how mama maria began - founder peter kithene's story
Peter "Awilo" Kithene was born in the remote village of Muhuru Bay, Kenya in the early 80's. He was a typical village boy, living in a world of poverty without electricity, without plumbing, and often without food - like everybody else there, but from the beginning he was different: he had an enormous respect for his parents, and an endless thirst for knowledge. As a child he already had a goal - to study and use the knowledge he gained to help others in need. At twelve years of age, Peter's parents died, leaving him to care for his three young siblings and unable to afford the cost of Kenyan elementary education.
The death of his parents nearly ended Peter's plans. Being what he terms "an ordinary African orphan," he knew chances weren't good he'd make it far in life; elementary school fees were prohibitively expensive in Kenya at the time, and his friends and relatives considered his passion for education a selfish waste of time. They begged him to give it up so he could commit full-time to the raising of his siblings, but he knew the best way he could help his family was to get educated. Read More
US -- mama maria wellness clinic board of directors
The Mama Maria Wellness Clinic is a US 501(c)3 nonprofit funding institution designed to raise money for the support and growth of Mama Maria Kenya. It's Board of Directors is separate and distinct from the Kenyan Board. Board Members include:
Peter Kithene
Founder, President, and CEO
A native of Kenya, Peter Kithene holds a BA from the University of
Washington in Psychology and Pre-Med. During his early years Peter witnessed much suffering, including the deaths of his parents, siblings, neighbors, and friends. Orphaned at age 12, Peter made it his dream to bring healthcare to his home community and as many other rural African communities as he could to stop this cycle of suffering. Peter stayed in school in the face of his culture's immense pressure to drop out and care for his siblings, as his role as the oldest surviving child dictated. Through ceaseless hard work Peter won a scholarship to study at Kenya's premier high school, Starehe Boys Center in Nairobi.
Throughout his high school years Peter volunteered in various healthcare
clinics and hospitals in Kenya helping healthcare in anyway he could. His role as the Student-in-Charge at the school clinic and the St. John Ambulance Cadet Sergeant further inspired him to pursue his dream to provide health care to rural Kenya.
In 2001 Peter graduated from high school and moved to start his undergraduate studies at the University of Washington in Seattle. During his early years in Seattle, Peter volunteered in various capacities to create awareness of the suffering of people he left in Kenya's rural villages.
During his junior year, Peter founded the Mama Maria Kenya and the Mama Maria Clinic. Through fundraising and scholarships he opened the doors to reliable healthcare for the poor in the village that he grew up in. At the young age of 23 he already was well on his way towards his goal to provide healthcare, hope, and opportunity to rural Africa.
Peter lives in Seattle with his wife, Katrina, and son, Mathó. In 2007, Peter was chosen one out of over 70,000 applicants from 93 countries to be CNN's Global Heroes honoree of Medical Marvel for his work in developing rural
healthcare in Africa. And in June he was named as one of University of Washington's "Wondrous 100" - one of 100 described as UW's "extraordinary and influential living graduates." (Read more about Peter's life story, or his essay on AIDS orphans.)
Katrina Kithene, Co-Founder and Board Member
Seattle native, Katrina Kithene, brings to Mama Maria Kenya
a background of project management, marketing and communications, international
relations, and professional writing - blended with a passion for Africa and her
people.
Katrina spent the beginning of her career in alternative education, working locally and abroad teaching GED and English as a second language to at-risk youth and international refugees. More recently, Katrina returned to her roots, focusing on writing and marketing. She has traveled the globe studying and writing about the world's diverse lands and cultures - from New Zealand to Vietnam to the Middle East. She currently works as e-mail Marketing Manager for
Alaska Airlines.
Africa's people and struggles are close to Katrina's heart. She spent much of the Nineties working with Indigenous Fountainhead, a organization dedicated to preserving the indigenous knowledge of African tribes; she also served as
Executive Director of Leadership Advancement International, helping further the organization's goals of providing higher education and leadership training to the best and brightest of African youth. The most driving force behind
Katrina's passion for the African struggle, at least in recent years, has been the life experiences of her husband, Peter Kithene, and those of her Kenyan family.
Katrina's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in English/Creative Writing from University of Washington, and a Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language from Seattle Pacific University. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Peter, her son, Mathó, and dog, Sydney.
Craig Chesser, CFO
Craig Chesser is a Certified Public Accountant with an MBA from Southern
Methodist University. He has 20 years of finance and accounting experience in
both public and private companies. He was most recently Senior Vice President
of Finance and Treasurer for a New York City-based publicly traded technology
and branding consulting company that also was also engaged in the startup and
incubation of several smaller technology-based companies. His industry
experience includes public accounting, venture capital investment management,
health care, and technology. He has extensive experience working with small,
early stage, and high-growth companies.
