Macheo was founded in 2005 on the initiative of two persons from the Netherlands: Marnix Huis in ‘t Veld and Maureen Kromowirjo. They were so deeply affected by the appalling and hopeless conditions in which children lived in Kenya’s many slums that they did not want to stand by and do nothing. They quit their jobs in the Netherlands to work as volunteers at an existing children’s home in Kenya.
Marnix and Maureen decided they wanted to stay in Kenya to work to improve the situation and quickly founded a new NGO. After a few years in Kenya Maureen Kromowirjo returned to the Netherlands. Marnix developed an organization that grew far beyond a children’s home. Each year more than 50,000 children in the slums and rural areas of Thika receive tailored assistance, closely monitored by a team of professional and dedicated staff members.
In 2023 Marnix handed over the organisation to Sarah Mbira, our current managing director. Both Marnix and Maureen remain active for the Dutch foundation of Macheo (Stichting Macheo Nederland).
Macheo consists of the following organizations. While each has its own governance structure and website, they share a common goal: creating a fairer future for Kenyan children.
This is the main organization in Kenya. Here all the daily work is carried out by Kenyan staff.
The Kenyan, Dutch and US board members are 100% voluntary and try to minimize overhead costs. In this way we guarantee that as much sponsorship money as possible goes directly to what they are given for: to the children in Kenya.
Macheo Children’s Organization is the main organization in Kenya. Here all the daily work is carried out by the Kenyan staff. All employees are Kenyan and we only work with non-Kenyan volunteers in specific, quality-improving projects. Macheo is a registered Kenyan NGO (registration number: OP.218/051/2005/0410/3824) and a Charitable Children’s institution by respective authorizing bodies.
Sarah Mbira is the Managing Director of Macheo. She leads an organization of more than 130 employees whose jobs help sustain the livelihoods of more than 600 family members. The Macheo leadership team consists of the following individuals:
Macheo Children’s Organization NGO is governed by an independent board that currently consists of the following members:
As an employer we try to be an organization where employees feel safe, respected, worthy and see opportunities for personal growth. An active policy of recruiting staff with lower access to the labour market, such as physically or mentally challenged people, is in place. We strive towards a healthy mix of ethnicity, religion and gender.
Macheo also feels a large responsibility towards beneficiaries and donors to use the funds that are entrusted to them as economically and efficiently as possible. Therefor we always have to balance how we spend our funds. With regard to the remuneration of our Kenyan staff we aim to comply with all Kenyan labour laws, and provide salaries that are conform the market rates, not above and certainly not below.
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