IN COUNTRY TEAM
PASTOR DAN & MONICA MAWANDA
“Hello. I am Pastor Daniel Mawanda. Born 1972 in Magada Village Namutumba District. I join my wife Monica in 1992. We have 4 children but God bless us with many other children the orphans to care for them. I received Jesus as my savior in 1993.
In 2000 God send me in Word and Spirit seminary in a two years training after the seminary I started pasturing a church in the year 2004 up to now. Am a pastor and a evangelist my church is in a town called Iganga but God told me to go deep in the village to preach and teach his people. Here in Uganda pastors they don’t want to go in villages because people in the village are very poor. As I do the ministry in village I find many children abandoned father died and mother the twelve years elder child suffering to care for his or her brothers. I find many children not in school because nobody can help them to buy books and school uniform etc.
Me, I came from a poorest family and my father failed to take me to school. I thank God for my beloved friend Michelle who always stands with me to give school fees for my children. Michelle praying also God to help me to build a house where I can be with many children.
I have a plan also to give goats and pigs to the widows who are still alive to help them because if we give them goat’s pigs and chickens they can support their self.”
U.S. ADVISORY BOARD
MICHELLE JUE:
FOUNDER + U.S. DIRECTOR
As the Founder of The Mawanda Project, Michelle is responsible for the vision, strategy, and directly working with Daniel Mawanda in Iganga, Africa. During her first trip to Uganda in 2010, she immediately fell in love with the community, culture, and country as a whole. This experience, combined with her passion for helping others and cultivating relationships, still drives her today. Michelle received her B.S. in Bioengineering and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UCSD. She currently works as an Engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense in San Diego, CA.
Stephanie Cain
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (Nelson Mandela). Stephanie has a curiosity and passion to explore cultures and develop relationships through travel. She is guided by the belief that education is key to empowering young minds and provides opportunity for children to choose their own path in life. Stephanie directs program operations and strategic initiatives for The Mawanda Project and recently earned her M.A. in Statecraft and National Security Affairs at The Institute of World Politics and with a focus on security issues and development in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Erik Jue
Erik Jue, Ph.D. has 8 years experience developing point-of-care diagnostic medical devices for low-resource settings. He is dedicated towards combating infectious diseases and improving healthcare. Erik received his Bioengineering B.S. from UCLA and Ph.D. from Caltech. He currently works as a Software Engineer at Google.
Robert Garcia
Robert balances his life as head of the sales development division for an expanding manufacturing company, serving at his church and maintaining his role as chief influencer for his four adult children.
Gloria Garcia
With four, now adult children, Gloria splits her time as a Care Coordinator addressing the needs of the workforce in the hospitality industry, maintaining the community life of her church. Gloria and her husband Robert reside in downtown San Diego, CA.
Kimberly Walthall
Kimberly joined the Mawanda Project in Spring 2017. Her involvement was catalyzed by her strong belief in the importance of education as a tool for both empowering and liberating youth -- particularly young women. Kimberly earned her B.S. in Chemistry from San Diego State University in 2011, and has always had a deep seated passion for encouraging women’s interest in the physical sciences. She currently works at a small startup in San Diego that focuses on the development and incorporation of metallic nanoparticles into diverse applications including low cost diagnostics.
In July of 2017, a select few from the US Advisory Team took it’s first ever Founder’s Trip to Iganga Uganda! Check out the trip here!