Kaya Welcomes New Board Chair, Rev. John Eggen

This summer, Kaya elected John Eggen as the new Chair of Kaya's Board of Directors. As the new Chair of Kaya’s board, John brings to Kaya a great combination of child advocate, spiritual director, business acumen and a respected leader.  Prior to becoming Chair, John has been a board member since 2009.  John received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska and a Masters of Divinity from Boston University.  He currently serves as the Associate Pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Elkhorn, Nebraska.  Prior to working at Bethany, John served as Associate Pastor and the Director of Mission and Outreach at Sheridan Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE.  During his tenure at Sheridan, their global and local partnerships grew substantially including the development of a maize mill for a partner church in Tanzania and a primary school for a Masai community.

John and his wife, Michelle, first traveled to La Paz in 2003.  They returned in 2004 as Kaya’s first Program Directors.  As such, they developed and implemented the initial structures and systems allowing Kaya to become a formalized organization.  Both shared, and continue to share, a deep love and commitment to not only street children but their successful transition from the street, understanding of God’s love for them and true life transformation.

After 3 years, John and Michelle left La Paz a very different organization with a comprehensive program to serve hundreds of children annually.

Read more of John's thoughts on Kaya on our blog.

Kaya would like to express its deep gratitude to Dr. Chi Huang for serving as the Chair of Kaya's Board of Director's from its very beginning to 2012. Chi provided steady leadership with a great sense of humor through many of Kaya’s significant changed.  We (the staff, board members, mothers, fathers, children, young adults and countless others) are thankful for his initial dreams, vision and commitment.  Chi, as Kaya’s founder, will continue to speak on Kaya’s behalf and advocate for the street children and children at extreme high risk in Bolivia because as he said, over 6 years ago, “To know the street children is to have one’s life transformed.”