Meet the Board Chairs

Join us in welcoming U.S. Board Chairman Ron Sage (left) and Kenya Board Chairman Willie Lemiso (right). Our community is ecstatic to welcome these two long-time TKP partners into leadership roles. Let's learn a little more about our leaders below.

Introducing Wilfred (Willie) Lemiso

Willie is the key that opened the doors to Kilgoris' need for holistic primary schools in his rural village. Twenty-five years ago, Willie met TKP co-founders Jon and Caren while working as a waiter at the Maasai Mara game reserve. What started as a brief meeting became a friendship and a life-changing connection. Thanks to the chance encounter, thousands of children in Kilgoris have access to education, health, and enriching opportunities. 

Introducing Ron Sage

Two decades ago, Ron learned about TKP from co-founders Jon and Caren. Ron felt the spark to join the mission, visited Kilgorisfor the first time in 2019, and witnessed the impact firsthand. Shortly after his first visit, he joined the U.S. Board of Directors and has contributed greatly to TKP's growth strategy in several areas over the years. 
 
As U.S. Board Chairman, Ron looks forward to better understanding TKP's successes and challenges and getting more deeply involved in long-term strategic growth. He's also hoping to keep the board highly engaged and support TKP's staff members in Kenya and the U.S.

Willie and Ron joined the entire U.S. staff and Kenya leadership team for a planning week and reunion in January. They both shared their desire to help increase TKP's impact and grow TKP in the years to come. As board leaders, they joined with school board members, parents, and the entire TKP team to celebrate a major milestone–the opening of TKP's new teacher housing on the Ololturot campus. 

Karibu (Welcome) to Board Chairmen Ron and Willy!

2023 Impact Report

2023 Impact Report

In 2023, The Kilgoris Project transformed more lives than ever before. Our student education and health care programs, combined with sustainability and revenue generating projects continue to grow as we reach more children and families in this rural Maasai community. Click here to explore the 2023 impact report’s interactive page or download a PDF of the impact report here.

Exciting Upgrades are Here

Savoring the goodness of your generosity

Here's what your end-of-year gift is doing in Kilgoris RIGHT NOW: An incredible school menu upgrade! 

So, what's NEW on the TKP lunch menu?

Introducing ugali, a hearty Kenyan staple made from maize, beef stew, and green veggies. Thanks to your support, TKP produces 100% of the maize needed for the student meal program. We're also able to top it off with meat and vegetables for essential protein and nutrients (our first time adding meat to the lunch menu!). This upgraded meal is part of a pilot program to introduce new meals with more variety for our students.

"Our new meal of ugali, beef stew, and green veggies provides a well-rounded lunch covering all the food groups and provides energy for the kids. It will boost our students' nutrition to another level." 

– Health Program Manager, Ashley Gasperi

Thanks to your support, TKP students are enjoying a wider range of healthy foods in 2024. We couldn't boost the meal program without your recent gifts! Thank you for being an essential part of our community and the student meal program. Asante Sana!

Ololturot's New Teacher Housing Grand Opening

TKP's Ololturot campus is now home to a newly constructed teacher housing building. This home accommodates 20 teachers and their families.

Impact at large: The Ololturot teacher housing significantly benefits teachers who would otherwise have to travel very far to get to work. It has everything a family needs to live comfortably and thrive, including a private space with kitchen and appliances, showers, bedrooms, living spaces, and a courtyard. 

 In January 2023, the TKP staff and Ololturot community gathered to celebrate the grand opening. Take a look at the memories from this monumental day!

As we develop buildings on TKP campuses, we are supporting futures for the Kilgoris community... and we couldn't do it without your support. Asante Sana. 

"With this new home on campus for my family and I, I’ll be able to work on my lessons efficiently and serve the girls in a greater way with my presence here at Ololturot. Thank you, TKP supporters!”

– Ololturot Grade 2 Teacher, Madam Dorcas

“It is not about the building, it is about what this building will provide for our teachers and community.”

– President, Greg Baird

Then and Now: A TKP Story

Meet Shumba: Life-changing Impact

More than a decade ago, Kilgoris community member Shumba (pictured above at her 8th grade graduation) happily played and roamed the fields of her village with friends.

But, at just three years old, she experienced a life-threatening diagnosis–a severe ringworm infection on her head. If left untreated, ringworm can spread, grow fungus on deeper levels of the skin, and risk spreading the infection to someone else. Without access to antibiotics and first aid, treatable infections like ringworm can quickly become deadly in rural Kilgoris, Kenya.

A TKP team of volunteers and staff members diagnosed and treated the infection so that Shumba could recover and return to good health. Shortly after, Shumba joined TKP's Intimigom campus as a preschool student.

Now, more than a decade later, Shumba is thriving. She recently graduated from eighth grade and is advancing to high school! She dreams of becoming a math teacher and helping other children throughout Kenya achieve their educational goals.

There’s more to the story!

Meet Calvin McNelly, a TKP ambassador and supporter since TKP's inception...and the young man helping to treat Shumba's ringworm in the photo above. Calvin grew up visiting Kilgoris with his family and witnessing the growth of TKP throughout his childhood. As a sophomore in high school, Calvin was visiting TKP schools and came across two nurses–including his aunt (pictured with Shumba on her lap)–treating Shumba's ringworm infection. He learned that one of her friends had died of a similar infection just weeks before and that Shumba could follow a similar course without intervention.

"My encounter with Shumba inspired me to pursue a newfound passion for health and medicine. I am now graduating from my ophthalmology residency in six months. The work and impact of TKP spans from students to teachers and health professionals to volunteers and is truly inspiring."

– Calvin McNelly, TKP Ambassador

Now, Calvin is a soon-to-be ophthalmologist with a beautiful family of his own (pictured below). We're grateful for Calvin's work and dedication to TKP's mission of keeping students healthy and nourished.

Access to First Aid Saves Lives

Your generous investment this holiday season makes stories like Shumba's possible.

A $1,000 investment supports non-emergency student medical treatment for one school term–including antibiotics, first aid, and infection treatment.

Will you join us today to equip our health team and supply medical resources for our 2,100 students? We can't change and save lives without YOU.