Caren Jakoyo

Caren Jakoyo was born in the Kisumu District of Western Kenya in 1956, and is married with five children – two boys and three girls. Caren has working in education for 28 years and has taught at six primary schools in the Kisumu area. Caren trained at Siriba College from 1974 – 1978 and completed Primary School Management (PRISM) training at Eregi Teacher’s College from 1998-2000. Caren participated in a financial management training workshop, organized by Care, Kenya in 1998 and completed guidance and counseling training through the Kenyan Ministry of Education in 2001. Caren is currently headmistress at Dago Thim Primary School and a director and founder of Children Rescue Mission, Kenya. In her little free time, Caren enjoys studying different cultures.

Tobias Ounga

Tobias Ounga was born in 1967 in the Kericho District, known as Kenya’s tea country. Tobias and his wife now call Kisumu home. Tobias earned his B.S. in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Nairobi in 1991, and received a Master’s in Animal Science in 2006, also from the University of Nairobi. Tobias has attended short courses on a broad range of topics such as: training trainers, participatory teaching methodologies, team building, participatory rural appraisal, participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation, the Farmer Field Schools Approach and participatory field survey methods. Tobias was a Program Veterinarian for the Kenya-Finland Livestock Development Program, a project funded by the Government of Finland to promote dairy farming in Western Kenya, from 1993 – 2004. Tobias then joined Veterinarians Sans Frontieres, Belgium, and worked as a Training Associate until 2005. Tobias continued on as Field Coordinator for the organization, until 2006, when he resigned to focus on activities at Tropical Focus for Rural Development, which he helped found. Tobias is currently the Executive Director of Tropical Focus and has dedicated his valuable work on a volunteer basis. In his free time, Tobias likes to listed to music, tour new places and view cultural and scientific documentary films.

George Otieno

George Otieno was born in Western Kenya’s Rachuonyo District in 1968 and is married with four daughters. After completing secondary school in 1990, George went into private business until 2000, when he joined Moneiri Tea Estates in Sotik, Kericho District. In 2001 he joined Nakuru Blankets, working in the textile, weaving and transport departments until 2003. Later that year, George then took a position as a storekeeper at Nakuru Wholesalers as a store keeper and was promoted to Assistant Supervisor. That same year, George entered the fruit selling business, but in 2004 realized that the long commute was consuming much of his profits and decided to return home to Rachuonyo District. George and his wife established a small farm, which his wife continues to operate. George came to Children Rescue Mission, Kenya in 2005 to serve as full time caretaker. George does everything at CRM - farm the garden, maintain the grounds, walk the children to school, study with the children. George is truly committed to the children at CRM, calling all of them his own.