‘This is PA-MOJA’ was produced by students in the 2021 Butterfly Effect class: Clare Won, Asalah Youssef, Yena Oh, Mariana Cardenas. Vienna Lara-Fare, Simone Poirier, Vienna Wise, Myah Lothian, Sally Sapinski, Vanessa Waugh, Ava Siefke, […]
Leigh is an educator and an integral member of the PA-MOJA team. She first discovered PA-MOJA in 2013. After her mother died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease), Leigh wanted to challenge […]
In 1995, while at the Jane Goodall chimpanzee orphanage in Burundi, Gillian La Prairie was researching for her PhD thesis. Burundi was experiencing a civil war, which meant the chimpanzees had to be translocated to […]
Najin and Fatu are the two last remaining Northern White Rhinoceros on the earth. They were brought to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in 2009 to accompany Sudan, the last remaining male Northern White Rhino, and […]
When Sarnaver was a student attending the Loise Nanyuki girls High School in Nanyuki, Kenya, the PA-MOJA team invited her to join the Butterfly Effect; an online learning and sharing platform because she was a […]
Silvia Knittel was a visionary teacher, driven by a passion for environmental justice and equality in education on a global scale. An ardent activist and animal lover, the former PA-MOJA president was inspired to co-found […]
Ian’s Role in PA-MOJA – When Ian was hired as the Education Liaison Officer for PA-MOJA in 2015, it was a game-changer for PA-MOJA. Ian’s passion for teaching and compassion for students were ideal attributes […]
Allan joined PA-MOJA in 2015 while he was attending Thome Boys Secondary School. Allan loved learning and he was always curious in class, so his teachers recommended him to the OPC/PA-MOJA group who were looking […]
Audrey was sitting in her Grade 10 science class when her teacher, Alison Stuart, mentioned a new course that would be starting at the school. The course would run before school and the goal was […]
George joined PA-MOJA when he was in high school. The first year the Butterfly Effect class was initiated in his school, George was excited to join the after school inquiry class to connect online with […]
Amber Illes is a Grade Five teacher at the Langley Fine Arts School and is a co-chair of the PA-MOJA committee. Wanting to do something impactful to help others, Amber was inspired to join PA-MOJA […]
Judy Nyambura began working with PA-MOJA in 2016 when the school was introduced to Butterfly Effect. At that time, Judy was the librarian at Sweetwaters Secondary School, so she was given the responsibility of being […]
Lucy Wacera Wairimu was born in 2002, and the last born in her family of seven children. Lucy’s mother is a single parent who supports her family with their small farm. Lucy enjoys farming with […]
When Winnie was a young girl, she liked school, and did well in her classes. But her family was poor and struggled to pay her school fees. Even in her first semester of school, it […]
When Desi was in Grade 8 at Langley Fine Arts School (LFAS), she wanted to get involved, so she decided to join a school club. Her friends told her about the fun they were having […]
David, Joseph, Denis, Hannah, Peter and Mary lived together in a small town called Mai Maihu with their elderly Grandma Mary, when they were introduced to Silvia Knittel in 2008. At the time, they had […]
Alison was first interested in PA-MOJA when Silvia Knittel (co-founder, visionary, and previous president) introduced her to the charitable organization while they were both in Kenya. She has a PhD in Evolutionary Biology and is […]
John Muchiri is the former principal of Tigithi high school in Nanyuki, Kenya. During his illustrious career, John was a dedicated educator. Although Tigithi did not have top marks in the region, it was a […]
Moses began working at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in 2014 as the Educational Liaison Officer. During this time, Moses facilitated communication between PA-MOJA, the conservancy, neighbouring schools, and the community. He corresponded with teachers and […]
Lindsay became involved with PA-MOJA in 2015 when Alison Stuart introduced the organization to the staff at Charles Best School in Coquitlam. Lindsay had been looking for an organization that aligned with her values; PA-MOJA […]
For several years, Vicki has worked with Jane Millen, a teacher friend at Spring Creek Elementary in Whistler to run a PA-MOJA Club with many of the younger students. In the club, the children get […]
When Richard was a young zoologist, he envisioned converting the Ol Pejeta cattle ranch to a conservation area for Kenyan wildlife. Now the Ol Pejeta Conservancy (OPC) spans 90,000 acres of land dedicated to protecting […]
Stephen grew up on the slopes of Mount Kenya in the small town of Nanyuki with four siblings. He was a highly motivated student who wanted to do well in school and pursue a career […]
Grace Stewart is a member of the PA-MOJA Committee and the treasurer of the Langley School District Foundation (LSDF). Since 2018, PA-MOJA has operated as a committee under the LSDF. The Foundation is an important […]
From a working cattle ranch in colonial Kenya to an award winning role model for conservation innovation, the story of Ol Pejeta is full of intrigue and inspiration. With a mission to “work with partners […]