A message from the founder

The vision for Mission Schools International (MSI) was first conceived over 5 years ago as I was helping to found a Nativity-model school in Wilmington, DE. While working in Nativity schools in Boston, MA; New Bedford, MA and Wilmington, I saw the powerful effects a first-class education could bring to students in America's inner-cities. I became convinced that the most effective long-term strategy for lifting communities from poverty is through education that also provides basic healthcare and nutrition. I became eager to bring a similar model to the poorest countries in the world and was soon drawn to the staggering poverty and injustice in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2004, I cashed in all of my frequent flyer miles and traveled to Rwanda as a way to explore the feasibility of starting schools there. This trip convinced me that not only was my idea feasible, but indeed it was something I was called to do. My liberal arts education at Boston College and my experience starting inner-city schools in the U.S. were excellent experience to embark on such a project. However, I felt that for MSI to truly become an exceptional international organization that maximizes its impact on the communities it serves, I needed better business training. After completing Harvard Business School, I was ready to put all of my education and experience to work as I set out on this ambitious endeavor. In June 2007, I finalized the decision to found Mission Schools International and began working with a great team of supporters to make this dream a reality. I hope you will join us.

All the best,

Brendan Kennealey
Boston, March 2008