Kenya: Urbanization, Health and Human Rights

• Programs
  • Find a Program
  • How to Choose a Program
  • Program Availability
  • Program Dates
  • Program Schedule
  • About SIT/World Learning
• Academics
  • Coursework and Program Components
  • Donald B. Watt Library
  • Virtual Library Guides
  • Credit Transfer
  • Accreditation
  • Language Study
  • Benefits of Study Abroad
• SIT Faculty and Staff
  • SIT Study Abroad Faculty and Staff Overview
  • Academic Leadership Teams
  • Senior Administrative Staff
• Admissions
  • Apply Now
  • Admissions Steps
  • Videos Answering Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  • Application Forms
  • Tracking Your Application
  • Program Availability
  • Contact Admissions
  • Contact a Former Student
• SIT Scholarships
  and Financial Aid
  • SIT Scholarships
  • Financial Aid
  • Other Funding Sources
  • Program Costs
• Admitted Students
  • Web Advisor
  • Admitted Students
  • Confirmation Materials
  • Medical Review Process
  • Student Accounts and Billing
  • Contact a Former Student
  • Withdrawal and Cancellation Policies
• Services for Colleges and Universities
  • Overview
  • Resources
  • Custom Programs
  • Advisor Login
  • SIT Staff
  • Visit
• Alumni
  • Request a Transcript
  • SIT Study Abroad/IHP Trustee Fellowships
  • Connect to World Learning's Global Network
  • Next Steps for Alumni
  • Global Reciprocity Fund
  • Events and Announcements
  • SIT Student Ambassador Program
• Student Affairs
  • Health, Safety, and Security
  • Contact and Communications
  • Program Visit Policy
  • Re-Entry Information for Parents
  • Disability Services
  • Diversity
  • Student Support
  • IHP Program Updates

"SIT Kenya was the best experience I have had during college. I have never experienced the classroom "come to life" like it did for me when I studied abroad in Kenya. The people, the place, and my host families all made my stay even better. I felt like I was truly immersed into the culture, and I was so grateful to Jamal, Odoch, Mama Mary, Miltone, and all of the language professors for their hard work and dedication."

-- Deondra Jacobs, Albion College

Explore the intersections of economics, health, and social development in Kenya.

View Complete Photo Gallery

  Visit us on Facebook!

Kenya is home to more than 40 ethnic groups, each retaining a strong sense of cultural identity.  Students will learn about Kenya’s advances in educational training, infrastructure, and technical development, and gain an understanding of the vibrant private sector and successful coalition-building efforts that have helped to strengthen Kenya’s economy.

Homestays and educational excursions help illustrate that access to health care remains an issue for this predominantly rural population. Students interact with a wide array of local contacts in cosmopolitan, multiethnic Nairobi, the regional base for numerous local and international nongovernmental organizations engaged in development and health-related projects.

In-country resources and program partners typically include:

• University of Nairobi
• National Museums of Kenya
• Carolina for Kibera
• Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)
• Gender Violence Recovery Centre
• Shining Hope for Communities
• United African Alliance Community Center (Tanzania educational tour)

Spotlight on SIT Kenya Alumni

SIT Study Abroad alum co-founds Kibera School for Girls Jessica Posner, a Wesleyan University student and 2007 participant of SIT Study Abroad’s Kenya: Health and Development Program, was so moved by her experiences in Kenya that she teamed up with Kennedy Odede, a native of Nairobi, to establish the Kibera School for Girls. Now in its second year, the school uses an innovative approach that provides education as well as essential health and economic services to the community, with a special focus on young women and girls.     Check out Faces of Angels: Real Stories of AIDS-affected Children in the Kibera Slums, a unique photobook created by program alum Sandhira Wijayaratne (Johns Hopkins University), based on work completed during her ISP. SIT Study Abroad alum studied self-esteem of Kenyan girls Wellesley senior Katie Bunten-Wren of Eliot, Maine, presented her research "Drawings of Dreams: The Power of Women's Education in Kakuma, Kenya," at the annual Tanner Conference at Wellesley College. Read article...   SIT alum finds education scholarships for Kenyan youth Lydia Spitalny, Ohio Wesleyan University, and a 2007 student on this program, is currently the Co-Executive Director of Education for the Future Foundation, an education nonprofit organization in Kenya that is partnering with SIT Study Abroad Kenya. The partnership will allow SIT students to work with EFF to research issues of education as part of their Independent Research Project. Lydia has also completed the SIT Graduate Institute CONTACT course in peacebuilding and conflict transformation.

Browse this program's Independent Study Projects/Undergraduate Research

Credits: 16

Duration: 15 weeks

Program Base: Kenya, Nairobi

Language Study: Swahili

Prerequisites: None

View Student Evaluations for this program:

About the Evaluations (PDF)

Fall 2012 Evaluations (PDF)
Spring 2012 Evaluations (PDF)
Fall 2011 Evaluations (PDF)

Contact Us
SIT, 1 Kipling Road, PO Box 676, Brattleboro, VT 05302-0676
802.257.7751, 800.257.7751 (Toll-free in the US)

SIT was founded as the School for International Training and has been known as  SIT Study Abroad and SIT Graduate Institute since 2007.
SIT is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) through its Commission on Institutions of Higher Education