Empowering Youth through the Design Thinking and Innovation Course at the Camp
MEETING FOR THE WEEK OF June 22, 2026
This Meeting at a Glance:
Program: Empowering Youth through the Design Thinking and Innovation Course at the Camp
Speaker: Matabishi Narukako
Is this your first time visiting us? If so, welcome to our weekly online meeting! To complete our meeting, please continue reading from here to the bottom of this page. Each Monday, our week’s meeting is posted early in the morning, U.S. Pacific Time. These meetings are designed so that you can read and watch what we post anytime during the week. The entire meeting takes about 60 minutes to complete, with the video conference recording of the program being the bulk of the time. Note that you can easily read this meeting with your favorite device, so feel free to take our meeting on the go with you. Please also complete the attendance form at the bottom and leave a comment. Enjoy!
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Greetings Members, Rotarians, Friends and Guests:
Want to Learn More About Us? - Who We Are, What We Do, Why We Do It
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Ringing the Rotary Bell to start our eClub Meeting
Nick LeGarde - Past President, Member
WEEKLY FUNNY WITH SHAGS
We believe laughter is an important part of life, and we should all make time to laugh a little. This segment of our meeting is meant to tickle you just enough. These funnies are curated by member Steven "Shags" Shagrin!
I once got stuck in an elevator.
Now I take steps to avoid them.
Inspiration
Straw Hat Farms is much more than an agricultural effort. It's a family celebrating the talents of a daughter with Down Syndrome, and the community that embraces her. A big thanks to Catherine for sharing this one with me!
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Fermented Garlic Paste
Oooh! Something new to do with garlic!
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PROGRAM: Empowering Youth through the Design Thinking and Innovation Course at the Camp
SPEAKER: Matabishi Narukako
We bring you a new program every week on innovation, entrepreneurship, and education and how they contribute to service to others.
Today we will hear about the Kakuma Vocational Center (KVC), and how the founder's interactions with community members in the Kakuma Refugee Camp revealed challenges faced by the population, particularly youth and young women. As one example of the socio-economic and education challenges these women face, it became clear that a holistic education option would help young women who lacked support after becoming mothers, particularly single mothers. KVC was founded to make a positive impact on the lives of youth and women in Kakuma.
The KVC includes a range of services and programs to refugees in Kakuma Refugee Camp including an innovation course, a makerspace, a soap-making program, child development and learning activities, and more.
The founder is Matabishi Narukako, also known as Mata. Mata is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who fled his home country in 2012. In the DRC, he earned a diploma in Business Administration, and after seeking refuge in the Kakuma Camp, he actively participated in various international NGO training programs, including Applied Human Rights from the University of Geneva. This program allowed Mata to earn certificates related to managing non-profit organizations.
While in Kakuma, Mata's passion for computer applications, coding, and IT grew significantly. In 2018, he founded the Kakuma Vocational Center (KVC), which serves as the first makerspace for youth in Kakuma, Kenya. As the Founder and CEO of KVC, he is working to drive positive and sustainable change in the community.
Members and guests, please welcome Mata Narukako!
To learn more, go to:
https://m.facebook.com/kakumavcenter/
To donate to the Kakuma Vocational Center, go to:
https://reframe.network/rlo/kakuma-vocational-center
To learn more about the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley, go to:
http://rotary.cool
Our Three Podcast Series
Our main program speakers are available as podcasts in addition to YouTube videos! Each week, they are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, as well as many other platforms.
Our weekly podcast is now called:
Inspiring People - Stories of Innovation and Service
Inspiring Solutions for a Better World
Our original podcast, featuring some of the best of our previous speakers, is still available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms.
Inspiring Women: Celebrating Trailblazers
Our newest podcast celebrates trailblazing women. It is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms.
UPCOMING PROGRAM RECORDING SCHEDULE
All of our guest speakers and programs are recorded live online over Zoom video conference. We welcome members and guests to join us in one of these upcoming recordings. Recordings are approximately 30 minutes long and are subject to change without notice.
Our online video conference room link for these recordings is always http://zoom.siliconvalleyrotary.com/. You are welcome to join us! Please note the timezone listed for all recordings is US Pacific Time (San Francisco, California, USA).
If you can’t join the live recording, please send your questions for an upcoming speaker to programs@siliconvalleyrotary.com.
THE ATTENDANCE SURVEY
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