Kelvin recently returned from a ten-day visit to the U.S. Kelvin is the Programme Coordinator at Ngong Road Children Association and joined the organization in 2013 as a computer lab instructor. Today Kelvin leads our Information and Communications Technology Department, Summer Camp and Saturday Program hence he gets to interact with all the children in the program and understand them quite well. During his visit he was able to meet various sponsors and donors and spend time with the US based staff. Kelvin was able to help sponsors understand the supportive community programmes that their sponsored children engage in and how these programs help them in the journey of transforming their lives.

A tight schedule
During his time in the US, Kelvin traveled throughout Minnesota, Iowa and Texas meeting with sponsors and donors as well as giving presentations to churches (Christ Lutheran church of Alamo Heights and Our Saviors Lutheran Church in the San Antonio area, friends and family, and of course at our Annual Gathering and Friends of Friends fundraising breakfast. He also met individually with some sponsors and donors and gave insight regarding the students they sponsor.

Kelvin is responsible for the technology and budget planning, therefore he was able to spend time with the tech team and gain a deeper understanding of the systems that the organization is leveraging on to better support operations at NRCA. He also spent time board member in charge of financials and controls. He also spent time the strategic planning committee discussing the scaling plan.

In addition to these meetings, Kelvin was able to experience life in Minnesota where he visited some of the landmarks such as Stone Arch Bridge, Minneapolis sculpture garden and the Mall of America.  And he tried lots of new foods. He also had many opportunities for professional development working with our U.S. staff and board members and by meeting with other professional groups like the South Metro Minneapolis Evenings Rotary club and individuals like Paul Walker of Gallup to gain insight and experience.

A great experience
For Kelvin, the trip from Nairobi to Minnesota was a long one, but quite fulfilling since it was his first time in the US and first trip out of Africa.

Kelvin is grateful to the organization for giving him the chance to travel to the US and get all the exposure and interaction. He is also grateful to all the sponsors and donors who spent time with him and for allowing him to share his perspectives of the program. 

The board of our sister organization in Kenya, Ngong Road Children Association (NRCA), has dramatically strengthened its support and involvement over the last few years. The board in Kenya meets every other month to provide oversight and governance to the program and plays a direct role in helping graduates secure jobs by deploying their personal and professional networks. They additionally give of their time and energy by volunteering at camp, the Life Skills Program and other special events. The Ngong Road Children Association Board of Directors includes:

Patrick Kyalo. Patrick joined the NRCA board in April 2019. Patrick holds a Bachelors of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Nairobi, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Resources Management from the Kenya Institute of Management, and certificates in public relations, counselling and project management. He is currently undertaking a Masters of Science in Human Resources Management at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology.

Patrick has experience managing human resource programs and strengthening organization systems in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan. He is currently working at Christian Health Association of Kenya. He has previously worked with Amref Health Africa (Kenya), OXFAM Great Britain (Kenya, South Sudan, and DRC), and Intrahealth International through the USAID Capacity Kenya Project (Kenya).

Patrick’s main focus as an NRCA board member is human capital development and management and NGO capacity support. He provides advisory and policy guidance on human resources and institutional compliance matters. He is also interested in talent development and management, partnerships with potential training institutions and employment services for graduates.

Patrick is motivated to volunteer for NRCA as he is inspired by the vision and mission of NRCA and because he wants to give back to the society through making the children and other stakeholders feel worthy, loved and dignified. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “The best way to find yourself is in the service of others.’’

Robert Murimi. Robert joined the NRCA board in 2016 and was elected to be the board chair in January 2019. He holds a Masters of Business Administration in Marketing and Strategic Management from the United States International University – San Diego Campus (California, U.S.), and a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration (Marketing Option) from the United States International University – Nairobi Campus (Nairobi, Kenya).

Robert is currently working as Chief Trainer/Lead Consultant at Impact Change Ltd. and has been there since 2009. He previously worked as an Associate Consultant (Business and Marketing) at Consultants for Effective Training Ltd., Marketing Director at Alfagen Furnishers Ltd., Marketing and Operations Manager at Art Ltd., and Area Manager (Eastern Division) at Gestetner Ltd.

In his service to NRCA as board chair, Robert focuses on program implementation, policy development, and leads the board to ensure strategic plans are successfully implemented and objectives achieved. Robert is also actively involved in alumni development, youth leadership and mentorship, and supports students in grades 8 and 12 who are taking their final exams by helping them learn goal setting and studying techniques.

