Where Legacy Meets Hope
KISIMA Wellness & Empowerment Foundation was inspired by a legacy of service that began decades ago in Lanet, Kenya.
Twenty six years ago, the founder's parents, the late Mr. Peter Nganga Mbugua and Mrs. Ruthmary Waithira Mbugua, established a small school to provide educational opportunities for girls, orphans, and vulnerable children who otherwise might never have attended school.
Today, that same property is being transformed into the KISIMA Wellness & Empowerment Center — a community hub where families can access clean water, maternal and child wellness services, caregiver support, and opportunities for empowerment.
"KISIMA," the Swahili word for "well," represents far more than water. It symbolizes hope, renewal, dignity, and a lasting investment in community.
Nakuru County, Where Every Community Thrives
We envision a County where every community has access to clean water, compassionate healthcare, educational opportunity, and the resources needed to flourish. We believe empowered mothers, healthy children, and resilient communities create a stronger future for generations to come.
To Be the Well That Never Runs Dry
KISIMA exists to improve access to clean water, maternal and child wellbeing, education, and community empowerment by partnering with local communities to develop sustainable, community-led solutions that create lasting impact.
KISIMA Wellness & Empowerment Center
The first initiative of the KISIMA Wellness & Empowerment Foundation is the transformation of a former community school in Lanet, Nakuru County, Kenya, into the KISIMA Wellness & Empowerment Center — a place where hope, healing, and opportunity come together to strengthen families and communities.
Inspired by a legacy of education and service established by the founder's parents, the center will become a welcoming community hub where mothers, children, and families can access essential resources while building healthier, more resilient futures.
Our phased approach begins with the community's most immediate needs and expands over time through sustainable, community-led development.
Our first initiative will provide:
Community Water Access
Providing clean, reliable water through a community borehole and regular Community Water Days.
Maternal & Child Wellbeing
Supporting mothers, infants, and caregivers through wellness education, counseling, and community-based maternal and child health services.
Caregiver Support & Family Resilience
Equipping families with practical knowledge, emotional support, and resources that strengthen health and wellbeing.
Education & Skills Development
Creating opportunities for learning, vocational training, and economic empowerment, particularly for young mothers.
Kenya–U.S. Learning Partnerships
Building collaborations with universities, schools, researchers, and volunteers to foster innovation, service, and cross-cultural learning.
Just as a well nourishes a community, our values are the foundation from which every KISIMA initiative flows.
Our Core Values
Everything we do is guided by four principles that shape our decisions, our partnerships, and our commitment to the communities we serve.
Dignity
Every person deserves to be treated with compassion, respect, and dignity. We design every program to honor the strengths, voices, and lived experiences of the individuals and communities we serve.
Community Partnership
We believe lasting change happens with communities, not to communities. By listening first, building trust, and working alongside local leaders, we create solutions that are sustainable and locally owned.
Empowerment
Our goal is not simply to provide services, but to create opportunities. Through education, skills development, and access to essential resources, we help individuals and families build healthier, more resilient futures.
Stewardship
We are committed to using every resource with integrity, transparency, and accountability. We honor the trust of our donors, partners, volunteers, and the communities we serve by ensuring that every investment creates meaningful and lasting impact.
"We are not building a charity. We are building a movement of wellness."
Meet Our Founding Team
KISIMA is led by a passionate team of individuals who have dedicated themselves to community wellness and empowerment in Kenya. Our team will be introduced here as the foundation grows.
Nyambura Mbugua-Daisley, PhD, MPH, MBA
For more than twenty years, Nyambura Mbugua-Daisley has dedicated her career to improving the health and wellbeing of underserved communities through health equity, public health, research, and community partnerships.
KISIMA was born from both professional experience and personal legacy. Inspired by the school her parents founded in Lanet, Kenya, Nyambura envisioned transforming that same property into a place where families could access clean water, maternal and child wellness services, education, and opportunities for empowerment.
Today, she combines her experience in public health, community engagement, and international development with a lifelong passion for service to help build healthier, stronger communities — one well, one family, and one generation at a time.
"My hope is that KISIMA becomes more than a place — it becomes a well of hope where every mother feels supported, every child has the opportunity to thrive, and every community is empowered to build its own future."
