International students learn from local nonprofit

Fri, October 30, 2009 |

When international commerce and policy graduate student Jacob Sitati came to Valparaiso University from Kenya, he intended to gain business knowledge he could take back home to benefit people in his native land. This fall, the co-founder of Vision for Kenya is learning first-hand how the global business world can serve and be served by individuals with special needs.

Sitati is one of several international students enrolled in Valpo's "Nonprofit Organizations" course this fall offered through the master's program in international commerce and policy (http://www.valpo.edu/grad/icp/index.php). He and other students are learning how people with physical and mental challenges can help businesses improve their operations, and how work experiences can help those individuals develop as productive members of society.


Students in the course are working directly with the Valparaiso-based nonprofit Opportunity Enterprises, which serves challenged individuals of all ages in the community.

"I have learned that community-based programs focused on adding value chains through the least fortunate can make a difference," Sitati said. "Working with Opportunity Enterprises and seeing what they do and who they do it with is impressive. OE has taken an active role in helping those who are challenged be a productive part of society through opportunity."

Opportunity Enterprises President and CEO Gary Mitchell is teaching the "Nonprofit Organizations" course, which includes a diverse group of about 20 students representing six countries.

"They have all expressed an interest in learning more about the nonprofit world in the U.S. and how it relates to charities in their countries," said Mitchell. "There is a difference between how they define and fund charities in their countries and how nonprofits are defined and funded in the United States."

Since 1967, Opportunity Enterprises has provided quality employment, enrichment and residential services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Approximately 1,700 children and adults throughout Northwest Indiana receive services on an annual basis.

Mitchell said that, as part of the course, the students have toured the facilities of Opportunity Enterprises and worked side-by-side with employees and community volunteers. Recently, 10 students in the course volunteered their time for the organization's annual "Pack-a-Thon" event, during which more than 45,000 bags were packed with supplies for participants in the Chicago Marathon.

Sitati said he has learned about processes in nonprofits by observing how clients at a variety of work stations are coordinated, while OE also maintains the level of productivity needed to sustain its projects.

"I realize that the individuals working at OE are developmentally challenged," Sitati said. "However, the work product they create is of good quality, which is necessary to keep outside companies interested in using OE to help in their business processes."

"The students are very sincere in their desire to learn about nonprofits so they can utilize these lessons in their own countries," said Mitchell, who noted that teaching the course has proven to be a learning experience not only for the students, but for the organization as well.

"Working with this class has allowed us to verbalize our programs and services, and our mission and values to individuals who have no knowledge of OE, and to get honest feedback," said Mitchell. "We are able to educate these students, and thus a part of the community we have not yet reached, about the abilities of our amazing people."

What the students learn at OE is a natural fit for the international commerce and policy master's program, said Jennifer Guziewicz, coordinator of academic services for Valpo's Graduate School.

"International commerce and policy has always had a nongovernmental, nonprofit element to it," Guziewicz said. "This interdisciplinary program provides students with background in the political, legal, economic, technical and cultural aspects of global commerce, business and international relations. The function of the nonprofit organization is critical in both developed and developing nations as citizens of the world interact with each other."

Guziewicz said the partnership with OE allows Valpo students to take theory out of their classrooms and put it into practice.

"This partnership encourages our students to become further engaged with the organizations in the community around them," said Guziewicz. "When they do that here in the academic setting, they are able to successfully do it in their own communities beyond graduate school."

Mitchell said the partnership with Valpo has allowed Opportunity Enterprises to strengthen its relationship with the international community as well and analyze its organizational goals.

"OE has a definite focus on reaching beyond the borders of the U.S. to garner involvement from around the world," said Mitchell. "We had seven countries represented on our 2009 OE Marathon Team, which ran in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 11."

That reach beyond America's borders can also be found in the future hopes and desires of Jacob Sitati.

"This is a lesson I can take and apply back in my country at various levels," said Sitati, who has ambitions of starting his own nonprofit back in Kenya. "This experience has been simply amazing, as it goes to show that projects initiated by organizations such as OE can pave way to making societies in developing countries more progressive in thought toward their developmentally challenged citizens."

Sitati said he is now using his knowledge to complete his nonprofit plan for Vision for Kenya (http://www.visionforkenya.org), an organization he co-founded that solicits and distributes medical equipment and supplies to medical facilities in remote regions of the country.

"I am taking the practical approaches that I am learning in class and directly applying them in the governance of our newly-created organization," said Sitati." The material and practical experience gained from the OE team have been vital in giving me tools and ideas to help make Vision for Kenya a viable organization."