Itinerary

Discover sensuous batiks, hand carved soapstone, sisal baskets, and beaded tribal jewelry. Have loads of fun honing your bargaining skills while supporting their village artistry.

In a feast for the eyes, see farm women with heaping mounds of luscious avocados, tomatoes, onions, and potatoes flanked by indigenous basket weavers—in vibrant traditional Kenyan kangas and headscarves. Expect lively conversations with the women, everything from talk about President Obama to their children’s school fees. Retreat to a lovely restaurant in the thriving commercial district of this regional capital before heading back to Nairobi.

Our five-hour drive will take us to Meru, a regional capital and agricultural market. Meru (Maasai for “Quiet Forests”) will be our home base for the next eight days. Each day we will set out for adventures unavailable on conventional tours, and each night you’ll rest in the first class comforts of the Alba Hotel.

Spend personal time with some of the girls and social workers and learn why “The 160 Girls Project” was hailed by the New York Times, the BBC, and the international press as a critical turning point for girls’ rights across Africa. Take the morning to breathe in the sweet air of the center’s protected country setting. Listen to stories; connect and play with the girls. Hear from steely women leaders as they fight on the frontlines to change a culture of impunity while healing these precious children.

Feel free to lend a hand to the nannies in their daily routine—bathing, feeding, or playing with any child you can get to sit still. During naptime, listen to the story of how this oasis of hope was started by the spark of a global friendship and how its success grabbed the attention of the Vice President of Kenya. Spend in-depth time with the nannies caring for the children and hear why they feel they are the luckiest women in the world. Then retreat to the hotel for a relaxing dinner (and possibly even a stiff drink.)

This morning, step into one of Kenya’s finest examples of elementary education where kids from all walks of life—from professional families to village orphans and rescued teens—soak up top-flight instruction within a progressive learning environment. Join a school-wide sing along “African style” as the children celebrate the start of their day. Attend a class (where kids actually listen to their teachers). Try your hand at teaching for a few minutes to kids in rapt attention. Then over a cup of Kenyan tea, explore with the director and teachers a hot topic for women across the globe: How do we better educate our kids?

In 2002, the AIDS pandemic was ravaging sub-Saharan Africa. Mercy, then a social worker, witnessed the devastation in her hometown of Meru. Springing to action, she flew to the US on a one-way ticket with a simple but powerful vision: to find support to rescue as many orphans as she could reach. Today, Ripples International, the organization she founded, reaches thousands of vulnerable children in central Kenya and is one of East Africa’s most innovative children’s welfare operations.

In 2012, Mercy courageously pushed her passion for kids to new heights. Teaming up with Canadian human rights attorneys, she won a landmark case for girls in Kenya, holding the state accountable for the police treatment of defilement claims. The New York Times hailed it “A Victory for Girls and Rights” across the African continent.

Experience a typical day in the fields, sowing seeds and hoeing the land. These women farmers sustain indigenous knowledge about seeds, soil, climate, and medicinal plants. Athwana women know Mother Earth—her rhythms and her cycles—and work in harmony with Her to feed their families and communities. See why powerhouse donors like the Gates Foundation are garnering knowledge of the land from Earth Mothers like these.

Listen to their colorful, witty, and salty stories of survival, resilience, heartache, and humor. We’ll then travel 45 minutes into rolling banana plantations to spend an afternoon at the Harambee Street Boys Home. Here two big-hearted visionaries have rescued and rehabilitated 30 boys off the streets. Talk about heroic work – it doesn’t get better than this!

In a special invitation to her home, join Lucy Mukaria, director of national women’s networks, campaigns, and a champion of education. Listen to her recount the deep sense of belonging that comes from being raised by an entire village, as well as the thrill and gratitude of getting that one new dress each year at Christmas! Hear about growing up as the only girl to graduate in her village and how treasured memories and inherited cultural values shape her woman’s way of leading change in contemporary Kenya.

Many years ago, Lucy Mukaria became the first girl to graduate from Ribui Elementary School. Rather than move on, she became a champion for the little valley school, vowing to keep its doors open. You’ll hear the remarkable story of Kenyans and Americans working together to give children hope for the future. And you’ll meet the 230 students who are now flourishing and forever grateful for Lucy’s compassion and determination. After a special celebration in your honor, enjoy a tasty traditional school lunch, and then settle into a classroom to experience a typical school day in rural Africa. We’ll be sure to head home at dusk, before the elephants take to the trails for their night feeding!

Explore the delicate secrets that make Kenyan tea so savory and sample flavors the world is craving. Trek into the rolling plantations with the women harvesters singing their traditional work songs while balancing baskets on their hips and babies on their backs. So that you won’t feel left out you’ll also get a chance to try your hand at picking tea! Our special guide for the day will be Esther Mbaabu, a musician and gifted vocalist, who will explain both the meaning behind the songs and the importance of music in the daily lives of Kenyan women.

You’ll stay in a luxurious tented lodge on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River (”The Big Muddy”) miraculously running through the desert. Fall asleep to calls of the wild.

Discover the tension between deep rooted resistance to the acceptance of the rights of women and girls and the courageous strides some are making to assimilate their culture into the 21st century. This is not a tourist site. Access is made available through Ripples International which has worked closely with the community for many years to build a trusted relationship.

Learn the secrets behind how they create dyes from native plant materials gathered from the nearby Mount Kenya highlands. Their delicate shawls, clothing, rugs, and wall hangings can be found in stores from San Francisco to Chicago, and fortunately they’re all on display in their showroom. Lunch is nearby at the famous Trout Tree Restaurant built in an enormous Fig Tree along the Burguret River.

However, in our time together, she wants to connect with your global heart and explore what women around the world have in common and how together we’re unstoppable. In the Presence of wisdom and humor, breathe in her exquisite African spirituality that runs deeply through her DNA. Don’t be surprised if you, also, meet her granddaughter. This future leader wants to learn from you and hear what’s going on in your corner of the world.

Breathe it all in over a safari lunch and have your own personal guide steeped in the knowledge of this magical place. This once-in-a lifetime safari is a Free Bonus with our Early Bird Prices.

Spend personal time with some of SHOFCO’s emerging women leaders and hear the remarkable story of Jessica Posner, an American woman who traded in a life of privilege to co-found SHOFCO with her Kenyan husband, Kennedy Odede. Meet the school girls, teachers, and parents flowing through the school, clinics, shelters, and library. Then return to the Fairview Hotel to refresh before heading home to the States on a late evening flight.

In the afternoon, you’ll have time to select among several optional outings within Nairobi. At night, we gather for our closing dinner…and let our hearts do their work.