Our Team

Anja first visited Kenya in 2010, where she spent four months volunteering in a children’s home. This experience awakened her awareness of the persistent poverty in Kenya and inspired her to take action. During her studies, she began collecting donations by selling waffles. After another visit to Kenya and discovering mismanagement in the children’s home, she decided to do better herself. Anja wants to share her privilege of growing up in the Global North with those who have been disadvantaged simply because of where they were born and offer them a perspective for the future. Her motto “Together Strong” aims to inspire that everyone, regardless of the size of their sphere of influence, can have a positive impact on society. She wants to encourage everyone to put into practice what they can contribute to the world.

Heike has been supporting Pamoja Africa e. V. and the association since 2015. Initially, Heike supported Anja in the areas of website and graphics as well as with various donations. 2 years later she became a Pamoja member. In 2019, she took part in a workshop in which the vision of the association was developed - at the latest since then and her move to the board in the same year, Heike has really been involved. She is very happy to be able to support Anja’s heart project and give something back to the world. She finds it incredibly nice to know that a few children are doing better because of the work of the association and to have created jobs in Maua Villa. At the association, she works with Anja on organizational and strategic issues, with Jochen on the website and develops content for the newsletter and other means of communication.

Sometimes an adventure begins with a simple question – “Wouldn’t you like to join the board?” Said and done. Since 2025, she has been bringing her experience from the non-profit sector to help make Pamoja Africa e. V. even more professional. But it all really started back in 2023 when she began a mentoring program with Anja – and was swept away by Anja’s enthusiasm for Maua Villa. The energy, the vision, the real successes on the ground: Janine was immediately captivated. Since then, her heart has been set on the children in Kenya, on transparency in accounting, and on every spreadsheet that makes a little more impact visible. Janine loves numbers – but she loves it even more when those numbers tell real stories: of school fees that can be paid, of jobs that are created, and of children who are given a future. With every step, the hope grows that Maua Villa can give even more children a future – and that together we will achieve even more going forward.

Jochen has been part of Pamoja Africa e.V. since 2014 and supports the association in their communication work. Through his involvement, he has come into contact with great people from all over the world and has been able to develop personally. By writing the newsletters, he is dealing with many topics that he was not very familiar with from a Western European point of view. The decentralized structure of the association makes it possible for him to be involved wherever he is. He is very happy to be able to support Pamoja Africa and the children’s home in Maua Villa in this way.

Ruben joined Pamoja Africa e. V. in 2023 and focuses on the website and the technology behind it through his company Hove ICT . Using modern IT solutions he removes barriers for communicating with the world, and helps more people discover the organisation as well as better understand its projects and goals. On a personal level the involvement allows him to expose himself to, and better understand a perspective of life which is rarely found in the West. All this with the end goal in mind of supporting the children’s home Maua Villa.

This is our great website team. Together we catch up remote on a regular base, work on improvements and implement new ideas. And the best: we really have fun! Thanks a bunch for your fantastic support 🙏 #togetherstrong

Okhan has been a member of Pamoja Africa e.V. since 2015 and has supported the Maua Villa Children’s Home through a project sponsorship ever since. With his long-standing personal connection to Pamoja Africa and Anja, he decided to expand his commitment further by actively volunteering his time. This experience allows him to confidently state that the project is entirely transparent and that all support reaches those who need it most - the people in Maua Villa. Since 2023, Okhan has taken on the role of the organization’s accountant, ensuring that all funds are managed with care and used in a transparent and efficient manner.