Geri Manzano

Donor Relations Representative, Global Headquarters

As donor relations representative based in Portland, Geri Manzano talks with supporters every day. In her 11 years with Mercy Corps, she has heard – and answered – every variety of question about the agency’s programs and mission. So Geri was more than ready to make her first visit to the field, meet real beneficiaries and see programs with her own eyes.

In the summer of 2010 Geri had the opportunity to visit a Mercy Corps program in Eldoret, Kenya. She remembered the van ride from Nairobi through the beautiful Rift Valley. “It’s teeming with life,” she recalled, “and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. It was so green, and we saw lots of zebras crossing the road.” That beauty, Geri said, “almost masks the horrendous violence that occurred after the country’s 2007 elections.” Almost – but not quite.

Mercy Corps programs in the Rift Valley are designed to address some of the underlying causes of that violence. The community groups supported by Mercy Corps are working toward the day when a lasting peace replaces it. Geri visited one such program, called LEAP Sports. Working in partnership with Youth Consortium Kenya and Nike, it is changing many young lives.

“When I met Gabriel Gitau,” she recounted, “he was anxious to share how the post-election violence led to the brutal killing of his father – and how his family spent a worried month wondering what had happened to him. The rest of the family had to flee and live in a displacement camp. When they returned home, Gabriel’s mom fell ill and became paralyzed. As the eldest son of four children, Gabriel became the head of household. He works to support his siblings and pay their school fees.”

Geri continued with Gabriel’s story. “He was understandably depressed after the death of his father. He looked and felt sick. His only outlet was football (soccer). Through LEAP, Gabriel played football while receiving training in conflict mitigation and learning about forgiveness. He told me the program gave him strength. It’s amazing – Gabriel is now playing football in a mixed team that includes members of the tribe that killed his father. I have to say, the path Gabriel has taken gives me hope for the future of Kenya.”

Geri had the opportunity to meet with the District Peace Committee, a group of elders who travel a long way from outlying rural areas to participate in dialogues that promote peace. “There’s no public transportation,” she said. “This is a sacrifice they gladly make for the sake of their children and grandchildren.”

“The elders have heard so many heartbreaking stories from people who lived through the post-election violence,” continued Geri. “They have heard women crying because their daughters were raped. With these meetings, they are making a place where people can share these terrible stories. And the elders remind them that no matter what happened, life must go on and that the goal has to be making a better future in Kenya. That’s what I find so moving. That – and what they said to me as I was heading home: “If you remember nothing else, remember our thanks.”