Jill K. Piasecki
Director of Strategic Partnerships & Philanthropy
Over the four years that their daughters attended high school together, Jill Piasecki and Nyambura Mbugua-Daisley developed a friendship bonding over their passion for service.
Jill and her family founded the non-profit Operation YOJ, whose mission is to spread love and joy to children around the world with a focus on medical mission trips. Through countless interactions, Jill and Nyambura have talked often about the potential in Lanet, Nakuru County and Jill has had a strong desire to be involved since meeting Nyambura.
There are clear intersections between KISIMA and Operation YOJ, starting with the same underlying mission of spreading love and joy. Jill brings a background in healthcare consulting, healthcare administration and non-profit mission organizations and is excited to help support the development of KISIMA. Jill also hopes to bring groups of people through Operation YOJ to serve on mission trips at KISIMA.
"I love that KISIMA starts by filling the dire need for fresh water with a well. Then they'll build relationships, community and trust by providing water. Once those are established, the opportunities to help people are endless."
Murathimeningai N.E. Daisley
Global Youth Ambassador
Murathimeningai Daisley is an incoming student at the University of Pennsylvania and the 2026 Lorant Fellow at Phillips Academy Andover. As part of this prestigious fellowship, she designed and led an independent service project in Kenya focused on women's empowerment, maternal well-being, and community development.
Working alongside young mothers, local organizations, schools, health advocates, and community leaders in Nakuru and Nairobi, she witnessed firsthand the resilience of women and families, as well as the interconnected challenges of healthcare, clean water, education, and economic opportunity. Those experiences helped shape the vision for KISIMA Wellness & Empowerment Center and inspired her to co-found the organization alongside her mother, Dr. Nyambura Mbugua-Daisley.
Together, they envision KISIMA as more than a wellness center. They see it as a place where mothers are empowered, children can thrive, families have access to clean water and compassionate care, and communities are equipped to build lasting change from within.
Beyond her work in Kenya, Murathimeningai has remained committed to serving others through refugee support initiatives, mentoring children, tutoring students, and youth leadership. These experiences have reinforced her belief that meaningful change begins by listening, building relationships rooted in trust, and investing in the strengths that already exist within communities. As she continues her education, she hopes to dedicate her career to advancing equitable health systems and developing community-centered solutions that expand opportunities for women, children, and underserved populations.
"For me, KISIMA represents the belief that every community already possesses extraordinary strength. Our role is not to bring solutions from the outside, but to invest in that strength, creating opportunities where families can flourish, young mothers can thrive, and every child has the chance to grow with dignity, hope, and possibility."
Devin O'Reilly
Director of Global Youth Engagement
For more than a decade, Devin O'Reilly has devoted his work to the growth and formation of young people through athletics, wellness, leadership, residential life, advising, and service. At Phillips Academy Andover, he has helped design and lead programs that support students beyond performance or achievement, encouraging them to develop purpose, confidence, compassion, discipline, and a sense of responsibility to others.
His work has included leading student programming, coordinating student enrichment experiences, mentoring young leaders, supporting wellness education, and creating opportunities for students to form meaningful connections.
Devin's vision for KISIMA global youth engagement is grounded in the belief that meaningful learning begins when young people step beyond the familiar. When young adults listen with curiosity, enter communities with humility, and build relationships rooted in respect and trust, they begin to understand service not as charity, but as shared humanity. Through KISIMA, Devin hopes to help develop programs that connect young people across cultures and form thoughtful leaders shaped by hope, dignity, and empowerment — leaders who recognize the strength within others, the responsibility within themselves, and the call to use their gifts for lasting good.
"KISIMA is about life. It is about what happens when care, love, and opportunity are poured into a community like water into soil. Water does not force the flower to grow; it creates the conditions for what is already there to rise, take root, and flourish. So, it is with KISIMA. It is not only a center. It is a source, a place where life can flow, people can grow, and the fruits of love, wellness, and possibility can be seen for generations."
TBD
Ready to Be Part of This Story?
Whether you give, partner, or simply spread the word — you are part of KISIMA. Every action fills the well a little more.