Who We Are

Our Team

Working Together
for Lasting Change

Founded in 2007 by Joyce Tannian of Newark, Delaware, and Joseph Larasha of Kenya, Water is Life Kenya (WILK) is an IRS designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to empowering Maasai in Southern Kenya by providing access to clean water, improving resource management, and supporting the most vulnerable of its population.

WILK’s success has come from the power of relationships. Supported by our US team, our Kenyan team has worked in partnership with local residents from the beginning, resulting in over 35 clean water projects, more than 800 LAB graduates, and dozens of empowered communities throughout Kajiado County.

Joyce Tannian

Co-Founder & Executive Director

Joyce is the heart and soul of Water is Life Kenya. She spends half of her time in Kenya, where she directs the day-to-day operations of WILK. Joyce not only designs water and livestock projects, she also loves creating beautiful jewelry. She continues to inspire us with her passion to serve others.

Joseph Larasha

Co-Founder & Project Manager

Joseph Larasha is a Maasai elder who grew up and still lives in our project area near Amboseli. Our main-man in the field, he has both an understanding of and good relationships with the communities we serve. He has been to the US twice, is amazed at the abundance of green grass, and considers how his livestock would flourish in this environment.  

The Kenya Team

WILK Team Member Nelson Tinayo

Nelson Tinayo

Field Officer

Nelson first encountered WILK as a member of one of the pilot groups which started in WILK’s Livestock as a Business (LAB) Program. He proved himself to be a strong leader of the Amboseli Livestock Farmer Group and has provided invaluable assistance with conducting baseline questionnaires by performing interviews before WILK projects begin. He now manages the monitoring of WILK’S existing water projects.

women in Kenya

Cate Olegei

Field Officer

Cate Olegei is our Kenyan Hope for Widows (HFW) Program Coordinator, business lady, and bead artisan. As lead teacher in the HFW program, Cate supervises a group of four field assistants who monitor the widows each week. Now, Cate has a shop in her hometown of Lenkisem, where she sells foodstuffs and beading supplies. She even employs a young lady to run the shop when she is out teaching for WILK!

The U.S. Team

WILK Team Member Aaron Lemma

Aaron Lemma

Director of U.S. Operations

Aaron is a leader with a passion for the natural world, efficient systems, and communicating important concepts across generations, demographics, and continents.  After completing the Alliance for Catholic Education at Saint Joseph’s University, Aaron jumped into Water is Life Kenya ready to increase donor pools and develop key relationships, all to ensure this critical work of empowering indigenous communities in Kenya continues into the future.

Email: aa***@**************ya.org
Social: Connect on Linkedin

Paula Persoleo

Communications Coordinator

Paula Persoleo is a multi-genre writer and composition instructor. Her work has appeared in local (Philadelphia Stories), international (The Wild Word, Into the Void), and scholarly (Tulane Review, Mantis) publications. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize by Beltway Poetry in 2018. She has an M.F.A. from Stony Brook University, an M.A. in English Literature from Pittsburg State University, and a B.A. in English Literature from Washington College. She’s been teaching at UD since 2014. 

Email: pa***@**************ya.org

John Hallinan

Ignatian Volunteer

John formerly lived in Peekskill, NY, where he was a school psychologist for Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES. He received the Tony Lucaro Volunteerism Award for his service at BOCES in 2003, the Community Service Award from the NYS United Teachers Union in 2004, the Lifetime Achievement Award from NYSPEED (NY School Principals for the Education of Students with Emotional Disabilities) in 2007, and the Chester Smith award for his lifetime dedication to Peekskill’s youth in 2017. He also was a volunteer at CHHOP (Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill), where he and his wife Pat cooked meals and did midnight runs to feed the homeless. Currently he’s an Ignatian volunteer and, at WILK, does outreach, communications, and bead sales. His favorite activities include hiking, drinking a cold beer, and spending time with his grandson.

Email: jo**@**************ya.org

Our Board of Directors

Memorial Board