This archive report was first published on 2 November 2019.
On November 2, 2019, Mount Kenya University (MKU) signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations University Volunteers Programme. This partnership will enable MKU to directly deploy its students as United Nations University Volunteers within the UN system.
According to Olivier Adam, the Executive Coordinator of the United Nations University Volunteers Programme, MKU will become the first university in Africa to achieve this milestone. He expressed pride in formalizing this new partnership, stating, 'As we formalize this new partnership, I am proud to say that MKU will become outstanding in other respects. MKU will be the first university in Africa to directly deploy its students as United Nations University Volunteers within the UN system.'
Through this partnership, the best and brightest students will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in practice. Every year, a selected number of students will serve as UN University Volunteers with UN entities in Kenya, sponsored by the MKU Foundation.
Adam emphasized the importance of engaging young people as leaders and active solution finders in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He noted that the SDGs have been captured in the Government's Big Four Agenda, which aims to tackle issues of food security, affordable housing, manufacturing, and healthcare for all.
Prof. Simon Nyutu Gicharu, the founder and chairman of the board of directors at MKU, committed to investing resources to support five students to undertake the volunteer programme for six months at a cost of approximately Ksh 4 million.