Robert is motivated by the desire to touch peoples’ lives positively, especially the young ones. He is excited when their lives are transformed through programs with which he is involved.

Catherine Naliaka. Catherine joined the NRCA board in April 2019. Catherine holds a Bachelors in Education, a Masters of Science in Maternal and Child Health, a Masters of Arts in Child Development, a Diploma in Human Resources, a Diploma in Counseling, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Project Planning and Management. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Child and Youth Development.

Catherine brings extensive experience in program development and NGO management having worked with Compassion International, Kenya since January 2000 where she has served in many roles. Currently, she serves in the Global Compassion International Office in Survival and Early Childhood.

Prior to joining Compassion, Catherine was a Lecturer at Kenya Polytechnic University College and worked as a Research Fellow for the University of Nairobi on a number of research projects.

In her role on the NRCA board, Catherine supports child management and compliance issues. She is also involved in NGO capacity support by ensuring NRCA’s objectives continue to be met in a manner that safeguards the interests of the children.

Catherine is married to James Ondeng’ and they are parents to Immanuel, 23 years-old. She and her husband serve in their local church, and she loves to serve as a part-time nanny in an HIV/AIDS children’s orphan home. She is passionate about supporting less fortunate children who come from families affected by HIV/AIDs, and that motivates her to work with NRCA.

Judy Nyaga. Judy joined the NRCA board in 2018. She has 18 years of legal and corporate governance experience in the banking industry and is currently the Regional Head for Subsidiary Governance in Africa & Middle East for Standard Chartered Bank. In this role, Judy is responsible for driving high standards of corporate governance across Standard Chartered Bank’s subsidiaries in the Africa & Middle East regions.

Judy holds an Honors Degree in Law from the University of Nairobi and a Post-Graduate Degree in International Commercial Law from the University of Nottingham. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Strathmore Business School in Nairobi. Judy is a Certified Public Secretary and has passed the examinations required for registration as a Certified Public Accountant. Judy is also a 2015 Eisenhower Fellow.

As an NRCA board member, Judy supports the board in providing guidance and challenge to the NRCA management team to ensure objectives continue to be met. Judy’s background in law and corporate governance enables her to provide insights to the board in its oversight of legal and governance risks.

Additionally, Judy created a book club with some of the NRCA upper-primary school girls. The book club was set-up to enable the girls to learn life lessons through storybooks, to improve their oratory skills, and to build their confidence in speaking before an audience of their peers.

NRCA’s vision of supporting the education of underprivileged children impacted by HIV/AIDs resonates greatly with Judy because she knows the difference a good education has made in her own life. Serving on the board and mentoring girls through the book club enables Judy in a small way to contribute to the education and wellbeing of vulnerable children.

Anupa Sanghrajka. Anupa joined the NRCA board in 2018. She is a chartered accountant by profession and holds a Bachelors of Science (Honors) in Management. Currently, she is working in a family business based in Nairobi dealing with building products and interiors and property development. Previously, Anupa worked for KPMG in London in the Financial Audit and Advisory Department.

Anupa’s main responsibilities as an NRCA board member are to ensure the financial controls and processes are in line with best practice. She participates in monthly financial review meetings to understand the financials and provide support where required.

Being born and brought up in Kenya, Anupa has always wanted to be involved in organizations that make an impact on the less fortunate. She believes that education is a tool to ensure a sustainable long-term impression, and this is what really attracted her to NRCA. Anupa’s aim is also to transfer the business skills learned in the corporate world to NRCA.

Aruna Varsani. Aruna joined the NRCA board in April 2019. She is currently the Director of Montessori Plus Center Kindergarten and College in Nairobi and has been a part of Amref Health Africa and the Nairobi Cooking Club.

Aruna is trained in Early Childhood Teaching and Care from Gems School of Management and Montessori Plus Center.

On the NRCA board, Aruna focuses on of education programming part of the organization. She provides policy guidelines and recommendations on how to maximize the education opportunity NRCA is offering the sponsored children. Aruna also helps review project reports and policies.

Aruna is motivated to volunteer for NRCA as it is and has always been her pleasure to work for and help the needy ones. Seeing people deprived of facilities and resources due to poverty really motivated her to help care for others. Her interest is mainly on children’s education. Her goal is to see that all children are given equal rights in education and have a future whereby they can sustain themselves.