Team – The Janna Foundation

Hannah Brook – Founder & CEO

I was raised in a small rural community in Cornwall, the daughter of a vicar and a teacher. I studied music at university in London, lived in the south for a bit over a decade, and have now lived in the north of England for over a decade.

In 2014 I began sponsoring a little boy in Nairobi, Kenya, after hearing about the work of Compassion UK, and a couple of months later we sponsored another little boy – the same age as my eldest son. (A year later a sponsored girl also became part of the family.) I had ‘met’ a wonderful man called Evanson Njeru who ran a charity in Nairobi, Compassion CBO (unrelated to Compassion International and Compassion UK). He had set up a school in one of its slums (he was the headmaster) and also ran numerous other projects as part of the charity. I soon realised that he was the most selfless man I had ever met, which remains the case to this day.

I remained in touch with Evanson over the years and during Lockdown 2020 my boys and I wanted to help him help the children in his school, during what was a most difficult period. Little did I know the path that I was now on. Within five weeks The Janna Foundation was born – named in honour of the little girl who was my inspiration: God’s gracious gift. I met all three of The Janna Foundation’s original trustees in church, soon after arriving up north in 2013. They are all very loving, compassionate and wise individuals and I am so grateful to them for coming on board this incredible journey that God has set us on. We have been lucky enough to have been joined by another trustee recently: a friend who has been a supporter of the foundation since the very beginning.

I am committed to ‘seeing the one’ – as Mother Teresa said – and feel incredibly blessed that I have been welcomed into the lives and hearts of some very special children and families in Kenya.

Evanson Njeru – Compassion CBO Director

June 2002 is the time I came to the slum. I was working as missionary in Western part of Kenya but when I came to slum found the condition of children I resigned and decided to see what I can do for them.

In 2005 I started Compassion CBO School and gave it a name Greener Life. Priscillah joined me as a volunteer teacher and we married same year.

In 2006 I invited Compassion International and they partnered with the church I was attending then. I worked for them 3 years as a project member. I lived in the slum until 2011. We lived in a 2 metres by 2 metres shanty.

We now live 3 kilometers away. I go to the slum every day.

Jean Burston – Trustee

I was born in a small village in Saddleworth which had a strong community spirit where people looked out for one another. Church was an important part of my life, as it is now, and, as a teenager, I became a Sunday School teacher. This made me realise that I really had a heart for working with children which led me to choose a career in teaching and eventually I became a Headteacher. My other passion was music and I met my husband in a musical show and we now have three grown up children – two boys and a girl.

In 2010 we went for a holiday to South Africa and visited a township there which had a profound impact on me. As a family we decided to support three children through Compassion and I also support a Granny through the Winnie Mombasa charity. Consequently, I am delighted and privileged to be part of the Janna Foundation to support its valuable work in Kenya.

Andy Perry – Trustee

Africa and, in particular, Kenya has formed a backdrop to my married life, where various carvings and other items can be found around our own home and the homes of my in-laws. The reason for this is that my wife and her siblings lived with their parents in Kenya for around 14 years during the 1960/70s. My wife’s parents were missionaries, selling Christian literature in east Kenya over that time. In addition we currently have two sponsored children in Uganda and Rwanda respectively so the opportunity to make even stronger connections with Kenya in particular and to help individuals and families to both be blessed and in turn become a blessing to others was something not to missed.

I have four step-children from my marriage and a granddaughter who came along in 2018. I’m a long standing Civil Servant and worked for DWP in various managerial roles. I have also led worship in a number of different settings since around 1995 (including on a number of mission trips to Romania) and it was through worship that I met Hannah, the driving force behind The Janna Foundation. I’m very much looking forward to working with Hannah and the other trustees and am excited for what the the future may hold, as the charity looks to support families living in Kenya in difficult circumstances and provide what we would consider the basics of life.

Kate Avery-Lofthouse – Trustee

I’m Kate, and I live with my wife, Sian, and two cats, Jess and Oswald. I spend an inordinate amount of time running around fields playing rugby, football and cricket (and this year had a dabble in American football too); and I am also a keen arts and craft-er, currently working on my macrame and watercolour skills. I am a Christian, and although I no longer live near my home church, I still make every effort to attend services there, sometimes online, and try to do my bit for them by serving tea and coffee to the parishioners when I can.

I work for the National Crime Agency as a senior intelligence officer within the child sexual exploitation world. A hard but thoroughly rewarding job, and one which I will chew your ear off about given half a chance.

I have been a supporter of the Janna Foundation since its conception, but have only recently come on board as a trustee. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in and doing that bit extra to help.