Who We Are

Chas Salmen
Founder and Director, Organic Health Response

As a medical anthropologist and aspiring physician, Chas has worked extensively in Western Kenya as a training community mobilizer with AMPATH (Academic Model for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS), conducted fieldwork as an ethnographer through a Rhodes Scholarship to the Oxford Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, and is currently a medical student at UCSF.

"As Director of OHR, I am continually transpired by the human ecosystems of Mfangano Island. I remain inspired to live, learn and serve with my friends among the indigenous people of Lake Victoria." Read more

Richard Magerenge
Executive Director, Ekialo Kiona Center

Richard has been the Executive Director of the Ekialo Kiona Center since its inception in 2007. He oversees all programs out of the EK, monitors daily activities within the center and manages the EK staff. Richard also works with the Kenyan government and other NGOs in the region, as well as partners and funders of OHR. Read more

EKIALO KIONA CENTER - KENYA STAFF & VOLUNTEERS

Joel Oguta
Agriculture Coordinator

Joel is a founding member of OHR. Like his father, he broke tradition and donated his piece of land for the construciton of the EK Center. Joel operates the EK organic demonstration farm and coordinates visiting WOOFers, hosting visitors from all over the world. He has conducted extensive research on organic farming, including the use of herbs as natural pesticides. Apart from the farm Joel works with Richard on various OHR/EK initiatives. Read more

Jane Ochoo
VCT Counselor

Jane has been a VCT Counselor at the EK Center since June 2010. She provides information on HIV/AIDS and tests and counsels individuals at the center. Read more

Theresa Alingo
VCT Counselor

Theresa counsels and tests clients on HIV/AIDS. She has been a VCT Counselor at the EK Center since June 2010. Read more

Brian Mattah
IT Professional

Brian has been the IT Professional for the EK Center since June 2010. He maintains the computers and equipment at the center as well as teaches EK members about computer programs and the internet. Brian is in charge of membership cards and organizes data input for the center. Read more

Robinson Okeyo
IT Assistant

Robsinson has been a founding member of EK since its inception, participating in early planning meetings down at the beach, coordinating materials for transport from Kisumu, and hosting numerous volunteers at his home in Kitenyi. On any given day, Robinson can be found enthusiastically assisting community members and staff at the center or out in the community living the mission of Ekialo Kiona.

Peter Otindo
EK Security Guard

Peter works 12 hour shifts as the security guard at the EK Center. He has been keeping the properties secure and safe since October 2009. Prior to EK, Peter worked for the government administrative police force for 3 years and became a security man and security supervisor at the Moroni Sugar Factory, working from 1974 to 2000. Read more

Francis Wambo
EK Security Guard

Francis has been with OHR from its beginning. He helped clear land for the center and volunteered his time building the foundation of the building. In September 2009 he became an official EK Security Guard. Francis watches for anything that could happen to the center, keeping everything safe during the day or night. Read more

Tillan Masanga
EK Grounds Keeper

Tillan has been the EK Grounds Keeper since the fall of 2009. He does it all including planting trees, fixing doors, building furniture, keeping the front of the building clean, and maintaining the organic fertilizer to care for the trees and plants around the center. Read more

Pamela Mohamed
Community Health Worker (CHW) & Sisterhood Exchange Program Leader

Pamela has been with the EK since its beginning in 2007. She is a Community Health Worker and helps organize and coordinate the Sisterhood Exchange Program. Pamela also serves as the women's coordinator in the area. Read more

Walter Opiyo
Full-time Volunteer

Walter has been a member of EK since 2008. He helps set-up rooms and equipment for EK events such as World Cup viewings and checks ID cards at the door. Walter also serves as a translator for OHR - the Suba language into Luo or English - and is often seen giving tours around the community. Read more

OHR - USA STAFF & VOLUNTEERS

Kelsi Hines

Co-Director of Operations

Kelsi was one of the lucky WWOOFers to end up on Joel and Richard's farm in June 2008. After finishing her semester-long international development program in Nairobi, Kenya, Kelsi and her sister Jenna picked up a map and pointed to Mfangano Island. Kelsi continues today as OHR's Co-Director of Operations planning the day-to-day activities of the organization. She also serves as the connection between our friends on the island and the many volunteers in the U.S. Read more.

Annika Terrana

Co-Director of Operations

OHR ADMINISTRATION, MEDIA AND DESIGN

Rajaie Batniji, MD MA
OHR Board of Directors, Senior Research Officer

Gus A. Lundin
OHR Board of Directors, Treasurer

Rose Carr
Public Relations & Website Coordinator

Robert DuBois
Media & Design

Lauren R. Friedman
Project Development Officer

Hannah Graff
OHR Grants Coordinator

Kris Coontz
Epidemiology & Health Promotion Coordinator

Rob Tessler
Researcher

Caroline Christian

Maternal Health Care Coordinator

EKIALO KIONA RADIO STATION

Tyler Herbert, Youth Factor Investment Team Leader

OHR SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Marco Salmen, MD Candidate

Project Development Coordinator

Sustainable Design & Technology, Sisterhood Exchange Program

Marco first visited Mfangano Island in 2008, and was inspired by the energy and passion that surrounded the community goal of constructing the Ekialo Kiona Center. He is happy that he has been able to add his knowledge and skills to the amazing local-global partnership ever since. Read more.

Adam Sewall
Ekialo Kiona Sustainable Design Guild Director

Matthew Tierney
Sustainable Design & Techonology Coordinator

Matt Hickey

Water and Sanitation Research Coordinator

OHR AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION

Jenna Hines
Chair, OHR USA Board of Directors
Agriculture Coordinator

In 2008, Jenna was a WWOOFer (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) at Joel and Richard's farm on Mfangano for six months. Here, connecting with the people and finding deeper purpose in travel, the emerging OHR offered her an opportunity to stay connected to the community in a more dynamic way. Read more.

Jason Nagata
Research Coordinator

Jason first traveled to Mfangano Island to write his master's dissertation "Hunger and HIV: Benefits of the Medicalization of Nutrition among Patients on Antiretrovial Therapy" in March and April 2009. He returned the summer of 2010 to help lead an interdisciplinary global health frameworks team from UCSF and UC Berkeley. Read more.

MFANGANO HEALTHY NETWORK MICRO-CLINICS

Nancy Bui, MPH
OHR-GMCP Initiative for HIV/AIDS, Research and Program Design
GMCP, Director of Research Administration

As Director of Research with OHR’s U.S. partner, The Global Micro-Clinic Project, Nancy Bui joined OHR to help design and evaluate the OHR-GMCP Initiative for HIV/AIDS. Her responsibilities include designing and conducting a programmatic needs assessment, developing a Community Advisory Committee of local stakeholders for participatory involvement in program design, provide grant writing support, and consult on program design and evaluation of the project.

Hal Campell, Ed.D., MPH
OHR-GMCP Initiative for HIV/AIDS, Research, Curriculum and Design
GMCP, Vice President of Health Promotion, Education and Innovation

Hal became involved with OHR through his work with Chas Salmen in Kenya; they both worked for AMPATH in HIV prevention and community mobilization. Hal likes developing practical health knowledge and facilitating health behavior changes with people in a way that empowers them and brings joy to their lives.

SISTERHOOD EXCHANGE PROGRAM

Marco Salmen
Sisterhood Exchange Program Coordinator

Nancy Reinisch
Sisterhood Exchange Program Contact & Liason