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# Planning the next chapter of ARES
- URL: https://ares.sheql.org/planning-the-next-chapter/
- Published: 2023-01-10T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-07T11:20:22.000Z
- Description: Partners and volunteers met in Kenya in January 2023 to plan how ARES grows.
- Author: ARES Staff
- Tags: News, Team

January 2023 brought the ARES team, partners and volunteers together in Kenya for the first time in a while. It began with a meeting in Nairobi and continued with two days of hands-on planning in Laikipia.

![Partners meeting in Nairobi, 7 January 2023](https://ares.sheql.org/content/images/2026/11/serena-meeting.jpg)

Partners meeting in Nairobi, 7 January 2023

On the agenda were the new generation of ARES servers, preparing notebooks for new schools, teacher training, and how to reach far more schools. That work became the [ARES Expansion Project](https://ares.sheql.org/ares-expansion-project/).

![Working sessions, 9–10 January](https://ares.sheql.org/content/images/2026/11/planning-1.jpg)

Working sessions, 9–10 January

![New ARES servers ready for deployment](https://ares.sheql.org/content/images/2026/11/ares-units.jpg)

New ARES servers ready for deployment

![Operations Manager Kelvin Gitau and founder Mark Knittel](https://ares.sheql.org/content/images/2026/11/kelvin-mark.jpg)

Operations Manager Kelvin Gitau and founder Mark Knittel

Over the following days the team visited schools across Laikipia. Read about [Likii](https://ares.sheql.org/likii-mixed-day-secondary/), [Loise](https://ares.sheql.org/loise-secondary-school/) and the [Laikipia County Community Library](https://ares.sheql.org/laikipia-community-library-ares-lab/).