Larry Crites, Advisory Board Member
Larry worked as the Director of Lalmba Association's
medical clinic and relief programs in Matoso, Kenya for two years from 1994 to
1995. It was in Matoso that Larry, and his wife Stacy, met Peter Kithene
when Peter was in eigth grade. Peter had traveled from his hometown about
12 miles away to attend the local grade school in Matoso. Even at that time
he stood out from the other students. Despite his own need, he never asked
for assistance, instead he asked what he could do to help. Peter
volunteered to write health education skits and presentations. He organized and
involved other students and wrote entertaining, yet very educational performances,
which they performed at other local schools and public events. By the time Peter
was in eighth grade he was volunteering in the clinic, doing odd jobs.
After returning to Seattle, Larry and Stacy kept in touch with Peter as he went on to earn a scholarship to the best secondary school in Kenya. When Peter graduated near the top of his class and was accepted into the University of Washington, Larry and Stacy agreed to help him get to the United States and get started here. Peter lived with the Crites's for his first quarter at UW, but immediately started working to be self-sufficient. He worked several jobs at once, and networked for scholarship money. Moving from rural Africa to Seattle, he became self-sufficient in less than three months. Larry's expectation of Peter, in agreeing to help him was that he would eventually use his American education to help people in Africa. As usual with Peter, that expectation was exceeded. Peter started the groundwork for what has become Mama Maria Clinic with his own money, helping to feed orphans in his hometown.
Larry's two years of experience running an efficient rural African clinic, and relief and education programs will be very valuable to the success of Mama Maria Clinic. It often takes creativity and perseverance to get work done in Africa. Larry has an understanding of the logistical and cultural hurdles to providing aid in a remote part of the world, and he has a passionate understanding of the often very small things that can make a large difference for an individual or a whole community.
Stacy Crites, Board Member
Stacy Crites also got to know Peter while he was a boy and she volunteered for two years as the head nurse in the Matoso Clinic, nearby to Peter's grandmother's home. Through her years of experience and service in providing rural African health care, in educating and training staff, in providing education in nutrition and health practices through outreach immunization and prenatal programs to rural African communities, Stacy has an unmatchable insight to the unexpected and uncommon challenges of providing top-notch health services in an rural African setting. She brings her western RN expertise along with this remote perspective to help guide Peter to make informed decisions in best medical practices in running a clinic. Stacy is also tirelessly engaged in fundraising efforts and her work as the MMK Treasurer.
Stacy is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Nursing and has worked as a nurse at Children's Hospital in Seattle, University of Washington Medical Center and Harborview International Medical Clinic. She is currently working at Hall Health on UW Campus providing care to students and the community at the immunization and travel clinic. She is married to Larry Crites and has three children ages 8, 10, and 13.
Mark Consuegra, Board Member
Mark Consuegra has been in the software industry for 20+ years including
roles at Microsoft where he proposed and led the creation of Microsoft Expedia,
and as founder and CEO of Wonderhorse Software. He is currently the President of Emerald Ventures which works with early
stage technology companies in software and high tech. Mark has previously served on the Board of Directors for Seattle Little
League Baseball and has an interest in the early stage growth of organizations and the use of
technology to improve their effectiveness. Mark was inspired by Peter's personal story
to join MMK in 2008. Mr. Consuegra graduated with a BS in Chemistry from Harvard
University in 1988 and was born and raised in New York City.
Colin Walker, Board Member
Bio to come.
Barton Haynes, Advisory Board Member
Barton Haynes has enjoyed a long-standing career in the
electrical/architectural advertising field after having studied both business
management and psychology while attending college. He serves as an advertising
consultant working with some of the leading architectural and design firms in
the United States, representing a large array of national clients. With a strong
focus on health care facilities, municipal projects and large scale retail mall
branding, he has extensive experience with multiple city/county municipalities
(e.g. zoning, building permits, variance hearings, architectural design review
boards, etc). He manages contractual paperwork, client-related financial matters and oversees all sales, project management and
accounting staff.
Bart has lived in various regions of Peru while working as a religious outreach representative including coastal, mountain, and Amazon regions. He is fluent in conversational Spanish with experience and cultural tolerance gained from residence in Latin America (Peru/Mexico). He has traveled extensively throughout Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize while pursuing social and business opportunities in Latin America.
Throughout his travels in developing nations, Bart has always searched for opportunities to share of himself and his business expertise in facilitating the needs of the disadvantaged and/or underprivileged. It is with great joy that he has joined the board of MMWC as an active supporter and to provide his leadership skills to assist in bringing health care to Africa.
mmk partners and contributors
- Ministry of Health, Government of Kenya
- MEDS (Mission for Essential Drugs & Supplies) - Nairobi, Kenya
- Kenyan Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation
- FACES