At GCK Travel

We are expert advisors and passionate travelers

Our Story

In 2007, Dr. David Angwenyi led a group of high school students from the United States on a service learning trip to his birthplace, Nyanchonori Village, in Kenya. There, the students worked to develop projects that improved local village life while enriching their own perspectives. 

By collaborating with the villagers, they planned and developed a structure by which projects, such as clean water initiatives, could be implemented in the village. Upon returning home with new insights, this trip inspired members of the local community to form the Hopewell-Keroka Alliance, to help raise funds for the improvement of infrastructure of Nyanchonori Village as well as to promote a cultural exchange between American and Kenyan communities. 

Since the first Kenya trip in 2007, three non-profits, Hopewell-Keroka Alliance, Global Connections Foundation and Seeds to Sew have worked on the ground in local Kenyan communities facilitating the development of a health care center, access roads, electricity grid, and a women run school uniform sewing center. 

We view travel differently.

Over time, student trips to Kenya from Hopewell Valley Central High School, where David teaches, have become a tradition. The success of these service projects inspired David to expand Global Connections Kenya.  

Our company was formed to make meaningful travel experiences accessible to people from diverse backgrounds. We currently offer travel experiences in three branches:

  • Educational diplomacy and service learning trips for students.

  • Authentically Kenyan adventures that may be customized to include village experiences.

  • Business services that range from team building and mission projects to liaison services between investors interested in breaking into Kenya’s growing marketplace.

At GCK Travel, we specialize in creating extraordinary experiences. Through sharing adventures that build a sense of fulfillment and community, we strive to make the world a better place, one traveler at a time. We look forward to having you join us.

Dr. David Angwenyi

  • David believes that learning is a lifelong journey. Beyond his work as a classroom educator, David aims to make life changing experiences accessible to people from all walks of life. By working to provide others the opportunity to travel the world and meet people in circumstances vastly different from their own, David seeks to facilitate the building of relationships between communities. Ultimately, David strives to connect people from diverse backgrounds and empower them to realize their potential to uplift their communities locally and globally.

  • David Angwenyi was raised in Nyanchonori Village in South Western Kenya. In 1994, David emigrated to the United States, where he pursued his education and a career in pharmaceutical drug development. Wanting to share his knowledge and experiences, David earned a Master’s degree in Science Education and left the pharmaceutical space to become a teacher at Hopewell Valley Central High School in 2004. David’s passion for inspiring and empowering others led him to start the educational diplomacy program in 2007. The focus of this program is to bring students to his home village in Kenya for experiential service learning trips. The success of these trips inspired David to earn his Ph.D in Educational Leadership, with his thesis focusing on the benefits of short term travel experiences for students. David’s transcontinental upbringing has inspired him to work towards making lasting and impactful connections between people from diverse communities and backgrounds.

  • David is an internationally recognized leader in education and philanthropy.

    - Top 100 Visionaries in Education Award - GFEL - 2021

    - Entrepreneurship of the Year Award - by StartUpAfrica - 2018

    - Life Changer Honor Roll by National Life Group - 2018

    - Kiongozi Award by Hopewell-Keroka Alliance - 2017

    - Global Teacher Prize Award Nominee - 2016

    - George Washington Leadership Award by Cyrus-Lodge of Trenton, New Jersey - 2014

    - Fullbright- Teachers for Global Classrooms - by United States Department of State - 2012

    - Brazil Educators Cohort - 2012

    - Excellence in Education Award by Committee Teaching About United Nations (CTAUN) - 2010

Founder, CEO

Our Team

  • Anthony Napoleon

    COO, USA

  • Kerry Napoleon

    CXO, USA

  • Roshni Desai

    Program Director, USA

  • Courtney Verbaro

    Program Director, USA

  • William Kennedy

    Media Director, USA

  • Sarah Sherwin

    Sustainability Director, USA

  • Marianna Crandall

    Program Coordinator, USA

Onesmus, GCK Tour Guide

“Every day is a new adventure”

Philanthropy is at the heart of our mission

Learn more about our charitable affiliations

Global Connections Foundation

Linking American and Kenyan communities through educational diplomacy efforts 

Hopewell Keroka Alliance

Improving infrastructure in remote Kenyan villages to uplift communities

Seeds to Sew International

Empowering women and girls in disadvantaged communities through education and skills development