called “Studyville,” a short distance from Strathmore University (which is 5km outside of Nairobi’s city center). Strathmore has no dormitories of its own. Instead, it works with local providers to create suitable (and safe) residential environments for those Strathmore students from upcountry not residing with nearby relatives and needing places to stay while studying in Nairobi. Studyville is a project of the Kenyan Armed Forces Pension Fund, designed and managed privately to standards set by Strathmore.

Each morning I walk ten minutes to Strathmore to my desk in the Alumni Outreach office.  I’m helping to expand the network of Strathmore Alumni by getting in touch with old students through alumni publications, reunion events, and general outreach, and I’m assisting with fundraising for Strathmore as the University continues its annual campaign. I am also working to strengthen the communication between the alumni office in Kenya and the SUF office in New Jersey.

In the late afternoons I train with the soccer team. Based on my experience with a varsity level collegiate athletic team, I will also be helping to conduct strength-training tests for some of Strathmore’s athletic teams, as well as organizing an intramural basketball tournament in November.  On the weekends I travel with the soccer team to games and I will help with the Strathmore Community Outreach Program (COP), a distinctive feature of the Strathmore curriculum. Every Strathmore undergraduate engages through COP in 200 hours of community service as a requirement for graduation.

The students are in the middle of mid-term exams right now. After they are over, the COP will start up again, and I will help COP organize a soccer clinic for youth in Kibera, which is a slum in Nairobi (and the second largest slum in Africa).

I am also tasked to report on the progress of several projects to which SUF and other American donors have given funds, such as the Ikumbo School, the Strathmore Governance Center, and several projects involving the donation of books to organizations in Kenya. I will be filing my reports for these in November.