Group of people standing outdoors near a small white building with a water tank in the background.

The effects of our warming planet are disproportionately impacting the world's most vulnerable

Woman in traditional attire holding a wooden stick outdoors on orange soil.

Increasingly severe droughts, floods and storms are threatening people’s water sources, food security, livelihoods and health, as well as exacerbating the pressures on Africa’s biodiversity.

Group of African women and children standing outside near a wooden fence under a partly cloudy sky.

Pastoralist communities have long developed adaptive strategies to manage the challenges inherent in a variable climate. Climate shocks, population pressures and shrinking natural resources are threatening the very existence of this way of life.

Lush agricultural field with green crops under a partly cloudy sky at sunset.

Harnessing nature’s capital to empower pastoralist communities to thrive, as custodians of the ecosystems they depend on and as guardians of some of Africa’s last truly wild spaces, PARC is pioneering a novel, cost-effective and sustainable solution through conservation-led community development.

Conservation-Led Community Development

Our efforts towards this goal are built on three mutually reinforcing pillars - nature based solutions, improved governance and integrative landscape collaborations.

Dark-skinned hand wearing a beaded wristband resting on a large pile of red roselle calyces on a green surface.

Nature-based Solutions

Using nature to deliver clean water, sustainable food, and new livelihoods.

Group of seven Maasai men sitting on the ground in a circle under a tree in a rural landscape with mountains in the background.

Improved Governance

Building transparent, community-led resource management.

Aerial view of small-scale agricultural plots with various crops and scattered trees in dry soil area.

Landscape Approach

Connecting people and ecosystems through shared restoration efforts.

Who We Are

Allan Ochieng

Technical Manager

Allan Ochieng

Technical Manager

A renewable energy engineer with expertise in minigrids and commercial-scale systems, Allan supports PARC’s community projects with technical and project management precision.

Allan enjoys playing blues on his old alto saxophone in his downtime.

Driven by the belief that clean, affordable energy can change both society and the environment, Allan is committed to sustainable solutions for all.

Andrew Crossland

Technical Advisor

Andrew Crossland

Technical Advisor

Andrew has worked as a specialist in financing and building renewable energy across four continents. He is driven by a passion for working on projects which have a positive and lasting impact.

He has a passion for bridging engineering, commercial models and social impact which has allowed him develop a number of first of a kind battery and solar projects with SolarCentury, Infratec and his own company AFE Ltd.

He also works closely with academia, such as Durham University. and has undertaken teaching of renewable energy in numerous places including at the University of Pattimura Indonesia.

PARC combines three of Andrew’s greatest passions, decarbonisation, social impact and supporting conservation.

Benson Murunju

Farm Manager

Benson Murunju

Farm Manager

With over 7 years’ experience in regenerative agriculture and agroforestry, Benson leads the Chui Mama women’s group farm in establishing a sustainable, climate resilient farm that promotes food security, ecological restoration, value addition and grassroots enterprise.

Benson is a man for all people who finds joy both in community engagement and the soil beneath his hands. His favourite PARC highlight was the single harvest of 864 kg of pumpkins in one day —a milestone that showcased the power of conservation farming.

Dr Götz Bechtolsheimer

Director PARC

Dr Götz Bechtolsheimer

Director PARC

Having run a commercial real estate business with investments spanning Europe and the United States for the past eighteen years; Götz brings his executive, project management and financing strategy skills to the PA|RC team. Götz also has an academic focus on Africa and has travelled the continent widely while researching a PhD exploring Western interventions in Congo in the 1960s and 1970s. Finally, having served as a Social Impact Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, he has a keen interest in social impact measurement, impact investing and philanthropy.


Götz holds a First-Class Honours degree in History from University of Edinburgh, a master’s in international Relations and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a PhD in International History from the London School of Economics.

Emily Mateche

Program Manager

Emily Mateche

Program Manager

A social scientist with a Master’s in Environmental Planning, Emily leads PARC’s programs with a strong background in conservation, advocacy, and policy influence. Emily is a passionate advocate for women’s empowerment in all areas of her work.

Emily believes deeply in creating a future where communities and ecosystems thrive together, blending science and people-focused solutions.

Geetu Bhan

Fundraising and Impact Monitoring

Geetu Bhan

Fundraising and Impact Monitoring

Geetu has background in commercial law but has more recently turned to philanthropy and runs a UK based charitable foundation.  She supports PARC with fundraising and monitoring and evaluation.  

Geetu has a keen interest in global food systems and has a master’s degree in Food Policy.  She completed her dissertation on supporting women-led enterprise and women’s community groups in agrifood systems in Kenya to achieve long term sustainability.

