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Do I have the right skills to
offer?
What kinds of businesses will I be working with?
Do I need previous experience of mentoring?
Can I mentor 'virtually' without travelling to
Kenya?
How much free time will I have, and what can
I do with it?
Can I bring my family for the mentoring assignment?
What about language and climate?
Why is Skills Venture run as a company and not
as a charity?
What about placements for the Kenyan diaspora?
Do I have the right skills to
offer?
Whatever your professional experience, we
believe that your skills can be put to use. We will work with
you to identify how to maximise your potential contribution
to local Kenyan businesses. We define business skills broadly
- whether you have specialist expertise in an area such as
HR or marketing, or more generalist management experience.
Your age, gender, ethnic background, religious beliefs, and
sexual orientation are not important: as long as you have
business skills and experience to offer, we can match you
with one or more entrepreneurs.
What kinds of businesses
will I be working with?
It’s likely that you will work with
entrepreneur(s) whose businesses have been up and running
for several years, but who for one reason or another have
hit some kind of 'glass ceiling'. For example, they might
have grown to a size where their lack of training or experience
in managing people is holding them back, or where their lack
of financial expertise is preventing them from applying for
funding to expand further. You’ll be helping them to
grow the business further, by sharing your skills. Read about
some of the businesses we work with on our case
studies page.
Do I need previous experience
of mentoring?
Not at all. We will provide a comprehensive
induction programme, both before and after arrival in Kenya.
The induction covers a number of key areas including mentoring
skills. Your experience of working with others, whether as
a business owner or as part of a team, will count for everything.
Can I mentor 'virtually'
without travelling to Kenya?
We focus entirely on face-to-face mentoring
in Kenya, although we do encourage mentors and mentees to
communicate using our bespoke online system both before and
after they meet in Kenya. If you are looking to mentor an
African entrepreneur without travelling to Africa, we recommend
contacting Grow
Movement. Grow is a UK charity that offers volunteer consulting
opportunities to SMEs in Africa via the phone and internet.
How much free time will
I have, and what can I do with it?
How much free time you have is up to you.
You can combine your mentoring experience with some time off
and take the opportunity to get to know Kenya better. You
are fortunate in that Kenya has so much to offer – whether
you want game-viewing or adventure, or incredible beaches.
We can advise you about how to make the most of your time,
whether it’s a weekend trip to a lakeside campsite,
a week or two on safari with your family, or a sunset walk
to the nearest ridge with a bottle of local beer.
Can I bring my family
for the mentoring assignment?
Absolutely. Even if only one member of your
family has business skills, Skills Venture can still provide
a range of mind-expanding activities for all ages. Examples
include helping out in a local primary school, teaching children
aged 8-14 years, and getting involved in conservation in the
local area. Family members can also take advantage of the
incredible national parks and sites of interest all around
the area. Find out more on our families
page.
What about language
and climate?
Kenya's official language is Swahili, but
most people speak English - certainly all of the entrepreneurs
that you work with. Skills Venture is based in the central
highlands, where the climate is similar to an English summer
- temperate, warm and generally dry - on account of the higher
altitude. Malaria and other tropical diseases are absent.
Why is Skills Venture
run as a company and not as a charity?
We believe that by generating income through
our activities to cover our own running costs, we achieve
a degree of sustainability that very few non-profit organisations
could ever hope for. That means we are not dependent on donor
funding to continue our work. Business principles and values,
applied fairly and ethically, have the greatest potential
to lift people who are at the bottom of the economic pyramid
out of poverty.
What about placements
for the Kenyan diaspora?
If you are a member of the Kenyan community
living outside Kenya, we can offer you a cut-down mentoring
package at reduced prices. See our diaspora
page for more information.
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