At Children's Relief International our most valuable assets are our people. We are proud of those who work with us.
Our Partners
Pastor Jeronimo and Noemia Cessito
Jeronimo and Noemia are the directors of the Ray of Light project in Dondo, Mozambique. Jeronimo is the senior pastor of Dondo Baptist Church and the director of the El Shaddai Christian school. Noemia manages the preschools, medical clinic, and Project Life AIDS widow's ministry.
George and Jane Kairie
George and Jane are the directors of the Mayatima Project in Nairobi, Kenya. Almost 10 years ago their family fled their home in Northern Kenya because of a tribal uprising. They saved themselves but lost everything else, including his job as a school principal and hers as a nurse. They moved to their ancestral land in Kikuyu county on the outskirts of Nairobi. There they found numbers of HIV affected orphans with no one to care for them. Today, in partnership with CRI, they manage a child sponsorship program, a farm and a micro-finance program.
Isaiah and Surekha Babu Gottimukkala
Pastor Isaiah and his wife Surekha are the founders of the Rajah Children's Home for orphaned and hardship children in southern India. These children come from the Deep Forest location in the rural areas outside their city.
Our Missionaries
John and Cindy Pieper
The Piepers moved from rural Anamosa, Iowa to serve with us in Dondo, Mozambique. John is in charge of construction at the El Shaddai school. Cindy is a nurse and is a key component of our nutrition program there. jcpmart@netins.net.
Valerie Dorsey
With 30 years of nursing experience, Valerie's primary focus will be within the clinical aspect of the Ray of Light project. She is also considered our resident nurse for CRI staff and visiting teams to Mozambique. A native of New York state, Valerie will reside in Dondo through October 2009.
Carl Califano
Carl is Director of Capital Projects. Recently retired, he will be spending time at our sites helping put into place various aspects of micro-loans, micro-businesses and building projects. He and his wife Paula live in Edmund, OK.
Phil and Pam Johnson
Pam and Phil are retired "Finishers" coming out of First Baptist Church in Powell, Wyoming to serve with us at the Ray of Light Project in Mozambique. Phil leads our Green Door Housing, building homes for those who have none. Pam works with Project Life outreach to widows in the community and their children. She also assists with our child sponsorship program.
Todd and Christa Bush
Todd and his wife Christa, along with their twins, are serving Christ through serving the poor at the Ray of Light project in Mozambique. They are overseeing our internship program, working with Church plant leadership, developing and implementing Bible studies and leadership training for the young men in the community. They are residing in Mozambique through October 2009.
Jason & Lindy Pieratt
As Operational Director Jason and Lindy are involved with management and communication with our national leaders. Within the next two years they will serve for a time at the Ray of Light Project in Mozambique. Lindy is a CPA and Jason's background is in education and educational management. They currently live in Dallas. jason@childrensrelief.org.
Niall & Krystal Burns
Niall is from Ireland and Krystal grew up in Brazil. They now live in Katy, Texas with their two children. They are raising support to take on the role of Project Coordinators. Initially they will focus on leading teams to our King of Kings and Mudpath's ministries in India. They also hope to expand CRI into Eastern Europe.
Our USA Staff
Alan Pieratt
Alan wears two hats. One is his role as founder and president of CRI. The other is his role as Relief Ministries Coordinator with WorldVenture. The partnership between these two organizations is as unique as it is effective. Together they have launched the overseas ministries represented in this web site. You can reach Alan at support@childrensrelief.com
As you can read in the section, A brief history of Children's Relief International, CRI is a young organization, founded in Chicago in March of 2000. Its primary distinctives are a commitment to work with the very poor using indigenous leaders to lead and direct the projects.
WorldVenture, on the other hand, is one of the largest mission sending agencies in the US today with over 500 full time missionaries serving around the globe. Founded in the 1940s, it is known for the quality of its human resources. You can learn more by visiting their web site www.worldventure.org.
Melody Pieratt
Melody oversees missionary and project newsletters, directs the child sponsorship program, and manages short-term team logistics. You can reach her at melody@childrensrelief.org
Sara Pieratt
Sara is our communications assistant and spends most of her time managing newsletter production. Sara lives in Rockwall, Texas with her husband and three daughters. sara@childrensrelief.org
Cyndi Lemmon
Cyndi is our child sponsorship coordinator and handles the many details that go into the program. She and her husband Miles live in Columbia, Missouri. childrelief@mchsi.com
Anita Frederick
Anita comes to us as Ministry Developer after serving as pastor in Chicago for almost 20 years. Growing up in South Africa under the influence of missionary grandparents, she was involved in ministry and mission work from an early age. Anita will help the local church partner with CRI to discover how they can serve the poorest of the poor. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Dave, and three teenagers.
