Growing a Solution to Hunger

I am the founder of One Acre Fund, an organization started in January, 2006, that works to help end hunger in Africa. Our organization helps poor farm families learn how to grow their own way out of hunger. We do this by providing Kenyan families with a small amount of seed and fertilizer, weekly farm training in the farmers' own fields, and market access. We currently serve 110 farm families, reach 500 children, and plan to double in size every six months.

As founder, I set our program goals and strategies to accomplish them. I also hire and develop employees and create relationships with donors. I work first-hand with families in rural western Kenya, but also travel back to the U.S. to raise funds for the program and to check in with the board to make sure the program is running smoothly. The board of One Acre Fund consists of nine Kellogg students, who will raise half of our operating funds over the next three years.

I graduated from Kellogg School of Management in 2006, and my MBA has been quite relevant to this work. The relationships and networks I fostered at Kellogg led to a summer internship in Africa where I managed community-based AIDS work (see BusinessWeek.com, 12/5/05, "AIDS: Education Cuts the Toll"). That experience, combined with the contacts I made at Kellogg, gave me the tools to execute One Acre Fund successfully.

Here's a typical work day:

8:00 a.m.: Wake up, hot. The village in Kenya is on the Equator, and every day the temperature reaches at least 80 degrees. I brush my teeth, eat a nut bar and some raisins, and head out.

8:30 a.m.: Meet my field manager, John, and one of our field officers, Gladys, on the road. They are both Kenyans, and their insight is invaluable to the project.

8:40 a.m.: Hop onto the back of a bicycle, the most common form of transportation in this town. When we are let off, we walk until we arrive at a farmer's field.

9:00 a.m.: Meet a group of women farmers who are assembled and waiting for us. Most of Kenya's farmers are women. They greet us happily...

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