Testimonials

 Ms. Chara Itoka is part of the team of trainers and mentors for AfDB’s Technology Incubation Program being implemented by Frankfurt School in Sudan and Rwanda. Ms. Itoka is very passionate about grooming aspiring entrepreneurs. Her knowledge, personal experience, and network gained over the course of her entrepreneurship journey has been invaluable to young tech innovators in the program.

- Jonathan Nkoola, Senior Project Manager, Frankfurt School

I’ve benefitted from Chara’s expertise both as a full-time university student and full-time entrepreneur. As a student, she was my learning facilitator, and as an entrepreneur, she was my fundraising advisor where she helped with the re-establishment and polishing of our company’s investment data room led us to raise $50k in pre-seed investment. When it comes to capacity development, she excels tremendously well. She is an excellent communicator with an eagle eye for strategic human capital development. This, coupled with many years of experience in the industry, makes her a suitable match for most, if not all of your capacity development needs.

- Moses Katala, Business Development Lead, Magofarm

I got to work with Chara during the Deep Drive Africa accelerator, a program geared towards coaching African startups at different stages on raising capital, and creating a platform for them to pitch to angel investors. As our coach, Chara helped us navigate the program with precision, encouragement, grace and patience. Her expertise in the field and approach to coaching not only helped us to create excellent documentation and pitch deck, but led to prospect investor calls. Chara maintained contact with us, offered to help in preparing for calls with investors, and followed up on how meetings with investors were going - well after the program had concluded.

- Kubwayo David, Managing Director, Muraho Technology

Our team was coached by Ms. Itoka during the Lab for Tomorrow Incubation Phase II Program supported by Impact Hub Kigali. With Ms. Itoka’s strategic advice, we were able to develop a meaningful and detailed business model for our organization which produces balanced animal feeds from horticultural wastes. Ms. Itoka’s expertise also helped us secure an additional 10,000,000 RWF grant. She is a good coach, advisor, and professional trainer.  

- Dusabimana Thacien, Managing Director, Agricultural Gurus

You will hardly find anything that Chara does not excel at. As a generalist, she doesn't just have a wide array of knowledge on a variety of subjects, she embraces and shares them too. Her passion and skills for knowledge transfer is what makes her a successful mentor, but even better, an exceptional human being. She combines professionalism, ethics, excellence, patience and pedagogy in such a natural way, that one can only be impressed. You can trust her with your work.

- Wassa N. Cissé, Ecosystem Manager, BESTSELLER FOUNDATION

As a multifaceted generalist, Chara is great at so many things. Her best asset, I think, is her ability to impart her knowledge and expertise. Chara taught my Governance class, and months on, I still go back to look at my notes. Whenever I am reaching out for consulting frameworks that she taught, I remember them exactly as she taught them. Her class has so far been one of my most transformative experiences. This will translate into any work you go into with her.

-Garnett Achieng, Product Policy Manager Sub Saharan Africa, TikTok

My first interaction with Chara was ethereal. It was during her mock lesson, and I knew I wanted to have a long lasting relationship with “whoever this amazing woman was.” When she joined ALU, Chara became my grassroots leadership and governance facilitator. Lessons and skills from that class continue to shape how I interact with the real world, from my understanding of how to leverage power dynamics in stakeholder engagement to embodying a consultant in addressing structural issues in both the corporate world and in governance. There are only a few facilitators who are able to design classes that shape the student’s worldview and allow them to use knowledge and skills outside of the space. Her work in the classroom is the embodiment of what bell hooks called an ‘engaged pedagogy’ that prioritizes the well-being and the self-actualization of students. If I were to go back to being an undergraduate student, I would find Chara anywhere she is. However, I am glad she has moved from someone I merely knew in class to my life-long teacher. And I look forward to the amazing feats she would achieve with her work. 

-Mardiya Siba Yahaya, Researcher, Data and Digital Rights, Africa

I felt motivated when I received feedback from Chara on one of my assignments saying that my writing skills have improved. As a facilitator, Chara followed up on the growth of her students and mentees not only academically but also professionally. She inspired us to think critically and introduced us to multidimensional and practical tools that we have been using even beyond academic tasks. With her creativity and resourcefulness, the Itoka Group stands out to be a company that truly suits 21st-century demands. 

- Divine Munezero, Program Associate, African Visionary Fellowship

From the first day I met Chara, I could tell my learning experience was about to change for the better. You hadn’t met a facilitator as captivating, attentive, and open-minded in their classes! Besides her eloquence, interlaced with aptly designed course content, I find particularly remarkable her ability to get you to ask critical questions from differing angles, and follow you through the process of tying it all together. Whether in-person or virtually, her consistency, passion, and authenticity come through resolutely in all she does.

