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Being Kenyan, has always understood the immense potential of Africa as an innovator when it comes to sustainability — something he’s now sharing with students through a new study tour.

Home to abundant natural resources, a dynamic youthful population and sustainable practices in everything from agriculture and to water treatment, the continent, including the East African country of Kenya, can offer a "transformative experience” for students, Kariuki believes.

"They’ll not only have insights into African culture, but they’ll be able to see the scientific knowledge and sustainable practices Kenyans use in everyday life. It’s a living laboratory for sustainability.” 

The three-week course, AUIDS 200: Kenya Study Tour: Bridging Sustainability, Science, and Society, gives students the opportunity to travel to the African continent. One of Augustana's diverse array of international and field studies programs, the course offers its first tour in May 2026. 

After arriving in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, the students will travel outside the city for hands-on experiential learning, including visits to tea and coffee farms that use eco-friendly agriculture, and that simultaneously tackle poverty and climate change, a water institute using innovative conservation methods, and .

To deepen students’ understanding of the importance of sustainability, the excursions are designed to reflect the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he notes.

“Each stop will show the connection to particular SDGs, and how science has been used to advance development in Kenya.” 

For example, the students will learn about how farmers create dams made of sand to collect and store scarce rainwater to support their crops, and how the water hyacinth — an invasive plant in local lakes — is harvested and processed for use in furniture and organic fertilizer. 

Seeing first-hand how science supports sustainable practices at a local level takes the learning beyond the classroom for students, Kariuki notes.

“When they come back to Canada, they’ll be able to connect some abstract themes in class with how they’re applied in the real world.”

Along the way, the students will experience some of Africa’s diverse cultures and heritage — which also come with life lessons.

A visit to a rural village of Maasai people, an ethnic group within Kenya, for example, will show students how the community traditionally depends on the cattle they keep to provide milk and meat, as well as dung used as firewood and housing material.

Kariuki hopes that by seeing how Kenyans are resilient and adapt to making the most of limited resources, students “will understand that they don’t have to have a lot to survive and be happy; there’s the possibility of living with warmth, joy and generosity even without material wealth. 

“Many Kenyans embody this spirit, and it gives the students a chance to perhaps appreciate global diversity more deeply.”

As part of their coursework, students will write essays, keep daily journals and give oral presentations on what they experienced.

“The idea is to learn via reflection, so they examine their values and behaviours in relation to environmental and social issues, and gain critical thinking and good communication skills that are essential in advocating for sustainable solutions.” 

Kariuki hopes the students will also return to Canada with a greater sense of independence and more problem-solving skills, making them “better equipped to thrive in different settings, outside of the North American context.”

Students can also take what they learn into their own communities, Kariuki believes.

“I hope they return with a renewed sense of purpose and that when they go home, they can contribute meaningfully to their communities, from something uplifting that they saw in Kenya.” 

The Kenya Study Tour course is .