WHO WE ARE
Dee and Mike Belliére
FOUNDER/DIRECTORS
“Mama” Dee and “Doctor” Mike, as they are affectionately known to all in Kenya, are the driven and charismatic couple who founded their charity, Medical and Educational Aid to Kenya, over 30 years ago.
Together, they are a formidable team. Simply put, Dee is the passion and Mike is the administration and the strategy. As a team, their energy, enterprise and continuing hard work have built up what started as a ‘kitchen table’ activity into today’s solid and enduring registered charity.
They are constantly inspired and driven to help those in need, focusing on reaching the unreached – actively seeking out those who are often overlooked or unseen. They are motivated by the resilience of the people they assist and their gratitude on receiving help.
Together with their team of dedicated volunteers and Trustees and generous donors, they look forward to continuing this meaningful journey of compassion and service with the realisation that every effort, no matter how small, can have a profound impact.
“A life should be measured by the number of lives it touches positively”
Alex M Thiru
LOGISTICIAN AND MISSION SUPPORT
MEAK Feeding and Water Projects Programme
Alex joined MEAK at the start of 2020 when it became clear that the regular MEAK activities would be curtailed until the end of the pandemic. Together with Teresa, Alex is our dedicated chronicler of feeding missions and logistician. He thrives in the fast-paced planning of the feeding missions to ensure the smooth distribution of the provisions to those in need. His attention to detail and knack for problem-solving with support from Teresa help streamline the processes to ensuring that the resources reach the intended recipients efficiently.
As an accomplished amateur photographer, Alex’s reports and photographs of the missions are detailed evidence of just how important these programmes are to so many.
Teresa Wanjiku
LOGISTICIAN AND MISSION SUPPORT
MEAK Feeding Programme
Teresa met Dee and Mike in Kenya over 40 years ago and she has been involved with MEAK in varying capacities ever since, from assisting with eye missions to teaching basic agriculture principles gleaned from her experience with her own thriving small holding! Currently, she is the chief coordinator and logistician of the MEAK feeding programmes.
Together with Alex Thiru, Teresa is responsible for planning and coordinating every aspect of the feeding programmes from the purchasing of the goods to their final distribution point, hundreds of miles from Nairobi.
Nargis Kassim
COORDINATOR AND LOGISTICIAN
MEAK Eye Programme
Nargis has worked with MEAK for over 20 years as the coordinator of the eye missions and the surgical eye team. Based in Nairobi, Nargis has established relationships with other charities and hospitals within Kenya which allow her to carefully plan and carry out missions to the most remote areas of Kenya. Nargis liaises with local government and tribal chiefs to ensure that the local population benefit the most from eye screening and surgery, mostly to relieve cataract-induced blindness. Through her extensive network she is also able to manage patients who may need more than cataract surgery, as part of MEAK’s holistic approach.
Alexandra Savis
COORDINATOR AND LOGISTICIAN
MEAK Heart Programme; Communications and Reporting
Alex was asked to join a MEAK heart mission in 2002 as an echocardiographer and has been a part of the MEAK heart team ever since! Inspired by her work with MEAK, in 2015 she completed a Masters in International Health and subsequently became the coordinator and project manager of the heart missions.
Today, Alex’s role has expanded to include communications and reporting writing for donor-funded activities and the MEAK annual report.
DONATIONS
£25,000 pays for an outreach eye and dentistry mission to cure blindness restore sight, relieve dental pain and return livelihoods to 100+ people
+44 7939 157 890
meak@meak.org.uk
www.meak.org.uk
Medical and Educational Aid to Kenya (MEAK) is a registered charity in England and Wales No. 1093115 regulated by The Charity Commission