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Volker Bassen
Founder |
Carey Ngini
Trustee |
Torben Rune
Trustee |
Jan Westin
Trustee |
Jeni Kenyatta
Trustee |
Nimu Njonjo
Manager |
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Volker Bassen, Founder, is originally from Sweden
and has lived on the Kenya coast for 16 years. He is a highly qualified
diver and has opened numerous diving schools along this coast. As
a diving consultant his specialities include marine videography,
technical diving with rebreather equipment, underwater photography
and underwater naturalist research. He is currently running a big-game
fishing club as well as the only recreational parasailing operation
in East Africa. He first decided to found the EAWST in 2001 due to
the increasing amount of whale sharks, recognizing at an early stage
that they needed better protection. Volker has dived with hundreds
of whale sharks and has accumulated an extensive library of underwater
video footage of the sharks as well as other marine life.
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Carey
Ngini, Trustee, is the Executive Director of
a Property Development and Management Company based in Nairobi. Carey
also sits on the Boards of various companies in Kenya involved in
Insurance, Banking and Education. In addition, he has been involved
with several charitable organisations both as part of the Executive
Committee and as a Trustee over the last 11 years.
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Torben
Rune, Trustee, has worked with Southern Cross
Safaris for over 10 years and has vast experience and contacts within
the Kenyan Tourist Industry. Born in 1971 Torben was educated initially
in Kenya and then later on in the UK and South Africa. He has a diploma
in marketing as well as in business management. As a Director of
Southern Cross' marine based Adventure Company Southern cross Scuba,
Torben's experience and knowledge is used to support the EAWST in
its efforts to generate both funds and awareness that is now so urgently
required for the preservation of the whale shark in Kenya. Torben
is also currently a Director and shareholder of Satao Camps Ltd.
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Jan
Westin, Trustee, is a doctor of zoology and the
initiator/creator of Universeum in Gothenburg on the Swedish West
coast. Universeum is a non-profit public aquarium with 3 million
litres of water, a Swedish landscape, a South American rainforest
and a science centre. The establishment opened to the general public
in June 2001 and has about half a million visitors yearly. The purpose
of Universeum is to awaken the visitor’s environmental awareness
and to get young people interested in natural sciences and technology.
The whale shark project is a perfect means of achieving this goal.
The study to reveal the mysteries of these gentle giants engages
researchers from many different fields using high tech equipment
and sophisticated analysing methods.
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Daughter of Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta,
Jeni, Trustee, was born in Kiambu on the outskirts of Nairobi on
9.11.47. She was educated at the Kenya High School and then read
Psychology in the US. She is well-travelled and has contacts all
over the world. She is particularly interested in the Trust’s
education programmes. A mother of 3 she is a conservation enthusiast
and involves herself with other charities and organizations. One
of her current projects is counseling women in prison. A keen sportswoman,
she ran for Kenya in her late teens. She now finds golf and whale
shark watching more pleasurable than running.
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Nimu Njonjo, Manager,
is Kenyan and was educated primarily in England. She is a lawyer
by profession and spent many years practicing criminal law at the
London Bar. She relocated back to Kenya 2 years ago after many years
abroad. She is an enthusiastic diver and a fully qualified PADI diving
instructor. Nimu has involved herself in various charity projects
on her return home and is a trustee of Tumaini Children’s Home.
She runs a dive base and is diving consultant. As the operations
manager, she is setting up the Trust’s projects
and initiating fundraising campaigns.
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Volker Bassen
Founder |
Carey Ngini
Trustee |
Torben Rune
Trustee |
Jan Westin
Trustee |
Jeni Kenyatta
Trustee |
Nimu Njonjo
Manager |
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