Thrilled recently to be contacted by Robi Esialimba, who is interested in starting up an Awesome Foundation chapter in Nairobi!

Him and his co-founder Weldon Kennedy are putting out an open call for trustees, so drop a line to Robi if you’re interested or know someone who might be someone great for them to team up with. Here’s their pitch for the new chapter:

Nairobians for an Awesome Nairobi – Join the Awesome Foundation Nairobi Chapter

Nairobi is a bustling, happening city, full of verve and a palpable mojo attracting Kenyans from upcountry and foreigners in equal measure to experience its offerings. With its swanky bars and restaurants, artsy events and concerts, hip and yuppie culture, it feels like it has a lot going for it. But Nairobi has a dark side to it too: widespread poverty, spiraling crime, squalid public spaces, dust and pollution and unforgettably the pain in the backside matatus! Some of us look forward longingly to the next election hoping that, maybe just maybe, the next county or national government will get its act together only for those hopes to be brutally dashed – again. Many of us feel jaded and have implicitly or explicitly decided to “accept and move on”. We feel powerless to make the change we want to see.

Or maybe not. Maybe you are looking for that one thing or one place that allows you to be part of a community of change in Nairobi. You feel the need to make a mark of positivity but you’re not exactly Mr. or Ms. Moneybags, your dad’s surname is not “Gates” and neither are your 9am – 6pm office hours exactly conducive to your civic sensibilities. But what if you could be part of a community of awesome people; people just like you, facing the same exact financial and time constraints that you face, but nonetheless dedicated and working to bring awesomeness to Nairobi? That is exactly what the Awesome Foundation is all about and we need your help in establishing the Nairobi Chapter. If you are interested, you can send an email to: esalimba@gmail.com and we’ll get in touch and you can start spreading the word too.

Learn More about the Awesome Foundation

The Awesome Foundation is a global community of everyday people like you and I looking to make a positive change within our immediate communities in small and easy ways. Each month, members, also known as trustees come together as a Chapter and provide a grant to a project or idea to the tune of USD 1000. The grants can go to individuals, NGOs, companies, chamas, self-help groups or any type of entity. The grants support projects in sciences, arts, civic engagement, media, entertainment… just about anything as long as long as it contributes to making Nairobi awesome!

The USD 1000 grant is obtained from contributions by the trustees who make a monthly contribution of USD 100 (or its approximate equivalent in Kenya Shillings). We are experimenting on having larger chapters to reduce the burden on individual trustees. It is the trustees contributing the money that meet once a month to review the applications received by the Chapter and decide on who will win the grant for the month. The trustees are not paid, this is not a money maker and our fulfillment comes from being volunteer agents of positive change in the community that we live.

There are over 79 Chapters spread across 15 countries and you now have the opportunity to be a part of this awesome community. The Nairobi Chapter will be the first chapter in Africa! If you would like to be a trustee or notified on when we will start receiving applications for grants, please send an email to esalimba@gmail.com. You can also visit the Awesome Foundation to view some of past projects that have been funded.

Why You Should Join the Awesome Foundation – Nairobi Chapter

Steve Jobs once said; this thing called life – the phones, the cars, the clubs, the movies, the music, the food, everything around us… – they were all created by someone just like you, and probably no smarter than you are. Here is your chance to take a shot at creating something. Some of us are creators, others are facilitators of creation; Awesome Foundation Nairobi has a place for both of you.

Awesome Foundation will be bringing together like minded people; people full of positivity and a yearning for change. We shall be meeting over great food and drink to discuss, not events, not people but ideas; great ideas that you can shape and influence. It will also be a great chance to expand your professional network and even make great friends with like-minded people.

Who we are

The founders of Awesome Foundation Nairobi are:

Robinson Esialimba: Lawyer, entrepreneur, business mentor, motivational speaker and social activist. Robi is passionate about all things African, entrepreneurial and innovative. Robi founded AfroVumbua Ltd, a consulting firm a few years back to help enterprising and innovative Africans connect with investors worldwide. His everyday job exposed him to some of the coolest ideas and projects by truly awesome young Africans, but unfortunately, many of those ideas just did not make enough dollar sense to attract investors. For Robi, Awesome Foundation provides a great platform to reconnect with some of these brilliant artistic, techy and social minds who with a little financial help can bring awesomeness in the world they live. Robi currently works with the African Innovation Foundation helping to scour the continent for Africa’s greatest technological innovations and helping to bring those innovations to market and to those that need them the most. Age 37

Weldon Kennedy: Weldon Kennedy is the Global Development Director at Change.org, finding, training, and supporting teams who supports people using the world’s largest campaigning platform. He is also co-founder of Campaign Bootcamp – a new initiative to give campaigners the skills, knowledge, and networks they need to run more impactful social change campaigns. Prior to joining Change.org, Weldon ran online campaigning outside the US for ONE.org, launched the selection campaign for Ed Miliband to become leader of the Labour Party in the UK, and worked on US Senate races for the Democratic Party. Age 29

Come let us create an AWESOME NAIROBI one month at a time! Email us at: esalimba@gmail.com