KVEO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jackson Mukolwe Inyende is the current secretary for Shitungu village in Kenya.

 

 I have more than eight years of engagement in masonry works, over 20 years in quarrying works.

 

2012–2016 — I worked for Kenya Credit Traders as a salesman.

2007–2010 — I studied at Shieywe Secondary School, where I gained my Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) with a mean grade of C+.

 

I like reading books and articles during my free time. I also like helping old persons whenever I meet them. Am happily married to my beloved wife Clare Ingosi Makotsi, and we are blessed with three children (two girls and one boy).

Born December 29, 1948 in Birmingham, Alabama

 

In my early childhood, I lived in Birmingham, southern California, and northern Virginia. With my family, I moved to Portugal in 1962, attended the Lycée Français Charles LePierre in Lisbon and St. Columbans International School in Carnaxide, west of Lisbon, graduating in 1967.

 

I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Georgia Tech (1971), a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver (1975), and attended the University of Chicago (1985–87).

·      After graduating from Georgia Tech in 1971, I moved to Colorado, attended law school at night, and worked full time for the City and County of Denver in the Model Cities Program, analyzing projects designed to provide programs and services in underdeveloped areas of the city.

·      After passing the Colorado bar, I practiced law in Denver from 1975 to 1981.

·      From 1981 to 1988, I was a Senior Analyst with the National Institute for Socioeconomic Research in Boulder, Colorado and Washington, DC, working in communities in western Colorado affected by new energy development.

·      From 1988 to 1996, I was a partner at Planning Information Corporation, working on state and local government projects analyzing the potential socioeconomic, transportation and fiscal impacts of the proposed Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository in southern Nevada.

·      From 1996 to 2017, I provided consultant services primarily on behalf of Native American tribes in the western United States, working with the Center for Applied Research in Denver, Colorado and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

 

In my law practice, I provided pro bono legal services to a number of non-profit, tax-exempt organizations, and continued to work with these groups after moving into my economic consultancy career. These organizations included many groups advocating for and providing services for disabled individuals seeking independence from the then-prevailing nursing home environment of the 1970s and 1980s.

 

Throughout my career, I have focused on working with local communities and groups, generally in underserved areas. As part of the Board of Directors of the Kenya Village Empowerment Organization, I hope to use the skills I have developed during my career to assist local communities and groups in Kenya.

My name is Hope Christine, a 19-year-old Kenyan citizen. I was born and raised in Shitungu Village in Kenya. What I have longed for and wanted was for my Village to be elevated from its state of poverty and scarce resources and be moved to better levels, capable of supporting itself and its children.

 

I am currently a student at Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) pursuing Radiography and Medical Imaging Sciences at its Kisumu Campus.

 

I am a qualified first aider, trained and certified by St. John’s Ambulance.

 

I am well trained in Kenyan sign language (KSL), and currently working towards being a certified sign language interpreter so as to be able to help the deaf community to access information and be informed about happenings.

I was born in 1976. I grew up in Kakamega, and graduated from Moi University in 2000 with a degree in education. I am certified in First Aid, and have worked as a Guidance Counselor. I moved back to Shitungu in 2021, and since then have worked in the village as the community organizer. I have developed and implemented training programs for teen mothers and rehabilitation programs for young addicted males.

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I am a “go getter,” goal driven and dedicated to continuing my work to revive and strengthen the Shitungu community with the help of our American family.

I am very happy to be a part of Shitungu Kijiji RISE. This cause has been near and dear to my mother’s (Joyce Lisbin) heart for many years. I am proud to now join her in this effort and I can only hope that I will bring the same level of commitment and passion she has displayed.

The people of Shitungu face many struggles each day. I am hopeful that together, our organization can ease those struggles. I know that through open communication we can work together to assess the village’s needs and come up with practical and compassionate ways to improve the lives of these wonderful people.

 

Taking time to truly understand their needs will be my focus. I believe that my life experiences — which proudly include motherhood, my passion for serving others during a long career in the health care industry, my love of writing, and knowledge of advertising/marketing — will enable me to contribute in a meaningful way to all of the successes that are to come!

 

I look forward to watching this village grow and change in ways that will positively impact this generation and generations to come. It is my hope that our efforts allow this small village to feel cared for and seen in a big way! With much love, commitment and respect, I hope to help in ways that are truly felt by the people of Shitungu.

For more than 45 years, my career has been dedicated to health education and communication, with positions rooted in reproductive health, sex education, and gender issues. I have blended public health philosophies with problem-posing and critical thinking models to promote informed decision-making for students and communities.

Over the years, I have had the honor to serve as the Executive Director of the Colorado Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (CORCRC), the Coordinator of Health Communications at the California Department of Public Health’s STD Control Branch, the Health Educator at the University of New Mexico Student Health Center, and the Public Health Educator at the Bergen County Department of Health. I was also the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood of Rockland County, New York, where I learned to combine the delivery of health services with advocacy.

My love for travel and cultural exchange inspired me to form the International Health Concepts Exchange and co-lead health-focused study tours for professionals to Scandinavia, Kenya, and China in the 1980s.

I have taught at San Jose State University (California), the University of New Mexico, and Hunter College in New York. Peer training sessions on sexual health were conducted in the United States as well as in Kenya, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.

My experience at Moi University in Kenya (1999) resulted in a close friendship with Rebecca Owano, who had invited me to the university. This assignment evolved into a deep commitment to the Shitungu community, where she lives and serves as the community organizer. After a few years of gathering support for Shitungu with generous friends, the Kenya Village Empowerment Organization (KVEO) was formally established in 2024.

I enjoy time with family and friends, creating art, practicing tai chi, travel, and studying Kabbalah.