FMFM Welcomes New Team Members
Over the past 10 years, we have grown significantly and made a global impact without a formal staff, and now we have reached a major milestone! We are proud to welcome our newest members of the team, Jacob Breit and Missy Olivia Ngabire, both of whom bring extensive experience and passion for our mission to the organization. We know they will be integral in helping us achieve our mission.
JACOB BREIT, development coordinator
Jacob is responsible for the initiation and implementation of development strategies to deepen the impact of both Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds, and Strides for Africa. Jacob is a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, having obtained Bachelor of Science degrees in Global Health and Organic Agriculture, and is on the pre-medicine track. Jacob strives to promote community-based learning and youth civic action campaigns.
In July, Jacob is going to be moving to Kisumu, Kenya, where he previously interned at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the summer of 2022. While in Kenya, Jacob will continue to work with continental partners, as well as increasing our partnership with those living in Kenya. Throughout the past year, Jacob has sat as the International Executive Director of a local Kenyan Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), MART-COME Kenya. He will continue to build relationships and increase partnerships to build nutrition and water access.
Missy Olivia Ngabire, Partnerships Coordinator
Missy is responsible for strengthening communications about our projects between our in-country partners, our executive directors, and our US-based volunteers and donors. She is passionate about making a positive impact on people's lives and believes that technology is a powerful tool for doing so. Missy is pursuing a degree in Software Engineering from The Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA) in Kigali.
Why add staff?
There is nothing like having “boots on the ground” with our in-country staff!
There are five key reasons we have decided to add staff concentrated in the regions we work. The overarching benefits include enhanced effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability.
Knowledge & expertise: Missy has a strong understanding of local culture, customs, and language. She can help build relationships in-country regularly.
Enhanced community and stakeholder engagement: We partner through community-led ideas and engagement. Having Missy and Jake visit with our local communities will allow us to understand their needs better and lead to more effective program design and implementation.
Cost savings: As we expand and deepen our footprint in East and West Africa, it will be cost-effective for Missy and Jake to travel and visit our project sites more regularly (than having US-based teams go back and forth). However, we do anticipate continuing annual trips.
Improved project effectiveness: Dovetailing with point three, we will have our in-country staff provide ongoing monitoring to help identify areas for improvement and make real-time adjustments to projects when needed.
Increased sustainability: Through hiring and training in-country leaders, we can build opportunities for the long term and stronger economic growth in the countries we serve.
To demonstrate this further, Missy and Jake will both be in Kigali, Rwanda this May and will visit multiple partners and projects. They will also make a trip to Tanzania this summer. They will be capturing videos, building rapport, and deepening their understanding of our work and how we can further bolster the impact where we serve!