Fedelis Kyalo has been working in folk media, puppetry-based community education and health education and sensitization in Kenya since 1995.

Fedelis is a founder of Krystall Puppet Theatre which has performed in USA, China, Russia, Argentina and over a dozen other countries around the world.

He is the lead puppeteer for the controversial and subversive political satire television show, XYZ SHOW and is the current Vice President of UNIMA Africa Commission.

Veronica is a contributing author to the Routledge title: Women and Puppetry
Critical and Historical Investigations and is the co-founder of our Kenyan for-profit strategic partner, Edutainment Experts TwoFiveFour LTD (Puppets254).

She holds a diploma in broadcast journalism from Multimedia University and is currently working on a degree in Public Relations and Marketing at Daystar University.

Veronica is a puppeteer and also lead of our administration team at Project HAND UP.

José Njuki-Imwe Ngunjiri is a puppeteer, social change enthusiast, entrepreneur, mobilizer and a fire safety advocate with a wide range of experience in community mobilization.

José volunteers with the Kiambu Fire Brigade Service in Kenya and holds a firefighter 1 certification.

Mercy holds a Bachelor of Arts in animation at Multimedia University and is currently working on Masters in Communication at Jomo Kenyatta University Agriculture and Technology focusing on Media Studies.

She was a lead animator for Mundu Mwara studios for four years.

Mercy works behind the scenes in script writing and consultation on cultural representation and sensitivity. Mercy also coordinates research, data collection and interpretation.

John joined our team in 2016 after attending four of our Rotary Foundation sponsored training workshops.

John is a puppeteer and john-of-all-trades working with our art department to build sets and make custom operations on our puppets.

John has toured with our Child Safety show and Intestinal Worms programs UNIMA Africa Commission.

Victor holds a BA in Sociology and Communication and is our lead puppeteer and front man for our Intestinal Worms, HIV and AIDS, and Conservation live shows.

He is also performs Bali The Monkey and is a member of the Kenya Institute of Puppet Theatre and is a lead puppeteer for XYY Show.

Born and raised in Kibera, in Nairobi, he is one of our senior performers and team leaders.

Esther Wambui joined Project HAND UP in 2015 after three years with Newrobi Puppeteers, a community based organization in Nairobi.

She is a gifted puppeteer and choreographer who has toured with our HIV and AIDS program and our Conservation programs.

Michael Mutahi is a senior puppeteer in Kenya.

He produces his own health education and behaviour change communication videos outside of Project HAND UP – and is a holder of several Kenya Film Commission awards for his many film projects with puppets. Michael performs Dr. Pamoja and a host of characters for all of our live in-school programs.

Bob is an actor, voice artist and puppeteer currently pursuing his Bachelor of The Arts in Theatre Arts at Kenyatta University.

He was a featured performer in The Trial of Athena where he built and operated a giant elephant puppet for Youth Theatre Kenya. As a spoken word artist also regularly performs in poetry exhibitions with Slam Poetry Kenya. Bob takes the front of the stage as a facilitator for our behavior change communication programs and plays multiple roles back stage as a puppeteer.

Roselidah is a filmmaker, video editor and film lover.

She is a Berlinale Talent and Durban Talent Alumni 2016 and 2015 respectively. She has a Higher Diploma in Mass Communication and TV production. She’s trained in editing with Star Media Institute and Media Development in Africa, Maisha Film Lab, Berlinale Talents in Germany and Durban Talents in South Africa.

Roselidah was awarded Best Editor at the Women in Film Kenya 2020 and Best Editor at KALASHA Awards 2018 for Subira, a feature film which was selected to represent Kenya at the Oscars 2020. 

She was involved in the editing of the multiple award winning film “Veve” that earned her a nomination for Best Editing at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards in 2015.

Makena has attained a Bachelor of Quantity Surveying at the undergraduate level from the University of Nairobi and is a member with the Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya (IQSK).

Makena is a voice artist, puppeteer, actor and billboard model.

Dennis hold a BA in Gender and Development from Kenyatta University.

Dennis is a co-founder of K-taon Media, a full service media production company in Nairobi.

Dennis works primarily as cameraman, first assistant director and editor for Puppets254, Project HAND UP and the MeIAmMental Podcast.

Edwin Machuka has worked for more than a decade in the Kenyan audiovisual media industry as a cinematographer in documentary, tv series, sports, children’s education, travel and wildlife conservation genres.

Edwin works for the political satire programme XYZ Show that has aired on all the three leading Kenyan TV stations. There he uses cinema as a tool to bring to the forefront uneasy conversations with puppetry.

Edwin started out as a puppet sculptor and workshop supervisor on the show, where he transitioned to the role of cinematographer.

Additionally Edwin has a deep knowledge of location scouting in Kenya as a result in his work on the nationwide project: Location Mapping, sponsored by the Kenya Film Commission.

Darren Collins is the co-founder and acting director of Project HAND UP. Darren has taught over 20,000 people the art of puppetry for education in over fifteen countries and forty-five states.