Gerald Singa

Project Manager

Gerald Singa

Project Manager

Gerald has worked as a civil and water resources engineer throughout his professional career, with a strong focus on water infrastructure development, renewable-energy-powered water systems, and community-centered engineering solutions across Kenya. His experience spans project management, technical design, stakeholder engagement, and delivering practical, impact-driven infrastructure in remote and underserved regions.

Gerald is an alumnus of the University of Nairobi, where he earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering. In his free time, he enjoys discovering new places and traveling for fun.

Guy Lawrence

Africa Director

Guy Lawrence

Africa Director

Guy leads the PARC Africa team and is grateful for the opportunity to align his life’s passions with meaningful, long-term impact for communities and the landscapes they call home. 

An engineering and renewable energy professional, Guy brings first-principles thinking and a practical, systems-based approach to PARC’s work on the ground. He draws daily inspiration from his colleagues, the communities PARC serves, and the interconnectedness between people, nature, and the systems that support them.

Having lived, explored, and worked across more than 20 African countries, Guy has developed a deep respect and love for the continent’s people, cultures, and extraordinary biodiversity.

Japan Saruni

Assistant Farm Manager

Japan Saruni

Assistant Farm Manager

Educator-turned-farm manager, Japan supports operations at the Chui Mama Farm and promotes sustainable agriculture as a path to community resilience. Japan also serves on community water committee’s and assists the PARC team with survey and data collection

Fluent in English, Kiswahili, and Maa, and with an ever present smile on his face, Japan connects across cultures with ease.

From rangeland restoration at Koija Conservancy to hands-on permaculture, Japan embodies the link between ecological health and human wellbeing.

Larry Joseph

Community Administrator

Larry Joseph

Community Administrator

Larry is born and raised in Samburu and has a deep rooted connection to the land and it’s communities. With over 8 years in community development, Larry mobilises and empowers pastoralist communities through training, awareness, surveys and project management.

Known as the team’s unofficial paparazzi and pastor — always ready with a camera and a kind word.

Growing up as a nomadic pastoralist gave him a deep respect for sustainable land management, which now shapes his work in community empowerment.

Paul M. Lebeneyio

Community Champion

Paul M. Lebeneyio

Community Champion

Paul is a community, conservation and tourism enthusiast with over 22 years’ experience and in depth knowledge living and working with marginalized communities. Paul champions all community engagement across PARC’s project locations.

Paul is a respected community leader and opinion shaper in Laikipa within the communities, education institutions and county government, and once upon a time competed in the Amazing Race reality show in China.

Founder of Ewaso Eco Lodges, Paul is known for “making anything happen.”

Schola Wangui

Finance and Operations Manager

Schola Wangui

Finance and Operations Manager

Schola is a finance and administration professional with a background in international business, Schola ensures PARC’s operations run smoothly and sustainably. She has gained an appreciation of the balance of nature having worked in tourism and conservation organizations. Described by colleagues simply as “an all-round great human being.”

Schola looks forward to seeing more families in the region get access to water and energy, whilst ensuring that we leave a habitable environment for the generations to come.

Thiong’o Gachie

Regenerative Agriculture Consultant

Thiong’o Gachie

Regenerative Agriculture Consultant

A visionary regenerative agriculture consultant leading the PARC permaculture designs. Thiong’o helps communities establish agro-ecological systems that promote food security and ecosystem stability.

Thiongo grew up farming in Laikipia, where witnessing land use conflicts inspired his mission for harmony between people and nature.

His work has improved the livelihoods of nearly 10,000 people and championed permaculture solutions across East Africa.

Our strategic objectives for the next five years include:

Young girl bending over to drink water from an outdoor tap with water flowing into her cupped hands.

01.

Providing access to clean drinking water to 30,000 people.

Two women working and harvesting leafy green vegetables in a farm garden.

02.

Developing self-sustaining community enterprises around food production with selected women’s groups that nourish 2,000 women and their families (through regenerative farming, poultry and apiary projects), provide reliable income streams and empower these women as seen members of their communities.

Group of people in traditional brightly colored clothing sitting outdoors on the ground and chairs, listening to a standing speaker.

03.

Leveraging our close on-the-ground engagement with communities and our efforts to strengthen their governance structures to promote community-managed direct access to a wider network of organisations and donors working in additional related issue areas (such as healthcare and education).

Person planting a young leafy plant in soil, wearing a yellow shirt and colorful patterned skirt.

04.

Collaborating with other conservation and development NGOs to ensure PARC interventions support an holistic landscape approach that serves people and wildlife - by supporting growing populations in strategic locations, fostering regenerative practices where livestock grazing and wildlife overlap and promoting healthy protected areas connected by wildlife corridors.

Three young people outdoors looking intently at a handheld electronic device against a backdrop of open land and clear sky.

05.

Documenting our efforts transparently with regular impact assessments and third party audits to provide a template of best practices for conservation-led community development.

Aerial view of a lush, green terraced garden with various plants and small trees separated by dirt pathways.