International Women’s Day: Meet Claire
What motivates you every day?
I love my job because I get to work with so many passionate, dedicated people — our learners, clients, team members, and supporters — who are all united around the common goal of using accessible technology to build knowledge and skills for everyone, no matter who or where they are. It always motivates and inspires me when you see the power that collaboration can have to change the world. Every time a learner calls to say they passed their exams, a client tells us we made their work easier, a team member shines on a new project — that’s the work of our community, and it’s amazing to be a part of it.
How does a typical day look like for you in the office?
A CEO’s role is incredibly dynamic, and I get to learn something new every single day. I work with M-Shule’s leadership team to set the company strategy, based on how well we have been performing as a business and what opportunities will lead us to greater success. Then I support each team and individual member in making sure their work plans align with those goals, find out what resources will help them work more efficiently and confidently, and track our progress and organizational growth. On any given day I could be visiting the field to observe training sessions, designing a project with potential clients, pitching investors, building new financial model, presenting at a conference, coaching a team member, or getting advice from a mentor myself. A startup grows very quickly and the leadership’s skills must grow along with it, which I find really exciting.
What are some of your interests outside of work?
I like to exercise to relax, so outside of work you might find me at the gym or taking a jog through Karura Forest. I also love music, and like to attend concerts with new and upcoming artists across Nairobi (while singing a little bit myself). My goals for this year are to spend more time exploring Kenya’s best camping sites and improving my Kiswahili and Spanish.
The theme for IWD is “an equal world is an enabled world” how does that intertwine with your work at M-Shule?
The inequality in resources, support, and access that face lower-income populations, especially women and girls, is unjust and prevents so many from achieving what they deserve to achieve. Our mission at M-Shule is to level the playing field — for those that don’t necessarily have the money to pay for a smartphone or data, for girls that are kept home from school, for women that don’t have time to travel to trainings while running their businesses and supporting their families. Everyone deserves to have powerful and effective tools available to them to help develop skills for success, and that’s what we are doing at M-Shule. Equal access should lead to more equal opportunities for everyone to thrive.
What is your inspiration behind working at M-Shule?
Growing up, my mother, a special education teacher herself, showed me the awesome impacts that a hands-on, community-based approach can have in transforming the life of a learner — that bringing a community together around someone that may need a different way to learn, and helping develop that pathway for each learner, can open new doors that were previously closed. I believe everyone deserves that opportunity, and that by trying something new and different — using these innovations in AI and learning science along with SMS — we can accelerate towards that future.
Message to women as we celebrate IWD?
You are ready, you are capable, and you deserve this.
