WHERE TRADITION
MEETS TECHNOLOGY
Kitengela, Kenya
Santa Fe, NM
THE TEAM
We’re very proud of the diversity of our team, and their abilities to contribute their own unique experience and skills to our success.
Find out more about some of our leaders and volunteers below.
CO-FOUNDER AND CONSULTANT
Former Assistant Chief Nickson Parmisa was instrumental in helping us to get Acacia Moyo off the ground in the Kitengela community. He identified those in need, advised us where to place funds received and coordinated many community activities. Nickson has been promoted to an Assistant District Officer located outside of Kitengela, but still remains a faithful participant and consultant. He speaks Maa, Kisuaheli and English and has visited the US a few times to help us raise funds and talk to Western ranchers about issues facing cattle breeders.
PROJECT MANAGER
Hussein Lilah studied Infrastructure and Communications Technology (I.C.T.). He is an entrepreneur with his own business in tourism and consultancy on government documentation and permits. Hussein is a member of the Kitengela Maasai community. He is passionate about wildlife and doing everything possible to maintain his community's culture. He is now in charge of coordinating and overseeing all our community projects, including gathering members for our beekeeping cooperative, encouraging women to participcate, communicating with our team on the ground and in the US, and forming local partnerships.
CO-FOUNDER and PROJECT COORDINATOR
Kenny Mann was born and raised in Kenya and spent her early years among the Maasai. Her parents arrived in Kenya in 1942 as Jewish refugees from Poland and Romania. Dr. Igor Mann and his wife Erica are renowned in Kenya for their work against hunger and poverty. Dr. Mann founded the Animal Health and Industries Training Institute (AHITI) in Nairobi, and Erica Mann won awards for her work with the Council on Human Ecology. Kenny is a journalist, author, teacher and documentary filmmaker.
MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM IN KENYA, JANUARY 2023
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From l to r:
Consultants Felix Kariuki and The Hon. George Kimiti; Kenny Mann, Hussein Lilah
GREENHOUSE MANAGER
Jonathan Tulutian Parmisa is a recent graduate of the Rift Valley Institute for Science and Technology (RVIST), located in Nakuru, 100 miles north of Nairobi. RVIST "prepares agricultural professionals to teach, lead, and serve the citizens of Kenya and beyond." Jonathan is passionate about teaching his Maasai community how to grow vegetables for themselves so that they are not so dependent on livestock. The long-standing drought has rendered traditional pastoralism almost impossible to maintain. The Maasai were formerly nomadic and had no agricultural practices, so Jonathan's work brings an entirely new and extremely valuable experience to the community. We will be using the greenhouse to cultivate a hardy species of rose for bee forage.
Members of the Iltalala Women's Microfinancing Cooperative, which includes ladies ages 20 to 35, attended the Acacia Moyo community meeting held in Kitengela on February 11, 2023, to introduce the community to the beekeeping project. The members will be our first class of beekeepers!
VIDEOGRAPHER, PHOTOGRAPHER
Uli Koch, is an excellent photographer and videographer, and has shot all the photos and footage that we have used for PR and fundraising over the past four years. Uli is German and now lives in Santa Fe, NM. He loves Kenya and travels there every year to document our work.
CO-FOUNDER
Anthony Carlson, formerly of Santa Fe, NM, developed the original vision of ACACIA MOYO with Kenny Mann and co-wrote our mission statement and five-year plan. He also designed our logo. Anthony spent several years in Kenya. He is a professional photographer and has found over the years that working with local people and helping to build communities brings new ways to overcome age-old challenges, increase capacities and strengthen individuals.
OUR CONSULTANTS
Felix Kariuki is an engineer who is the International Service Director, Programmes Director and Director of the Programme for Capacity Development in Africa with the Lavington Eco Rotary Club in Nairobi. He is also the Chair for Rotary's Environmental Sustainability Action Group (ESRAG). Felix has been invaluable in helping us form international and local partnerships.
Dr. Merle Lefkoff, Founder and Co-Chair of the Center for Emergent Diplomacy, is a mediator, facilitator, social change entrepreneur and leadership trainer in conflict zones around the world.
Lorna Omuodo is the founder and CEO of E-Moto Limited. She has taken the task of championing household cooking energy as an area of sustainable development for women in East Africa. She has introduced bioethanol into the market as a safe alternative to coal or kerosene. This has made daily food preparation much easier and cheaper, allowing cooks to save money on fuel. Lorna is an avid gardener and advises us on suitable bee forage.
Hon. George Rianto Kimiti is the Director of Rian&Rani Ltd., a consultanting company for all matters concerning water, such as hydrogeological surveys, Environmental Impact Assessment, borehole design and installation. He volunteers his services to many organizations dealing with climate change and natural resources management. George has been very supportive in helping us to form local and international partnerships.
Nelly Mutunkei is Assistant Chief for two main area sections in Kitengela. "Being a woman leader in Maasai community is not easy because the men associate women iwth children so when a woman talks in front of them they don't take her seriously. I believe in change and I believe that they will soon accept us women as able leaders." Nelly is married with four children.
David Dalton-Morgan (Chip) is the CEO of Africa Water Bank, a young social enterprise committed to the provision of clean water to rural African communities. AWB has developed unique rainwater harvesting technology as an alternative to a borehole that is low cost, able to be fully maintained locally, is unlikely to break down and is able to provide clean drinking water to rural communities all year round.
Acacia Moyo Beekeeping Committee oversees all aspects of the beekeeping project, including capacity building, accounting and community engagement.
Chairperson: (not present) Wilson Nanga
Secretary: Florence Saitieu (far right with cap)
Vice Chairperson: Sylvia Parusan (far left)
Vice Secretary: Jane Reagan (center)
Bernard Oguta is the East Africa Regional Director of Withmyown2hands. Under his skilled direction, the community will receive a deep borehole on our Acacia Moyo site, that will provide sufficient water for irrigation of our greenhouse, apiary and pili pili farm, as well as for community use via paid subscriptions. Withmyown2hands has installed over 40 water projects in Kenya and provided training in restorative agriculture, clean water sourcing and other vital elements of sustainable living for rural communities in Kenya. "We create sustainable clean water and agriculture solutions in East Africa to generate socio-economic opportunities and a more equitable world."
"We work relentlessly to alleviate poverty and address gender inequality by eliminating the financial and time burden of sourcing clean water and prioritizing women-led community partnerships."
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ACACIA MOYO
Where Tradition Meets Technology
ikimann@earthlink.net acaciamoyo@gmail.com
19 Espira Court, Santa Fe, NM 87508
+1646 479-5884
PO Box 76, Kitengela, Kenya, 00241
+254721428470
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ACACIA MOYO - WHERE TRADITION MEETS TECHNOLOGY is fiscally sponsored by Creative Visions Foundation (CVF). CVF is a publicly supported 501c3, which supports Creative Activists who use the power of media and the arts to affect positive change in the world.