Talented people are the heart of any organization and until this year, Friends of Ngong Road relied almost entirely on the talents of volunteers to handle our work. By the end of 2015 our board concluded we have simply grown to the point that our all-volunteer model had run its course, so we have begun to add paid staff who help with some very important jobs.
Lacey Kraft began working as the Director of Development in January, 2016 – our first full-time employee. Although her focus is on development, Lacey has contributed to many projects from updating the website to the newsletter to sponsor renewals. Lacey most recently served in a similar capacity for a domestic abuse shelter in Grand Forks, ND. During her undergraduate years at the University of Minnesota she spent a semester studying in Kenya where she first became acquainted with Ngong Road Children Association. Lacey has brought great energy and expertise to the organization and we are thankful for her contributions.
We are also deeply grateful to Jil Bakko. Jil has worked part-time for several years on Friends of Ngong Road’s accounting and audit preparation. She reconciles our accounts, prepares for our annual audit and ensures our U.S. financials are accurate.
In 2016 we made big changes at Ngong Road Children Association (NRCA) in Kenya. Our new board chair is Rajpreet Bains. Rajpreet is a human resources professional, having worked for several corporations both in London and Nairobi. She has her own Human Resources consultancy in Nairobi focused on organizational development. Rajpreet has helped fortify governance in Kenya, recruiting new board members, articulating priorities and ensuring a much more active role for the board of directors of NRCA. Rajpreet and her colleagues are still filling out their board; when they have a full slate we will provide a profile of each of them.
Finally, our new Program Director in Kenya named Maureen Mulievi joined NRCA in August. Maureen has brought a level of professionalism and experience in non-profit organization leadership that we have all appreciated. Before joining NRCA, Maureen was program director for a Planned Parenthood Global project that worked with women in several counties near Nairobi. She is in her mid-30s with two small children; her husband is a high school teacher.
Our organizations have already begun to benefit from the expertise and contributions of the people introduced here, both in the U.S. and Kenya.
Thanks for your ongoing support.
Paula Meyer
President, Friends of Ngong Road
Last year, Pamela was encouraged by her classroom teacher to apply for the AFS-USA foreign student exchange program. After multiple exams and interviews, Pamela was ranked first in her county and accepted into the program! In her interview, she spoke about how much she values diversity and enjoys learning with people who come from different backgrounds than hers. The AFS program has been focusing on bridging cultural difference among youth, and Pamela is an excellent peer example.
Although this operating approach has worked smoothly, we will be moving to a new organization structure in the coming months. Rajpreet Bains, NRCA board chair, has agreed that the Kenyan board will play a more active role in the future and we are working together on what that means. She is a human resources consultant and is well-qualified to define NRCA’s new organization structure.