Tuko Pamoja is a Swahili phrase that translates to
We Are Together
Tuko Pamoja is dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the lives of Kenyan children and women living in poverty.
We provide educational opportunities and self-defense training, empowering Kenyan women and children to break free from the cycle of poverty and protect themselves from violence.
Our Mission
Our mission is to improve the lives of Kenyan children and women in impoverished circumstances by providing education and self-defense training.
Our ImpacT
Tuko Pamoja was officially established on February 27, 2024.
Since our inception, Tuko Pamoja has made significant strides in our mission to empower Kenyan children and women.
We began supporting schools and children in May of 2024 and after several months of operation, we are already:
Providing daily meals for over 1,400 kids and staff at 4 primary schools
Sponsoring 47 children, from primary school up to technical college, including special needs students
Organizing special projects such as a school shoe drive to benefit 200 children and small business boosts for women
Coordinating sponsor visits to Kenya beginning in 2025
But long before Tuko Pamoja was an official organization, our team was working towards our mission. Our previous efforts include:
Sponsoring the education of many children, providing them with the financial support needed to attend school, including fees, uniforms, and meals.
Training over 4,000 African girls and women in self-defense, equipping them with the skills to protect themselves from sexual assault.
These efforts have not only improved individual lives but have also started to uplift entire communities, fostering hope and resilience.
We are so excited for what’s to come for Tuko Pamoja and the communities we serve.
Meet The Team
Tuko Pamoja was officially established in 2024, but the groundwork for our organization was laid much earlier through the dedicated efforts of our founders.
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Bryan Ware
BOARD CO-CHAIR
Bryan Ware began teaching sexual assault prevention self-defense classes in Kenya in 2019. These classes have been held in schools, community centers, churches, orphanages, and other locations. The classes have been as small as 2 students and as large as 180 girls. Bryan is a 6th degree black belt, with extensive experience teaching self-defense classes in Africa. There have been thousands of girls and women go through the course in many trips to the area. Bryan has been actively building relationships with other organizations in Kenya to further these activities. He is head of Tuko Pamoja’s self-defense branch and oversees the financial operations.
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Claudia Furcola Stemler
BOARD CO-CHAIR
Claudia Furcola Stemler began sponsoring a child in Ngong, Kenya, in late 2018. Since then she has added two more children and has become an active partner in their community. Claudia has built a reputation with area schools and has helped with tutoring, distributing food and donated items, and attending home visits with a local Kenyan social worker/counselor. She is continually developing relationships with teachers, principals, parents/guardians, and children and serving wherever needed. She is head of Tuko Pamoja’s child sponsoring branch and sponsor liaison.
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Ginger Ware
BOARD MEMBER
Ginger Ware began sponsoring 6 children in 2011 with Compassion International, and has continuously sponsored and corresponded with as many as 50 children at once with approximately 10 faith-based and secular groups. These groups have followed a wide variety of donation and distribution models and include large, multinational corporations and small, volunteer-run grassroots efforts. In 13 years of being a child sponsor, she has worked with over 100 children worldwide, for periods varying from a few months to over 10 years. She has traveled to Kenya three times, to 6 other African countries, and two Asian nations on child sponsoring trips. She serves as general advisor and manages Tuko Pamoja’s social media and website.
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Maeghan Gorman
BOARD MEMBER
Maeghan Gorman is a marketing professional with over 15 years’ experience from nonprofit marcom specialist to corporate marketing director. While on a flight home from a work trip, she met a single mother with her 4 children from Democratic Republic of Congo who were being resettled to her hometown, Cleveland, Ohio. This happenstance led to her growing interest and involvement with impoverished women and children in Kenya. Maeghan oversees the branding, marketing, and fundraising efforts of Tuko Pamoja.
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Virginia Wangui
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - CHILD SPONSORING
Virginia Wangui has 18 years of experience as a counselor for child sponsoring organizations in the Ngong, Kenya area. She has a diploma in Business Management, is a board member of St. Paul’s Children’s Home, and is involved in the leadership of the Kajiado North Sub-county Rotary Club. Virginia manages most of the day-to-day operations of the child sponsorship program, working with Claudia. She also coordinates scheduling self-defense classes.
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Cedric Mwenebatu
DIRECTOR - SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION
Cedric Mwenebatu is a current instructor of the self-defense classes. He is a Community Stop Gender Based Violence (GBV) Champion with the African Development & Emergency Organization (ADEO). He is also a volunteer with ADEO Violence and Response in Kajiado North Sub-county, the Kenya Red Cross Society, and is a member of Kajiado North Sub-county Rotary Club. Cedric assists with scheduling and teaching self-defense classes, working with Bryan and Virginia.
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Modesty Wangari
DIRECTOR - SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION
Wangari is currently an instructor of self-defense classes. She has completed courses in electrical wiring (Isinya Technical College) and plumbing (Beacon Technical College), and has worked for several years as an electrician and plumber. She has taught self-defense alongside Bryan, Virginia, and Cedric since 2022. Wangari loves traveling, reading, music, meeting people, laughing, and living out her born-again Christian faith. She assists with scheduling and teaching future self-defense classes, along with aiding Virginia with home visits and other logistics.