Dividing her time between Kenya and Canada, Nina leads the Kenyan team in collaboration with the CEO and manages the liaison with the Canadian board of directors. She is responsible for Kenyan and international outreach for funding, resource and partnership development. She left a successful business to her partner in Ottawa, Canada in 2004 to volunteer in Kenya. During that time, she began assisting children with education and entrepreneurship training and established Elimu to make her projects sustainable.

Nina has over 30 years’ experience in project management, partnership development, international marketing and business strategy planning. She worked over 14 years marketing international travel and cultural exchange programs and services to youth and student markets. In 1996, she started a successful marketing consulting firm in Ottawa, Canada. She has conducted market research and implemented communications programs for culturally diverse consumer markets. She has lived and worked in a variety of cultural environments. Nina holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

An entrepreneur in his own right, Kamotho holds a Commerce Degree from Kenyatta University and owns a successful automotive business in Malindi. He is in charge of Elimu’s Kenyan operations, handling all aspects of management and administration including financial planning, budgeting and accounting. He works closely with the President and shares the responsibility for liaison with the Canadian board of directors and the Kenyan team.

He is in charge of human resources and mentors youth in our programs, especially high school graduates in employability and entrepreneurship. Prior to Elimu, he worked as Program Manager—Business Development at Kenya Enterprises Resource Centre (KESREC) helping local community groups with business planning and start-up including savings and loan training, budgeting, business plan writing and resource mobilization.

An expert in community development, majoring in sociology, Jonah has over ten years’ experience working with local and international NGOs. At the Kenya Red Cross, he set up a successful community resource centre. During a placement in the UK with VSO-Jitolee, he was attached to Peace Child International, where he worked in Be the Change Challenge, a program designed for schools focusing on change of behavior to help ease global warming. He also worked with Meadows Children Centre, where he designed a very popular program that enhanced the involvement of fathers with their children by creating a “Footie Fives” football team. Jonah has worked as project officer with CRS/Caritas on a water and sanitation program where he was in charge of the social aspect of the project, as well as liaison with state and non-state agencies.

At Elimu, he is responsible for policy development, program design and implementation, community relations and mobilization and program capacity building to ensure long term sustainability of projects. He was instrumental in the design and set up of Elimu Resource Centre (ERC) in 2016 and the successful move to its larger private premises in 2018. Under his able management, ERC was awarded 2nd prize in the community library category at the Kenyan Library Maktaba Awards in 2017 (just 15 months after launching) and again in 2018.

Maina is a dedicated ICT and EdTech professional with over a decade of experience driving impactful solutions in the education sector through his work with Elimu Development Projects. His journey with Elimu began in 2012 as a volunteer, where he developed a deep passion for leveraging technology to enhance learning outcomes. In 2016, he transitioned into a consulting role, and by 2018, he became a full-time staff member, now serving as the Manager for the ICT and EdTech.

In this role, he has spearheaded the development and implementation of Elimu’s Offline eLearning Solution (OES), making education accessible to underserved communities without reliable internet connectivity. His work extends to collaborating with esteemed global organizations like UNESCO and Chalice Canada, where he played a key role in setting up school servers for the OES network. These efforts have revolutionized how educational content is delivered and accessed, fostering inclusivity and resilience in learning systems.

He is passionate about using technology to bridge the education gap, empowering learners and educators alike through innovative digital tools and infrastructure. His expertise spans ICT strategy, project management, and educational technology solutions, with a focus on creating sustainable and scalable impact in the communities we serve.

Anthony is a seasoned IT professional and an advocate for technology-driven empowerment with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. As a certified Cisco Networking Academy instructor, he has played a pivotal role in advancing digital skills training in Kilifi County, especially empowering girls and women with IT. In August 2019, he launched Elimu’s Cisco Networking Academy, which has since trained and certified hundreds of learners, equipping them with essential 21st-century skills.

