Our Kenya Team
Program director in Kenya
Norah Amisi Otondo
Norah is from Western Kenya. She has a MA in counseling and is a high school teacher by profession. Norah is passionate about working with vulnerable women and girls, especially fistula survivors and young assault survivors. Having suffered the devastating effects of fistula herself, she intimately understands the importance of reintegration to family and community.
After teaching herself to do exquisite hand embroidery and applique and learning how to cut and assemble fabric, she has taught our fistula survivors how to make our products. Just as important, she is a role model for our women, showing them how to regain their self-confidence and self-esteem. As a trained financial skills facilitator, she also coaches women on budgeting, savings, and business planning.
Unable to have children of her own, Norah has always opened her home and heart to children who do not have a safe home. Now, she is “Aunty Norah” to our young assault survivors providing each with wise supervision and unconditional love. Norah hopes to begin a PhD Program in Counseling Psychology to improve her knowledge and skills in working with these vulnerable women and girls.
Chairman, Kenya Quilts for Empowerment
Zedekiah Otolo
Zedekiah Otolo was born, nurtured and ministered in Trinity Fellowship, a Christian Youth Ministry based in Maseno, Kenya. After receiving a Bachelors in Education, Zedekiah taught until 1991 when he joined Trinity Fellowship on a full-time basis. His passion for empowering fistula survivors is rooted in witnessing the suffering a colleague experienced when she developed a fistula. Zedekiah was responsible for establishing Kenya QFE and registering it as a Community Based Organization in Kenya.
Field Secretary & Secretary of Kenya Quilts for Empowerment
John Mbwaya
John is from Western Kenya where he is a retired school teacher. He helped write the constitution for the Kenya Quilts for Empowerment Community Based Organization. As our Field Secretary, John facilitates the women’s support group meetings, coordinates their registration for national health insurance, and provides ongoing mentoring through home visits via his motorbike.
Child Psychologist for the Girls’ Program
Dr. Christine Opondo
Dr. Christine Opondo holds a PhD in Guidance and Counseling with over 15 years of experience teaching and conducting research. Clinically, she has extensive experience counseling victims of trauma, including refugees in conflict zones and women and girls experiencing gender-based violence such as rape and prostitution. Dr. Opondo provides counseling at the Major Government Teaching and Referral Hospital in Western Kenya and is on faculty at Maseno University.
She has completed evaluations of all of our girls and developed individualized treatment plans that include working with their teachers and care providers. We are deeply grateful for her sensitive, professional, and caring approach to helping our girls heal and ensuring that their support system is adequately prepared to care for them in the longer term.
Dr. Opondo and our Program Director, Norah Otondo are developing, implementing, and evaluating a pilot after school program for vulnerable girls in local schools. The goal is help girls choose healthy behaviors, prevent sexual exploitation and pregnancy, and keep girls in school.
Our USA Team
Executive Director
Sharon Brabenac
“Advocating for causes that fundamentally change people’s lives” - this is Sharon’s passion. Sharon first met Mary Ann in 2015 and assisted on program and event actions. Sharon is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Business at Portland State University. She has a Bachelor’s and Masters of Business from Portland State University.