Annah Muiruri - Founder

Annah Muiruri is a mother to a beautiful daughter, a nurse, and friend to many. She was born in Kenya, and as a young adult emigrated to the U.S.A where she went to nursing school. Nursing has never been just a job for Annah; she has always had a passion for encouraging others to be the best they can be. She has worked as a travelling nurse in Atlanta, Miami, Mexico and California and has been a productive member of whatever community she finds herself. She believes that with hard work and perseverance one can  achieve set goals even when the odds seem insurmountable.  Her warm personality brings out a smile in everyone she encounters.
Her involvement in volunteer work started at a young age. While still a teenager in Kenya, Annah would often be found assisting street children and single young  Parents by encouraging them in achieving goals and becoming self reliant.

In 2011, Annah’s passion to serve grew stronger and culminated in her starting Mapenzi Africa Foundation. It first started as a small store in Carmel-by-the Sea on California's central coast. The goal was to find a market for hand-made goods made by unemployed men and women in Kenya. The mission started when Annah purchased two heavy duty sewing machines in order to start this social enterprise business that would make  baskets, leather goods and various other items. The proceeds goes back  towards  the creation of  jobs in local Kenyan communities. In Christmas of 2011, Mapenzi Africa and friends were able to provide Christmas meals for over 200 families in an  underserved community.

Her first medical mission was in Dofo Mexico with her church group. This experience gave her valuable insight on how to successfully execute a medical mission and allowed her to network with great minds within the group and in Mexico. In May of 2012, Annah went to a small mission in Kenya in order to gather information that would lead to a more extensive mission in 2013. In spite of the small size of the recent mission, significant goals were met such as getting much needed medical supplies and equipment to a hospital near Nairobi. The visit made made a much bigger impact  on the lives of patients than anyone could have expected. Her foundation have also partnered with Fanaka Children's Home in Ikiinu Kiambu district Kenya.  This home cares for neglected children, orphans and children displaced as a result of the 2007 post-election violence.

Annah has become a regular speaker at a women's shelter in Monterey. While on her last mission, she was interviewed on radio in Kenya and is booked for more interviews on both Kenyan T.V. and Radio, all with the goal of  encouraging more volunteer work within Kenya and the Diaspora. Her daughter assists her in ideas for fund raising, and she has been lucky to have co-workers and church friends who believe in and support her vision. Annah states that this passion for serving is a lifetime journey.

I am not just a mother to one,
I have 24 additional angels
that have joined my journey in life
Fanaka childrens home.

MY NEW FAMILY.
LOVE ALL MY 25 BABIES...