As the Programs Manager for Skills Development at Elimu, Anthony leads initiatives such as the Digitech Lab project, which bridges the digital divide by empowering youth with hands-on skills in coding, robotics, and IT for greater employment success. He has successfully organized impactful programs like the Digitech Hackathon and Youth Information Forums, fostering innovation, collaboration, and career readiness among young minds. Anthony is also the driving force behind Elimu’s IT Club, mentoring a dynamic network of alumni who share his passion for technology.

Anthony is deeply involved in community outreach, sensitizing the public on the transformative role of technology in everyday life. He is instrumental in maintaining Elimu’s digital infrastructure, from setting up the eHub to managing advanced digital tools and resources that support lifelong learning.

In addition to his technical expertise, Anthony is an avid musician and composer who finds joy in playing the piano and inspiring others through Catholic music. His blend of technical acumen, mentorship, and creativity makes him a valuable asset to Elimu’s mission of promoting lifelong learning and youth empowerment.

Wambui is in charge of enrolling and keeping up-to-date with all of the beneficiaries in our projects. She administers Elimu’s School Sponsorship Program and follows up our sponsored children at school and at home. She runs the microfinance table-banking group for parents at Elimu Resource Centre. Wambui has been dedicated to Elimu for over a decade.

She originally headed the household of Nyumbani Kwetu as housemother. During that time, with fifteen children under her care and a household to run, she successfully pursued a self-directed study program to complete her high school education and received her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in 2015. Then in 2017, she completed a college program in Social Work. Wambui is guardian of Elimu’s mentorship approach and liaises with staff on any issues related to the social welfare of children in our programs.

Phay is a passionate educator and English Literature major with a Bachelor’s degree from Pwani University, awarded in 2018. Currently serving as the Program Officer for Education, Phay specializes in implementing and overseeing both the internal and external educational programs of Elimu. With a strong commitment to digital literacy, teacher training, and expanding educational access to learners of all kinds and capacities, Phay ensures that students in underserved communities receive quality education. Key early achievements include enhancing Elimu’s outreach Digital Reading Program at Malindi Prison, re-introducing the program at Malindi’s Juvenile Remand Centre and successfully introducing a specially designed reading program at the Malindi Women’s Prison, promoting learning and literacy in these unique environments. 

Phay is the creative spark behind the internal educational activities at Elimu Resource Centre which provide students with a variety of learning opportunities such as debates, writing competitions and life skills seminars. She is dedicated to enhancing education through innovative approaches and is a leader in delivering Elimu’s Offline eLearning Solution to the community. With her entrepreneurial spirit, she injects a unique approach to learning and supports the team in charge of the sewing project and Elimu Familia Stawi project for early childhood education in areas of both education and economic empowerment.

With a degree in Fashion Design from Kenyatta University, Neema is the first trained fashion designer to work at Elimu. She builds on her creativity with a good foundation in organization and planning skills and a high level of flexibility. Her past experience includes working with community projects engaging young women in economic development.

Neema leads the Elimu Sewing Project where she oversees key project areas including Elimu’s Artisan Makers Space and the Elimu Girls’ sewing sponsorship program. She joined the Elimu team to support the agenda of long-term sustainability for the organisation. Through collaboration, she is helping to create opportunities for economic growth for our sewing alumni. She is also steering the development of the Artisan Makers Space to increase the type and breadth of skills we offer our sewing alumni and to scale it to make it available to more artisans in the Malindi community. She manages Elimu’s Fashion and Design program which aims to journey with our sewing graduates to foster thriving tech-savvy artisans. Neema also leads the Pendo Artisan Ragdoll production, supporting Elimu’s engagement with various partners in Kenya and abroad to develop new markets for the doll.

Quinter is an experienced professional with a background in Agricultural Economics (B.A., 2017) and a strong passion for community service, education and child development. Since graduation, Quinter has dedicated her time to various volunteering roles, beginning with supporting struggling readers in a public School through read-aloud sessions and play-based learning for grades 2 and 3, she was deployed at Malindi Central Primary through G-United Program in 2018, where she volunteered from April to October 2018. She has also been involved with Elimu Development Projects as a volunteer, helping struggling readers in Malindi Prison, Juvenile Correction Centre and Pope Francis Rescue Centre. In addition to that she is also been serving the community by providing nutritional aid and holistic lessons to caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children at high risk of malnutrition.