- Awoke Ogbo, Community Engagement Coordinator, African Leadership University

I have always perceived mentorship as nothing more than coercion and giving someone power over me until I met Chara Itoka. She has been an exceptional and accurate representation of what could be out of mentorship. Her kindness, benevolence, and zeal to extend her personal experiences and wisdom while attentively listening are all qualities that I, indeed, gained from her and will forever be grateful for. Further, as a guide, Chara has always ensured that I thought independently and projected my voice out of my inner and authentic self rather than molding me to her perspective. Her constant assistance has been priceless, and for that, I say THANK YOU!

- Modeste Ndangamira, Representative, Disability Plus

There's no one way to describe Chara, and she did so very intentionally. Chara doesn't fit the societal mold, she either checks multiple boxes or checks none of them. That's Chara's superpower! When I was growing up, I was always told that I was too confused about what I wanted to do with my life, and I was apparently purposeless. All this changed when I met Chara. Her mere existence literally proved to me that you can have multiple passions, be highly skilled at many 'domains' and still be successful. Most importantly, you don't have to fit in, but rather, stand out! Being highly skilled, or well-experienced is usually all people consider before becoming mentors. Chara is so much more than that. She is a great listener, a hands-on nurturer, and quite the force when thinking out of the box. Besides, Chara being as brilliant and charming as she is, she has curated a high-quality, high-value network of people around her, many of whom can substantially elevate her mentee's careers. That's definitely a plus!

-Murungi Sarah

Chara is an Impeccable Public Speaker. As our facilitator at the African Leadership University, she introduced us to the whole concept of becoming a generalist. As a person with multiple interests myself, this really nurtured and validated the entrepreneur in me. On a daily basis, she set a great example for us on making ambitions realities. Her work and professional ethic are intrinsically outstanding, I strongly believe through the Itoka Group she will continue to impact more lives.

- Luc Ntihemuka

Chara Itoka is an insanely phenomenal facilitator, mentor, coach, role model, creative, and friend. I have never met a person more open-minded and accepting of other people. Chara harbors deep-rooted knowledge of a wide range of subject areas, and her natural savvy in everything she does is nearly incomprehensible. Her genuine interest in everything and every person she’s involved with/gets involved with is moving. Chara Itoka exudes such light that reassures every person that they can be everything they want to be. I believe my encounter with her is one I will forever live in absolute awe of.

- Tealee A. Brown

They say teachers are meant to prepare students for the road ahead and I had a hard time believing this but Chara showed me that this is indeed true. She made work that on any other occasion seemed unmountable and extremely challenging, very easy to understand. Chara truly cared about her students and often enough her unique way of teaching was the difference between a student failing to understand the course or them gaining another skill. I learned a lot from Chara’s course and I thank her for this.

-Kennedy Ngabonziza

Chara Itoka is an insanely phenomenal facilitator, mentor, role model, creative, and friend. I have never met a person more open-minded and accepting of other people. Her genuine interest in everything and every person she’s involved with is moving. Chara Itoka exudes such light that reassures every person that they can be everything they want to be.

- Jean Baptiste Dushimiyimana

I have had many facilitators in my life, and met many people but Chara is exceptionally good. I'll give two reasons; I did not need to morph to fit into her class. There wasn't any pressure for me to become what other students were; I felt I was understood in my own right. Second; She is excellent and informed about what she teaches. I felt confident that she was the right facilitator but did not feel intimidated to have my own view or not agree. If that is not a skill, then I do not know what is. 

-Maryann Mwangi

Through ALU I learned how important it was to have a good relationship with your facilitators in order to genuinely enjoy the process. Thanks to a handful of facilitators. But my oh my Chara outdid herself. I genuinely loved how caring and loving Chara was in and out of class, such a nurturer. Her teaching was more like a conversation with your favorite aunt, favorite cousin or older sister, and you always leave having learned a thing or two..(or ten.) I appreciate you Chara, you're a great friend and educator, I wish there were more facilitators like you; the world would be a better place.  

-Tona Kayihura

Chara’s ability to bring out the best in people will always leave me in awe. My experience as one of her students was quite life-defining. It is almost as if she has the superpower to unearth the parts of ourselves we were afraid to share with the world. Inspiring us with the confidence and determination to go after that which we believe to be our purpose. Chara has taught me to tailor the world to fit my standards, instead of lowering my standards for the world. A natural coach, Chara brings value and tangible results everywhere she goes. 

- Anne-Sharlene Murapa

It’s hard to find someone who’s your facilitator and at the same time a friend and advisor you can confide in. Chara was more than that,  she made sure she was always present, and her motivational and inspirational words are what strengthened most of our journeys at ALU. Chara loved everyone regardless of our backgrounds and because of that I always looked up to attending her class which she always made fun of by the way. I fall short of words when I try to explain how much she’s personally motivated me and made me realize that any dream is attainable, and if I had to go back to school, the governance seminar class would always and always be my number one choice. God bless you for all the people’s hearts you've touched Chara. 

 -Kabibi Ingabire Kenny