Management / Staff
The Macheo Team currently consists of the following people:
Marnix Huis in ’t Veld: director en co-founder.
Marnix is responsible for the general implementation of Macheo Children’s Centre’s ngo programs, fundraising, strategy, income generating projects and communication with sponsors.
Simon Wachieni: Program Manager.
Responsible for all outreach programs. This contains the daily management of all programs, as well as the design of new programs. Apart from that Simon is also partly responsible for the general management for the whole NGO. Simon has joined Macheo in November 2005.
Grace Gachagua: Social Worker Macheo Children’s Home.
Responsible for all children’s affairs. This means the selection and admission of new children (interviews, documentation, legal procedure), keeping record, general upbringing, health issues, maintaining contact with other organizations, reporting, initiate and carry out several research projects and coaching and training of the housemothers and -fathers.
Grace Nyambura: Management Assistant.
Her most important responsibility is the general administration within Macheo Children’s Centre. This includes HR, accounting and internal administration.
Jane Wangari: Housemother Macheo Children’s Home.
Responsible for daily care for the children. This includes the whole development of the child, both physically, academically and socially. For the children in Macheo Children’s Home the housemothers and housefather are probably the most important adults in their lives. All housemothers and housefathers have been trained in counseling, hygiene, food preparation and planning.
Rose Karanja: Housemother Macheo Children’s Home.
Rose is performing the same duties as Jane Wangari. All adults in Macheo Children’s Home are being addressed by the children as aunty or uncle. So Rose is actually “aunty Rose”.
Solomon Muriu: Housefather Macheo Children’s Home.
Solomon has the same position and duties as Jane and Rose, the housefathers are more involved with the boys and the housemothers are more focused on the girls. It’s very important for the boys to have a father figure, something which is not always provided for in other institutions.
Paul Njoroge: Housefather Macheo Children’s Home.
Paul has a whole career behind him in Macheo. He started as a casual worker during construction, after which he joined the other staff in the Farm. When we needed a driver he told us that he had already started his driving course, which he completed and started as a driver. In this position he was able to show his reliability and social skills. Thus we were very happy to promote him to be a housefather when the moment was there.
Gladys Wasongo: Chief cook education program Kianjau Primary School.
Gladys is the chief cook at the education program at Kianjau Primary School. She is responsible for planning and stock management.
Paulina Muthoni: Cook education program Kianjau Primary School.
Paulina is, together with Naomi and Gladys, one of three cooks at the education program at Kianjau Primary School.
Naomi Wanjiku: Cook education program Kianjau Primary School.
Naomi works as a cook, she is also the sister of Anthony Njegegu and John Gichumbi; two of the boys in Macheo Children’s Home.
Evans Chege: Driver.
Evans works as a driver to do shopping and deliver the products of the farm. This is not a full time position, so when there is no work as a driver, he helps out in the farm.
Benjamin Mythia Kilonzo: Livestock.
Mythia has the daily responsibility of all the livestock of Macheo. This includes chickens , dogs, goats, rabbits and one cow. This is a very important position since especially the dogs, chickens and the cow represent big investments.
Judy Wanjiru: Farm manager.
Wanjiru is responsible for the daily management of the farm. The performance of these employees is measured directly in terms of profit from the farm. The farm needs to generate income for the other programs. Most crops grown at the farm are peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, spinach and local vegetables.
Paul Kimani: Farm employee.
Paul works as a general worker on the farm.
Geoffrey Gatheru: Farm employee.
Geoffrey started as a casual worker in construction, and was recently employed as a general worker on the farm.