Carol Groves     Associate Trustee

Carol co-founded the charity in 2003 following a chance visit to a school in Mombasa whilst on holiday with her family three years before.

Carol set up the charity in order to help improve the lives of children living in Mombasa, who have become very dear to her heart.

Carol’s skills are in managing change, strategic planning and fundraising. Carols previous working experience as a CEO for citizens advice has enabled her to support the Unity School Management team with training and support.

Carol also gives talks to various organisations about the Charity and is always looking for ways to encourage others to support its work.

Rev. Ben Scrivens          Trustee and Chair elect

Ben first visited Kenya as a teenager and has made several return trips, both with groups or as an individual.

Ben has recently taken up the position as Minister of East Grinstead Methodist Church Ben is looking forward to continuing his relationship with FRiends of the Mombasa Children as Chair of the charity.

John Engall                     Treasurer

John joined the Trustees in 2024 having shared the task of Treasurer with Khatija Volk

Khatija Volk       Associate Trustee

I was born at the Aga Khan hospital in Kisumu, which was then a small town on the shores of Lake Victoria. I attended the Aga Khan nursery and primary schools. I was very lucky to have had a really happy childhood in Kenya and have very fond memories of going to Mombasa with my family.

My upbringing was focussed very much on education, as my family understood that education is a very important asset in life. It is an asset that can give you the opportunity to realise your dreams, and help you earn a living to provide food and shelter for yourself and your family. Education is an asset that no one can take away from you.

I was married very young and have 4 children and 9 grandchildren.  After my divorce, whilst my children were very young, I went back to education and qualified as an Accountant.  This enabled me to provide for my family.   I believe that education should be available to all. I am grateful for this opportunity to contribute to the work at Unity School through The Freinds of the Mombasa Children.

Chris Azzaro   Trustee

Having previously served as our charity’s Chairman and then 13 years as Treasurer, Chris is now our Newsletter editor and webmaster.

As former Deputy Head of St. Andrew’s High School, Worthing, Chris inspired an active interest in the children of Mombasa and has taken groups of pupils to visit the school. Chris now works with Schools and Churches to promote the work of the Charity.

Karyn Hinks    Trustee

Karyn’s contact with the charity began when she was a governor at St Andrew’s High School and accompanied groups to visit Mombasa. Karyn is heavily involved with fundraising activities such as sales and fairs.

Karyn is particularly interested in the provision of education for children with Special Learning Needs and is working with the teachers in Mombasa to this end.

Jan Watson         Trustee

Jan became a Trustee in 2019 after visiting Unity School with Trustees Carol and Shirley.

 Jan is an ex-government official with experience in management, fundraising and has practical skills in organisation. Jan is keen on fundraising, marketing and raising the profile of the charity.

Norbert Were      Trustee

 Norbert is the manager at Unity School and an important link in our partnership. he has excellent administration skills and communicates information regarding Unity School. 

We have worked with Norbert from our early days and sponsored him to obtain his degree in Education.

Assiciate Trustees

Maddy Webb   Associate

  Maddy is Director of Quality at TR Fastenings, an international company based in Sussex.

  Maddy’s interests are fundraising through marketing opportunities and assisting students and teachers to broaden Curriculum Activities. Maddy has worked with children at Unity School on art and drama projects, including their first ever Nativity Play.

Joanne Harper    Associate  

 Joanna is a long-term supporter of the Charity and sponsor. She is a Trainer of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and often works one to one with children and young people who have experienced trauma in their past.

 You can read her blog by visiting http://www.integratetraining.co.uk/blog

 Joanna has trained the Unity School Teachers, Summit members and Support Staff in NLP and has since returned to Mombasa to run a full NLP Diploma qualification..

Dan Purchese      Trustee

Dan has been a Trustee of the charity since it began. He first visited Mombasa in 2002 and fell in love with the Kenyan culture and people.

Dan’s professional background spans both the IT industry and professional political campaigning. He has supported many different aspects of the charity’s work and development over the years, including marketing and publicity.

Dan has spent significant time at our school working on different projects.