Florence Shikuku has over eleven years of experience in various fields within the private sector. Florence is a Resource Development Officer for Academies Unit at the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa a nonprofit Organization in Kenya, where she focuses on managing and developing a network of sustainable volunteer and individual fundraisers to raise scholarship and offer opportunities for the less privileged have access to education. She has gained tremendous experience in developing and managing projects, working with foundations to strengthen community engagements in East Africa. Her accomplishments include piloting a four-week summer internship for youths coming from the United States and raised $33,000 which led to the expansion of the funding program.\nFlorence is a Mandela Washington Fellow 2017, volunteered with International Rescue Committee and AmeriCorps, on their robust programme on community support, she helped refugees acclimatize to a new environment. Florence was awarded a collaborative grant by IREX Organization and USAID Kenya, to volunteer in the Central African Republic, helping businesses understand their accounting systems and governance. She is also an Alumni of Young African Leadership Initiative East Africa 2018\nFlorence is a Certified Public Accountant, member of East, Central and Southern African Federation of Accountants and International Federation of Accountants (ICPAK), holding Bachelor of Business Management from Moi University, Mombasa. She advocates for education and creating awareness about opportunities and socioeconomic activities with the vision of encouraging and enlightening marginalized communities. She is empowering entrepreneurs on business development and financial management training, helping the community in economic development to address social problems. Florence leverages her experiences and skills in making meaningful contributions via the innovation ecosystem in Kenya. She is particularly focused on entrepreneurship and social inclusion efforts as a means of poverty alleviation and global prosperity. She speaks English, French and Swahili. Florence Shikuku has over eleven years of experience in various fields within the private sector. Florence is a Resource Development Officer for Academies Unit at the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa a nonprofit Organization in Kenya, where she focuses on managing and developing a network of sustainable volunteer and individual fundraisers to raise scholarship and offer opportunities for the less privileged have access to education. She has gained tremendous experience in developing and managing projects, working with foundations to strengthen community engagements in East Africa. Her accomplishments include piloting a four-week summer internship for youths coming from the United States and raised $33,000 which led to the expansion of the funding program. Florence is a Mandela Washington Fellow 2017, volunteered with International Rescue Committee and AmeriCorps, on their robust programme on community support, she helped refugees acclimatize to a new environment. Florence was awarded a collaborative grant by IREX Organization and USAID Kenya, to volunteer in the Central African Republic, helping businesses understand their accounting systems and governance. She is also an Alumni of Young African Leadership Initiative East Africa 2018.

Host Organization: Kiva

Role at Kiva: At Kiva, Florence will work with a small team to identify and assess a wide range of organizations, from nonprofits to social enterprises, that operate in areas of impact (such as agriculture, renewable energy, water, ICT, health or education).