Currently, as Elimu’s Program Officer – Special Needs Communities, Quinter serves as a project lead for enhancing early childhood development and education and for our outreach programs for learners with special needs. She designed and launched our Elimu Familia Stawi project which integrates caregivers and their children to boost cognitive and social-emotional skills, improve school readiness, and strengthen parent-child relationships, ultimately promoting lifelong learning outcomes.

Ian is in charge of normal operations at the office and organizing and maintaining all aspects of our physical plant. He has vast experience in this field and a singular dedication to excellence. Ian brings to Elimu a wide range of experience in first aid, fire safety, disaster management, as well as conferencing and warehouse management among others.

He completed the Cisco Networking Academy online course in IT Essentials – receiving his certificate from the Canadian High Commissioner during Elimu’s Youth Info Forum in December, 2019. He’s now a certified Cisco technician. Prior to joining Elimu, he worked at Pope Francis Rescue Centre where he helped develop their child protection policy and at Kenya Red Cross Society. 

He also has strong interpersonal skills that allow him to engage with the Elimu beneficiaries and the general community in a variety of settings. Ian is multi-skilled and a team member who supports his colleagues to be able to implement their program activities in a clean, efficient, child and youth friendly environment. He helps keep staff and beneficiaries safe in their day to day activities at Elimu Resource Centre. When needs arise, he also steps in as a driver for the team.

Esther started her career journey at Elimu as an intern before joining the Elimu team to support the Skills Development department in the area of Entrepreneurship. She is now in charge of our Front Office managing all aspects of welcoming guests to Elimu Resource Centre. She ensures a positive welcoming experience and atmosphere at our reception and liaises with all project areas to coordinate data collection and reporting. She supports the executive team as well as all departments with administration activities and assists with registration and record-keeping for all beneficiaries. She works with the team that trains our sewing students on financial and social literacy skills and helped design the curriculum for the entrepreneurship and life skills training for our sewing project.

Additionally she has been instrumental in training Elimu Familia Stawi caregivers in financial literacy, digital use, child development and parenting skills. Esther has a big heart for community service. Her background is in Social Work with a degree from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. She brings her concern for the welfare and development of all people especially children and youth to her work at Elimu as she supports the team with all aspects of engagement with our beneficiaries.

Ogola is a dedicated software developer and educator with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Technical University of Mombasa. To expand his expertise, he completed multiple software engineering bootcamps, developing a strong interest in machine learning and data science, which continues to fuel his  passion for emerging technologies.

Currently, he serves as a Digitech Instructor at Elimu Resource Centre, where he empowers aspiring IT students with practical, real-world skills. His leadership has allowed him to merge his technical expertise with andragogy (adult learning), creating impactful learning experiences that bridge the gap between theory and application.

Combining innovation, creativity, and a commitment to excellence, he strives to prepare Elimu’s students to meet real-world challenges and succeed in technology-driven careers. By fostering a culture of life long learning and problem-solving, he aims to inspire the next generation of tech leaders and innovators and develop IT leaders for Kilifi County!

James is a multifaceted designer and IT professional with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. He brings a unique blend of skills to drive innovation and growth. With expertise that spans from web development, graphic design, sales, and education, James is passionate about leveraging technology to solve real-world problems and boost educational outcomes for the youth of Kilifi County and Kenya at large.

With a strong background in customer service and team collaboration, he thrives in environments where no challenge is too complex and every opportunity is a chance to learn and grow. Currently, as a Digitech Instructor at Elimu Resource Center he is empowering the trainees of our Digitech training program as well as teachers and young aspiring IT students with practical skills for the technology-driven work and study world. In addition, he is a central part of the communications team at Elimu, managing our website and graphic design requirements and assisting with the social media activities of the organisation. He seeks to make a positive impact on education through technology while exploring new ways to innovate and contribute to his field of expertise and his own professional growth