Location: San Francisco, USA
Village Capital Partner: William James Foundation
Serenity was born and raised in the East Bay of SF, a product of parents who emigrated from Tanzania in the 1960’s. Her parents believed that no child should be left idle and therefore was put into every activity ever created for children; from karate, gymnastics, baton twirling, sewing classes, ice skating, fencing, dance, theater, modeling to even participating in pageants. By trade Serenity is a dancer / choreographer and has studied dance and performed in a few companies in the bay area. While studying for her undergraduate degree, she established SeDaCo, a dance company in 2003 and presented her work at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. and many others. She then graduated from SFSU with B.A. in dance and a a minor in International Relations. Serenity’s interest and deeply rooted passion for economic development began to bubble over and in the summer of 2010 she traveled to Bangladesh to intern with Grameen Trust, a sister organization of Grameen Bank, a microfinance organization ,and met Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Muhammad Yunus. Serenity is a recent M.B.A. graduate from Mills College, has worked with Social Capital Markets and serves as Program Director at Shinda Foundation and teaches dance in her spare time. Serenity has recently returned from a 2 month trip in Tanzania in 2012 to visit family, friends to also see how much progress has been made since the last time she visited Tanzania 20 years ago and where she can best use utilize herself in accelerating access to the BOP.
