LaShawn Thompson is first and foremost a passionate wife and mom. She is the founder and visionary of Projects Of Hope. Her hearts desire is to give children within impoverished situations the love she was once given.

Pastor George Macharia is the head Projects of Hope team member in Kenya! He is a widower, father of two, and pastors a church in the local area of Lari. At the right hand of our founder Lashawn, he makes connections for Projects of Hope and coordinates nearly every aspect of each mission. He connects with headteachers and Kenyan government officials, takes care of all negotiations and finances with local vendors and business owners for completing all building projects. And after 10 years of working alongside Lashawn, he is essential to the Projects of Hope team.

Quan Burgos by profession is a licensed building contractor. He fell in love with missions during his first trip to Kenya with Projects Of Hope in 2012. He continues to be an asset to the team by building positive working relationships with local builders and craftsmen on each mission.

Grace John is the founder of the charity organization Neema Girls, an outreach program for adolescent girls in Lari Kenya. In 2014 she joined Projects of Hope to help mentor all female students and prepare them for the girls health class. She goes with George to our partner schools to help prepare the students and faculty for every upcoming mission. Grace also runs our lunch program, coordinating with chefs and farmers for food supplies to feed all the students during our 5 day mission. Grace is true to her name; kind yet fierce in her care for the future of her community.

George Wainana is our ‘On the Ground’ Projects of Hope team member. All year round he visits our past partner schools checking in on the well being of the faculty and students. Tutoring and mentoring the boys weekly to help continue the work we do during missions. Prior to every new mission he ensures that things will run smoothly in conjunction with our building project and camp. George has a serious passion for young people. He grew up in the exact school system we serve in Kenya, and is greatly inspired to help the generation following him. Over the past 10 years, Projects of Hope has seen George flourish into the man he is today, married with three children and walking in his purpose.

Brandon Williams by profession is an IT Project Manager. He has always had a heart for children and an even bigger heart to do missions. He has traveled with Projects of Hope since its inception in 2012. He has served as the Physical Education and Team Building instructor. He and his wife Alexandra are the proud parents of two daughters, Lydia and Lauren.

Kayla Thompson is a professional singer/songwriter. Since the age of 21, she has served as the Art and Music Director for the Projects of Hope Mission’s Trip. She always counts it a privilege to be used to serve children in other parts of the world.

Dr. Randy serves as the Director of the Medical Mission of Projects of Hope. Born and raised on the island of Jamaica, Dr. Randy knew poverty all to well. After completing his medical degree and working for over 15 years in emergency medicine, he wanted to do more. When asked in 2017 to join the Projects of Hope Mission, he jumped at the chance. All of his medical training along with his passion for children and giving back was evident on the mission field. Since 2017, he has skillfully treated the children on the mission field of Kenya.

Wynnette Oliver serves as the Girl’s Health Educator for Projects of Hope. She is an educator by trade, and has taught and mentored over 400 women through North Carolina’s Community College System. Her and her husband Preston have two sons, Aasiah and Simeon. Wynnette is passionate about teaching, as well as, outreach and women’s ministry. She has participated in both inner city and international missions, since 2016.

Dr. Erica Fleming, PharmD, served as Pharmacist for the first medical mission in 2017. Born on the island of Anguilla, Erica has a passion and commitment to the betterment of the lives of all children. During the 2017 mission, she expertly and efficiently administered medication to over 500 children in need. She continues that level of service in her own personal life, raising her twin boys and adopted daughter with love and dedication.

Kim Burgos is the wife of Quan Burgos and serves as the Projects of Hope Resource Manager, joined the POH team during the 2020 COVID pandemic efforts. She has remained dedicated to all things POH and continues to connect POH with invaluable resources.

Zivai Mtyora is a pastor, author and mentor. His role in Projects of Hope is to assist in strategic planning and programming. He consults in casting long term vision for how Projects of Hope can enact sustainable change in Kenya. Zivai hails from Zimbabwe and has been married for 15 years with three children. As an African himself, he has a fiery passion for his home continent and understands the systemic and root issues in most African countries.