03 October 2026

Today, 28 students from Mainz visited our SCN partner VICCO in Mukuru, one of Nairobi’s informal settlements.

Shakur, our SCN leader, welcomed them and took them on a journey into the work of SCN, the activities of VICCO, and everyday life in the community. It was an opportunity to move beyond what can be learned in a classroom and experience firsthand the people, initiatives, and local solutions shaping change on the ground.

And how did it all come about?

A few months ago, an apprentice in my team at Boehringer Ingelheim told me about an academic exchange between students from Mainz and Nairobi. When the Kenyan students visited Mainz in spring, I had the opportunity to speak to the group and introduce them to our work.

I then reached out to their professor, and the idea emerged to include a visit to SCN when the German students travelled to Nairobi.

Today, that idea became reality.

After the visit, Shakur sent me a message:

“The visitors came and they were very impressed by the work SCN is doing. It was a great day for all of us. Thank you so much. I am so happy.”

And so am I.

Because this is what meaningful collaboration looks like: connections across countries, institutions, and communities that create opportunities to learn from one another.

Not just talking about development, but experiencing it together. Not just sharing knowledge, but building understanding.

A big thank you to Shakur, VICCO, the students, and their professor for making this exchange possible.

Sometimes, the most valuable outcomes of networking are the ones we could never have planned in advance.