About Us

Structure, Governance, and Management

Constitution

The East Africa Children's Project (EACP) was founded in August 2009 by Pieter Lagaay as an informal initiative supporting projects in East Africa. As public interest grew, the need for a more structured approach became evident, and EACP was formally established as a charitable trust on 8 March 2010. After refining our objectives, we enacted a new Trust Deed on 20 May 2010 and successfully registered as a charity in England and Wales on 14 June 2010.

Objectives and Activities

EACP is led by its trustees, who volunteer their time and are supported by a committed network of volunteers. Trustees maintain regular communication and hold monthly meetings to review and approve project funding.

We take our responsibility to donors seriously, and seek to ensure that every donation is used effectively. To safeguard EACP’s assets and maintain transparency, we:

Conduct thorough checks on potential project partners
Assess all funding requests for risks, feasibility, and alignment with our charitable goals
Monitor the impact of funded initiatives
Require partners to have appropriate Child Safeguarding Policies.

To stay connected with the communities we support, we aim to visit our projects every three years.

Objectives

The charitable objectives of EACP are:

To advance the education of children and adults in East Africa for the benefit of the public through the provision of or the assistance in the provision of education, educational materials and training.
The relief of poverty and the promotion and preservation of good health of children and adults in East Africa, through the provision of or the assistance in the provision of projects designed to improve health and welfare.

Main Activities

The main activity undertaken by EACP in furtherance of these objectives is the support of projects which:

Directly improve the health, welfare and education of disadvantaged children and their families.
Provide training or sustainable livelihoods for young adults and women which directly or indirectly improve the health, welfare and education of disadvantaged children.

Reports and Policies

Our reports and policies may be read and downloaded

As a charitable organization, everyone involved in East Africa Children's Project is dedicated to the same goal: ensuring the basic needs and rights of all the children, staff and families at our projects.

View our Reports and Policies Here

Our People and Partners

EACP is a volunteer-driven organization, and we are proud of the dedicated individuals who make our work possible. Founded by Pieter Lagaay, the organization has grown with the support of volunteers who share a commitment to improving the lives of children in need.

EACP operates under a Trust Deed, which requires a minimum of three trustees, each serving a one-year term. Trustees typically have professional work experience with expertise in education, development, economics, fundraising, communications, and finance. Trustees are re-elected annually by majority vote and receive guidance from the Charities Commission, including resources like The Essential Trustee. We also conduct annual reviews to assess and address ongoing training needs. Our partners and inspirational local leaders work on the ground to achieve real change.

Governance and management

We take our responsibility to donors seriously, and seek to ensure that every donation is used effectively. To safeguard EACP’s assets and maintain transparency, we:

Conduct thorough checks on potential project partners
Assess all funding requests for risks, feasibility, and alignment with our charitable goals
Monitor the impact of funded initiatives
Require partners to have appropriate Child Safeguarding Policies.

To stay connected with the communities we support, we aim to visit our projects every three years.

Trustees and Volunteers

Trustee and Chair

Pieter Lagaay

Pieter founded EACP after years of volunteering with other charities in
Kenya and Tanzania. Through a lifelong career teaching children with
special needs, he is passionate about improving the lives of children and is a lifelong advocate for education. Pieter is based in Brighton and enjoys photography, golf, and fishing, and managing an allotment where he grows his own vegetables. He is married with four adult children.

Trustee and Secretary

Barry Harper

Barry is the charity secretary and supports day-to-day operations,
including fundraising and project management. He is an academic
economist and has held teaching, research, and management posts in
UK and US universities.

Barry has lived in Brighton since 1992 with his wife Jo, and they have two grown-up boys. Barry is a keen tennis player and hillwalker, and likes to cook for friends.

Trustee and School Project Coordinator

Rob Eyre-Brook

Rob joined the trustees in 2025. He has had a career in primary
education, including two headships. He now works part-time as a school improvement advisor, supporting half a dozen primary schools in SW London. Rob is deeply involved in his local community, including serving as a local councillor and chairing a Friends action group for his local park. Rob lives in Surbiton with his wife and has two step-sons, one of whom is on the autistic spectrum. His interests include international and local affairs, education and nature.

Trustee and School Project Coordinator

Tony Conibear

Tony has recently become a Trustee and manages/coordinates our
school projects in Kenya. He is an academic economist who has taught
at several universities both in the UK and abroad. Tony lives in Surbiton
and has three grown-up girls and three grandchildren. In his spare-time he plays tennis and badminton. He likes the theatre and is developing an interest in art history.

Treasurer

John Haile

John’s working life included roles in marketing, print, construction,
packaging, wholesale distribution, accounting software, and concluded with some 20 years as a Chartered Secretary with a global investment banking group. John is married with three daughters and lives at the foot of the Surrey Hills. Retirement includes cycling, bridge, gardening, helping with grandchildren, and volunteering for EACP and two other charities.

Communications and Promotion

Priya Towers

Priya is a digital marketing apprentice with a passion for creative design and online brand building. She’s worked with a variety of brands across fitness, wellness, and creative industries, helping them strengthen their branding and identities. Priya has experience volunteering as an English tutor for GCSE pupils alongside coaching dance for children from 4 to 16 years old. She has also worked as a camp counsellor at a summer sports camp and an activity leader/ English teacher at a English speaking language camp.

Inspirational School and Community Leaders

Our projects are initiated and managed by local leaders working within their communities to achieve real change. By cultivating a sense of ownership and buy-in, as well as promoting accountability and responsibility, our projects seek to achieve sustained local development through education, training, work and health awareness. We are confident that this holistic approach produces sustained long- term benefits.

Our local leaders include:

Joyce Aruga, who with her colleagues, founded Rossholme primary school, located in the Kiambiu slum district of Nairobi. Joyce struggled to complete her primary education due to severe family poverty. She was able to continue her secondary education by living and working as a house girl for a family as child labour. However, the financial struggle of attending school was so great that she again dropped out of school. In 2005 she was accepted by Tumaini Children's Home, who paid all her secondary School fees. Being
a very successful student, she was then sponsored to complete her
school teaching certificate at the Presbyterian Teachers College (Chogoria) in 2009.

After graduating, she taught in 2 schools in Mathare – the second largest slum in Nairobi, and developed into an
inspirational community leader. In 2013, she attended the BBC’s 100 Women Conference in London and after impressing delegates received support to establish Rossholme School in 2016.

Sarah Waithaka who helped found Joy school in 2004 had a very deprived childhood and had to overcome many challenges to complete her
education. As a child she fell into an open fire and had one arm amputated at the elbow. As a determined young woman she qualified as a teacher
and her first post was in a school based in the slums of Nairobi. During these early years she became aware of the desperate need to provide quality
education. With the help of friends, supporters and colleagues she established Joy School, supported by the School Board and the local community.