Koinoina Foundation

So, this is my last week interning at Koinonia, and I can’t believe it!

As a business student, and one with a pretty limited work history, over the last four years at Grand Valley I had formed a very one track, cynical outlook on what a company’s goals, tactics, and aspirations should be.  In my mind, a company was to be cutthroat and out to make the most profit as possible, while making certain to only look out for itself.  I was content with this outlook of the corporate world and ready to enter into it.

Something that no ethics course or pep talk from a friendly professor could ever offer me came in the form of my internship with Koinonia.  It was such a new experience for me to work and be around people who not only want to run a successful business, but at the same time help others around the world become empowered.

Although the highlight of my internship was definitely the trip to Rwanda, I also gained a lot from spending time at the Grand Rapids office.  A lot of time and effort is being spent trying to get the name Koinonia out into the public.  Being able to help promote and advertise what Koinonia is all about has opened my eyes to how much hard work it is.  It was interesting to be involved in what the PR team has planned for Koinonia in the future.

During a business lesson with the Beacon women.

This Saturday I will be walking in graudation, proudly sporting my Rwandan Flag sash (all students who travel or study abroad for credit get to wear the country’s flag) and knowing that I have a much more rounded and fulfilling attitude and prospect to offer out to the world.

Hi everyone,

My name is Nicole. I’m the intern. I’m a senior at Grand Valley State University and have been very lucky to participate in this internship program with the Koinonia Foundation this semester.  A large portion of my internship involved creating business lessons to teach to the existing, and also the new, Beacon Women. As these women were starting up their own small business, they desired to have more basic business knowledge in areas such as accounting, marketing, project development, and inventory management.

Traveling to Rwanda was my first time going abroad. I was extremely excited to visit another country, even for the 15 hour plane ride.  After getting delayed in Brussles for a day (which turned out to be a lot of fun), we finally arrived in Kigali.

The city was completely different than I had anticipated.  I had expected much less developed infrastructure and fewer modern vehicles and businesses.  Although, this is only really true in Kigali, because I experienced a much different scenery and experience in Rwamagana and Akagera.

But back to the lesson plans!  I was able to train the women over a four day period in five-hour increments.  When I first heard that I would be training the women in five-hour sessions, I was extremely nervous. The thought of advising these women in the subject of business, when I don’t even a word of Kinyarwandan, was very nerve-wracking.

Needless to say, I had nothing to worry about.  The Beacon women were so welcoming and eager to learn from day one, and my translator Jerome was a big help also.  My favorite lesson to teach to the women was accounting.  They caught onto concepts and terms that took me an entire semester to learn in a two-day period.  It was a breath of fresh air to have the ladies come up to the board to volunteer their answers and thoughts so freely and honestly – something I don’t witness a lot in my own classes in college.

Since I only had four days with the women, Koinonia is looking for a Rwandese business student to continue increasing the women’s business knowledge and improve their English speaking skills.  Overall, I feel so blessed to have met these women. They are passionate about their business and their families, and they are taking steps to make sure both will be healthy and successful in the future.

I feel this blog is going on a little long now, so I will tell you all more about my trip in the near future!

Nicole

P.S.  If you are ever in Kigali, you should stop by the Beacon Womens store and buy a K-Light…or maybe some clothes!