Darren began teaching puppetry for crime and drug abuse prevention in the mid 90s at the America’s PRIDE and DARE conferences. In 1999 he made his first journey to Cambodia to help develop water-borne illness puppet presentations. There, he also penned germ theory videos that aired on government television in Myanmar.

For fifteen years as a family entertainer, he performed educational variety shows designed to inspire and teach his audiences about health, drug abuse, and social justice. Motivated by his belief that "Any uncomfortable subject can be made compelling and enjoyable to all ages." he quit his performing career to start Project HAND UP.

Darren is driven to pursue using the performing arts to tackle difficult subjects in the field of behavior change communication. Especially puppetry.

In 2017 Collins received the Service Above Self Award from the Rotary Foundation. He is a graduate of Rotary University, the Rotary International Leadership Institute and is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Darren is also a voting board member of Project HAND UP.

Vitalia Fedossova is a CPA with 15 years of public accounting and private experience and a passion for helping people.

She supports mission driven businesses in the financial, technology, and non-profit industries.

Vitalia also has a passion for humor, joy, and love which is often not addressed in the field of accounting. She practices what she calls Animal Accounting: 95% accounting and 5% animals.

Using her technical knowledge and an animal theme, she shows the world that it is possible to have fun doing accounting!

Dick Monday was the Director of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College from 1994-1997. During this time, he created and directed all the clowning for the Greatest Show on Earth. He has also served as the Artistic Director of the L.A. Circus and was the Director of Clowning for Circus of the Stars on CBS.

Dick created the Foundation for Laughter, a non-profit that specializes in, among other things, hospital clowning under the name Funnyatrics at the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, TX.

Dick’s film and television credits include Into the Night with Rick Dees, General Hospital, Saved By The Bell, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Rosie O’Donnell Show and Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown.

Dick founded the New York Goofs in 1998, a theatrical clown troupe that have produced four off Broadway shows. In 2004, Dick created “Slappy’s Puppet Playhouse” in Dallas, TX, writing and producing circus and puppet shows.

He continues to clown in circuses and theaters worldwide including The Big Apple Circus, Circus Sarasota, and Circo Atayde in Mexico as well as in China and the Middle East.

Dick’s lifelong passion for the performing arts to meet the psychological needs of those who are hurting continues to be demonstrated through his participation and insight to our board.

Mason Pelt is an experienced marketing leader and public health advocate with a background in film.

He's held leadership roles at several ad agencies, including TouchStorm, Music Audience Exchange, and Push ROI, where he's functioned as the Head of Marketing & Client Strategy since 2015. Mason's past work has won awards, including Best Narrative Feature at the Williamsburg Independent Film Festival and a Stevie® Award for Branded Entertainment.

Mason is also a world record-holding juggler.

Dixon Wiles is a practicing attorney at law who received his JD from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX and his BA from the University of Virginia.

Dixon was born and raised in Dallas. He has recently retired from moonlighting as a stand-up comedian in order to pursue his passion for BBQ. We are especially happy to have him attend board meetings for reasons that should be obvious.

Also, his law degree, experience working with other charities, and accounting skills make him a very valuable director (not just the BBQ).

Mr. Dendy is a Past District Governor of Rotary International ’14-’15 in District 5810 and Past President of DeSoto Rotary Club. Bill serves on the board for both the DeSoto Economic Development Corporation and Challenge Air for Kids and Friends, a nationwide non-profit which helps those with special needs build self-esteem and confidence through the experience of flight – of which Bill is also a pilot.

Bill’s wife Kathy, a native German, is an attorney in the Dallas office of Jackson Lewis LLP, a national labor and employment law firm, and also holds advanced degrees in cultural anthropology. She is also a member of the DeSoto Rotary Club where Project HAND UP was birthed.

Bill is construction consultant and certified project management professional with over three decades of commercial and heavy construction experience is the CEO of Dendy Construction Services LLC.

He also owns and operates a Dallas area infrared thermography company and is Chief Elf of Santa’s Tailor, a full-service Santa experience and clothing company. https://santastailor.com/

Ean Sullivan is a past District Governor of District 5810 of Rotary International. He was born in Watonga, Oklahoma. After serving in the Marines, including a tour of duty in Viet Nam, he graduated from the University of Oklahoma.

He is a CPA and has served clients for 36 years specializing in business and technology consulting. Ean has also owned and operated a number of small businesses in a variety of industries.

Ean joined the Plano Rotary Club in 1989 and has served in nearly every capacity including President in 2000-2001. Ean was awarded the club’s highest award, The Harold Sullivan Keyway Award in 1995 and was the club’s Rotarian of the Year in 2009-2010. He has served District 5810 in a number of capacities including chairing two District Conferences, a District Assembly and chairing numerous committees. Ean started the website, www.rotary5810.org and served as webmaster for several years. Ean is a major donor to The Rotary Foundation and a member of the Paul Harris Society.

Together Ean and his wife, the Reverend Jan Sullivan, have six children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.