About Maisha Mema

Jonny Mydland (born 1963) is a Director. He is a theologian, and worked as a Pastor in the Blue Cross in Stavanger, Norway for 6 years. During this period, he engaged in international work, and was half a year in Kenya as a consultant for the Norwegian organisation Stromme Foundation.  From April 1997, he has lived in Kenya, and Klepp Frikirke in Norway is the sending congregation. He is married to

Marianne Haldimann Mydland (born 1966), also a Director.  She has her education within sales- and business administration, and worked in a store for some time.  During the period January 1990 to June 1995, she was working with Covenant Players, an international, Christian drama ministry, and was in East Africa for 4 years.

In April 1999, Marianne came to Kenya to work with Jonny, and in June 2000, they got married. Evangelisches Gemeinschaftswerk in Ostermundigen, Bern in Switzerland, is the sending congregation for her.

Until today, both Marianne and Jonny work without salary from the organisation.  Personal sponsors and support from the churches back home contributes to their stay in Nairobi.  The project has no employed accountant, as Marianne and Jonny do this themselves in order to save money for the organisation and let even more money go towards the children. The administrative costs are therefore next to non-existent, and the sponsors for the children have a guarantee that all the money they give really benefits the children!  We are proud of this guarantee!


Pål Albro (born 1962).  Social economist, has worked with different projects in Eastern Africa.  He was a teacher in Norway for 15 years, but has now dedicated his life to fight against drugs. He is currently employed as a consultant for Askøy community in Norway, planning the socio-medical treatment of young people with drug problems, and starting work-groups for young drug addicts.  He became involved with Maisha Mema in 2000, and has three times been taking a Norwegian drug addicted youth with him to Kenya for 6 months every 2 years. Pål is Maisha Mema’s contact person in the Bergen area of Norway. Several schools now have Maisha Mema as their solidarity project through Pål. Together, they constitute a significantly large part of Maisha Mema’s budget.


Beatrice Friedrich is the leader of the official support group for Maisha Mema in Switzerland, called MASEMI Schweiz. Please refer to the site Vorstand Schweiz for a presentation of the group and further information.