✈️ Fasten Your Seatbelts — We're About to Take Off!
By the time this reaches you, we'll be preparing to begin a 3-week, 5-country trip through Africa.
While this is an annual event for me, each trip is unique. The month before departure is the critical work of planning, booking, communicating, changing, confirming details — and praying.
Here are a few details:
📆 The Itinerary
Sunday, May 17 — Arrive Kigali, Rwanda. Visit Lakeside Fish Farm and Pioneer School.
Monday, May 18 — Visit Hope Haven School and ACES Rwanda. Drive 1.5 hrs to Sacred Orphan Child Aid in Katuna, Uganda. Overnight there.
Tuesday, May 19 — Drive 5 hrs to Kasese, Uganda. Meet with Inspire Girls. Overnight there.
Wednesday, May 20 — Spend the morning with Inspire, then drive 5 hrs to Rooted Wisdom in Lwengo District, Uganda. See their new property, then drive 1 hr to Masaka, Uganda. Overnight there.
Thursday, May 21 — Drive to Matugga, Uganda to meet with EcoLife. Then a half-hour drive to Kampala.
Friday, May 22 — Meet with Era92.
Saturday, May 23 — Drive 2.5 hrs to Jinja, Uganda. Meet with Children of Grace. Return (2.5 hrs) to Kampala.
Sunday, May 24 — Fly from Kampala to Nairobi, Kenya.
Monday, May 25 — Meet with the Energy Department at Strathmore University. In the afternoon, attend the Kua Ventures Annual Board and Investors Meeting.
Tuesday & Wednesday, May 26–27 — Connect with Kua Ventures partners, board, staff, and investors.
Thursday, May 28 — Fly to Blantyre, Malawi. Visit Zomba Central Hospital.
Friday, May 29 — Fly back to Nairobi.
Saturday, May 30 – Tuesday, June 3 — Visits to Eldoret and Shompole, Kenya.
Wednesday, June 4 — Fly to Accra, Ghana.
Thursday, June 5 – Sunday, June 8 — Connect with three groups in Accra. Depart Africa the evening of the 8th.
🌏 A Few Highlights
The majority of these groups we have met with before — but here are the new connections on this trip:
Clean Cooling Network — A pioneering hub focused on the storage and transport of perishable products, from vaccines to vegetables. Connecting with this group aligns with our meeting with EcoLife and the discussions we're already having with Strathmore University in Nairobi. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 40% of what is harvested is lost to spoilage. The lack of cold storage and transportation are solvable problems.
Children of Grace — This group serves about 800 kids in the Jinja District east of Kampala, Uganda. The full story will come in a future journal entry. As with most of my relationships in Africa, the introduction came through a renewed friendship from years past. With every new group we meet there is expanded knowledge — and a new building block in our desire to serve others.
Era92 — A member of our team, Tom Brasching, asked for Era92 to be added to our itinerary. This group offers guidance to organizations and businesses primarily focused on donor connection and communication. We're excited to learn more about them.
👥 Who's on This Trip With Me?
Jason Miller — Colorado. Global Operations Manager for Bucket Ministry. Lived in South Africa, conversant in Swahili. Jason visits Africa multiple times each year and has joined every one of these 3-week trips for the past 5 years.
Tom Brasching — Germany. Electrical engineer based in Nairobi. Recently started an electrical process and controls company that he uses to train people living in the slum, with the goal of helping them develop a skill and long-term employment.
Kyle Gaiser — California. Design engineer specializing in alternative methods of storing energy. He taught high school in Rwanda for 2 years and was with me on our trip last year.
Roger Shaw — Kigali. Founder of Pioneer School and Lakeside Fish Farm. A British national who studied and worked in the US. Roger and his wife Faith are wonderful hosts. Over the 4 years I've known him, his school and business have grown remarkably.
Phil Herndon (me) — California. Retired business owner who seeks out initiatives in Africa that can benefit and strengthen smaller mission and NGO groups.
❓ Common Questions
Where do you stay?
Small hotels, single rooms, mosquito nets.Is it safe?
Yes — but we never go anywhere alone. For the driving portion of the trip we have a van and a driver.How much does a trip cost?
Round-trip airfare can be as low as $1,500. Daily expense is about $80/day.How do you decide where to go?
Typically I won't consider a country unless we have 3 or more groups to meet with.Why?
We seek out smaller groups that may be facing challenges, and we just listen to their story. Later we discuss how we might help. That help can take many forms — an introduction, a listening ear, a business study, or at times a bit of financial support. We've found this kind of encouragement has helped many of these groups dramatically.
🙏 Prayer Request
If you can, please pray for our trip — for energy, listening ears, and a sensitive spirit to build up and encourage these groups seeking to do good.
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Interested in Getting Involved?
Want to donate? Use the donate button and let us know where you’d like your gift to go. We don’t need administrative support—100% of donations go to groups we know and have seen.
Want to join a future trip? Let’s talk.
Know a mission group or NGO we should meet?
We focus on small, founder-led groups in Africa. Once there are 3 or more groups to visit in a given country, we prioritize getting there.
