Nairobi — US-based Kenyan philanthropist Mwangi Mukami plans to fund a cohort of 15 Black and Brown American citizens and residents to travel Kenya beginning June 17 through June 27 for a 10-day fully-funded trip in Nairobi, Maasai Mara, and Kilifi, Kenya.

Mwangi Mukami says the goal is to inform, inspire and empower the next generation of American leaders to learn and care more about Africa beyond the commonplace stereotypes of Africa as a backward continent strife with hunger, ethnic strife, and unemployment.

"Africa's story is not always about epic tragedies; it is also about Africa's beauty, potential, and the global opportunity in Africa's marketplace," says Mukami.

Mukami says George Floyd's murder and subsequent global protests in the summer of 2020 inspired him and the MLIFE Foundation to begin this program for California's Black and Brown youths.

MLIFE has coordinated self-funded trips to East and West Africa for policymakers and high-net-worth individuals in the past four years, generating more than $1m in return investments.

The new initiative enables MLIFE to "elevate justice, empower

NextGen leaders, and provide a space for intercultural connectedness and healing among members of the Black Diaspora," says Mukami.

MLIFE will coordinate these trips twice during January and July. The itinerary will include visits to Nairobi's local and regional international schools and a 3-day, 2-night visit to Maasai Mara.

Before returning to the US, students will visit Mombasa to learn about Kenya's colonial history and the Arabic and Portuguese influence.

The trip will also include opportunities to meet local leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators.

Rugged Elegance Foundation has committed financial support for three of the fifteen-member cohort.

California companies We Are Guru and Hyphen8tion Studios also support the program and Qrius Pay, a non-profit payment processing company based in Canada.