In today’s jobless society, young people are increasingly turning towards business to make ends meet – and yes, to make loads of money. George Kogolla’s idea of business may thus surprise you considerably. In his own words, he’s in the business of impacting lives, and he’s very serious about reaping huge long-term profits.
 
His small office is sparsely furnished, betraying a frugal personality. Decorations on the wall are limited to posters and flipcharts with various statistics, giving a glimpse into what he’s involved in. From this first floor vantage point off Ngong’ Road, George Kogolla makes decisions everyday that impact the lives of many young people all over the country. Meet the founder and executive director of Youth Alive Kenya.
 
George confesses that he is one of those young people who go ‘through’ school, never quite giving it their all, mainly because their attention is elsewhere. Through-out campus, he was busy organizing events and being involved in community-based initiatives. It was here that George picked up his passion to make a difference in the society. Seeing especially how young people had few opportunities and even lesser platforms to address their issues, he decided to focus on young people like himself.
 
George and a few of his friends decided to start an organization that would be for the youth and by the youth. Thus in 1999, Youth Alive Kenya was founded. However, it was not until two years later when campus was done with, that the idea really picked up. Though starting from nothing, they were fully convinced that they could easily think up creative ways of being useful.
 
As if seeing the potential behind the organization, the government allowed them use of a small cubicle at Nyayo House, while a well-wisher donated an old computer to the cause. After successful initial fundraising in 2002, the organization started Youth Alive initiatives in seven schools in Nairobi. Focusing on Sexuality in relation to HIV/AIDS, the group established units in these schools as well as conducting educative courses.
 
From these humble beginnings, Youth Alive Kenya has risen to be one of the topmost non-governmental organizations dealing with matters of youth. Its staff has expanded to eight full time employees, besides a slew of volunteers and interns, and its offices occupy half a floor.
 
Its most engaging programme is the social justice interventions that has seen them partner with Safaricom Foundation, UNDP and other organizations in rehabilitating children in the juvenile legal system. They not only set up a library at the Kabete Remand Home, but also conduct developmental training for the children as they await placement in juvenile detention centers. The idea is to ensure that they get the most out of the rehabilitation process.   

At the same time, the organization has partnered with the Kenya Community Development Association to provide leadership training to young people, e.g. for prefects in schools and so forth. Other organizations are investing millions of shillings in programmes run by Youth Alive Kenya. As a credit to its call and passion, Youth Alive Kenya is staffed almost entirely by people under 30 years of age, and always have a teenager as one of the volunteers or interns, to ‘keep them focused’.
 
George is quick to point out that it has been a long, arduous climb plagued especially by lack of funding.
 
“When you’re a young person starting out, no one wants to listen to you, leave alone trust you with their money…” he says.
 
In fact, there were several times when things were so difficult that he contemplated shutting down the organization and going into employment as many of his peers were. It was in one of these moments, when nothing was working and he was almost giving up, that George realized he could trust a force bigger than himself.
 
“I remember praying and telling God, I give up – if this is your thing, you’ll make it work.”
 
George says this is one of the most important lessons he’s learnt in life – that when you realize it’s not about your creativity, your abilities or contacts, and start relying on God, He never disappoints. He also points out that in his business, integrity is of paramount importance, not only to positively represent Christ, but also to generate trust. He explains:
 
“The amounts of money involved in running some of these projects are colossal. The donors ought to be able to trust that we are using the money like we ought to, and doing a good job of whatever it is we proposed to do. This really tests your character. There are many times I’ve had to sacrifice a project because I refused to compromise.”
 
Though not all his employees are believers, George believes his lifestyle has been an example to them. He also points out that as a believer, he does not measure his success in money terms. To him, it’s all about making a difference in someone’s life, and doing it well. He explains his take on business:
 
“There’s a notion that NGOs are there to ‘help people’ and so accountability and business mindsets don’t matter. We are in business, and we take it very seriously. We serve our clients excellently, always coming up with new ways to make things better, and we keep accountable to our financiers. And yes, we are after profits – not financial, but massive social profits.”
 
George decries the fact that many young people have no idea what they want out of life. He says the key to success in business, as in anything else, is to know what you want and go after it with all the passion you have.
 
“You know you’re where you’re supposed to be if every morning, you can’t wait to get to work because you are excited about all the things you need to get done that day!”
 
He speaks like a man that has truly found his place and his calling, and is endlessly passionate about it.

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