WiWi-News Detail

UBI Business School (United Business Institutes) proudly announces its first formal collaboration with an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), Tuko Pamoja, marking a groundbreaking step in integrating academic excellence with socially engaged leadership and real-world impact. This partnership marks the launch of the UBI Citizen Initiative, a visionary framework that empowers students and faculty to contribute directly to addressing global development challenges through innovative education and values-driven action.

About Tuko Pamoja

Tuko Pamoja, which means “We Are Together” in Swahili, is a community-focused NGO that has been active for over a decade in rural Kenya. It works closely with women entrepreneurs, local leaders, schools, and health workers to empower communities by fostering economic development, education, health support, and social resilience. Their collaborative and respectful approach prioritises sustainability, dignity, and cultural relevance, creating lasting change in some of the most underserved regions. By partnering with Tuko Pamoja, UBI brings global knowledge, technical expertise, and academic resources to amplify the NGO’s impact. In turn, this provides UBI’s students and professors with authentic opportunities to engage with complex social challenges, enriching their learning experience beyond traditional classrooms.

Transformative Learning Experiences for Students and Faculty

This partnership between UBI and Tuko Pamoja represents a unique experiential learning opportunity for UBI students, who will be involved in a range of activities, which may include remote mentorship and consultancy projects, amongst other options. Confronted with real-world challenges of resource scarcity, economic fragility, and social inequities, students will apply theories of strategy, entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership in meaningful contexts. The experience enhances not only technical skills but also vital qualities such as empathy, ethical reasoning, adaptability, and intercultural competence—essential traits for tomorrow’s global leaders.

Faculty members also gain from this collaboration by engaging in applied research, international cooperation, and socially responsible pedagogy. This partnership encourages educators to develop new curricula that integrate sustainability and social impact, enriching teaching and scholarship with practical relevance.

UBI’s Philosophy: Impact through Education

UBI’s academic model is founded on three pillars: academic excellence, global perspective, and social impact. The collaboration with Tuko Pamoja exemplifies this philosophy by bridging education with action, local communities with global learning, and business knowledge with social justice.

Students and faculty will engage in activities such as community co-creation projects, fundraising initiatives, leadership training, and research that respects and uplifts local agency. The partnership prioritises mutual learning and sustainable development, fostering inclusive innovation that responds to community needs.

Looking Ahead: Building a Global Network for Social Innovation

The agreement with Tuko Pamoja is only the beginning of UBI’s ambition to create a worldwide network of academic and social partnerships. Through the UBI Citizen Initiative, the institution aims to connect with more NGOs, social enterprises, and development organisations to multiply impact and foster values-based leadership on a global scale.