Our Approach

A Local Model

Academic Field Sessions

At the heart of RIDE's model lies our fully immersive and fully local academic field studies. These educational journeys act as dynamic learning platforms, enabling students to gain invaluable firsthand insights into local challenges and achievements, fostering profound and lasting connections between participants and the host communities.

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Community-Led Projects

We partner with local communities to identify their unique needs and aspirations, and then work together to design and implement short-term projects that bring about positive change. By combining local knowledge and resources with RIDE's expertise and support, we cultivate sustainable solutions for community challenges.

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Life Changing Experiences

The fusion of engaging student trips and ecotours with community initiatives forms RIDE's distinctive model. By merging these two components, RIDE cultivates a reciprocal relationship with local communities that allows us to collectively achieve our mission of promoting sustainable development, cultural exchange, and mutual growth in East Africa.

Learn More At Who We Are | What We Do | How We’re Different

Aligning local communities’ development aspirations with the research interests of academics and scholars

Supporting Local Capacity

Our model directly engages with low-income, multicultural, and rural communities through collaborative field studies with local leaders and members. RIDE partners with grassroots organizations and community-based institutions that lead development projects focused on local advancement and capacity-building. We celebrate the immense indigenous knowledge within these communities, ensuring they are treated with respect and equity. Our work cannot be done without the relationships we sustain with local communities.

RIDE’s model propels interaction with the community past the surface level and into extensive, collaborative field studies working directly with community members and leaders

Just as our students should be entitled to superb education on their abroad program, local communities equally deserve to be treated justly and with respect
Learn more about our focus here

Community Programs

Engagement Process:

Through our community programs, RIDE conducts niche projects on social science topics and threats, addressing issues that affect the day-to-day lives and well-being of the people in East African communities. The research collected then forms the basis for developing educational material for our academic programs with students and researchers.

RIDE utilizes our community programs to address social science issues impacting daily life and well-being, such as women's participation in tourism, local supply chain analysis, and human-wildlife conflict

Research findings inform educational materials for academic programs and public access, announced via press releases that are provided directly to the public
Workshops are held to discuss results with community members and leaders. More, our publications explore diverse solutions to complex issues, guided by input from qualified community and business leaders
RIDE's Board and staff is incredibly experienced in community development, and direct and conduct these initiatives
Learn more about how we monitor our impact here