child and I were both wanted."
Global Development Project (GDP) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit with operational leadership in Nairobi, Kenya, and headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida. We are not a relief agency that parachutes in — we live alongside Kenya’s most vulnerable communities, building institutions designed to outlast us.
Our leadership team has worked together for more than 35 years, a rare continuity that builds deep cultural understanding, long-term local trust, and the kind of institutional knowledge that transforms short-term aid into permanent change.
In 2026, the Kenyan government formally recognized GDP as a registered NGO under the name Global Hearts Without Borders Network — a landmark milestone that grants broader access, national legitimacy, and a permanently expanded runway for our mission across East Africa.
EIN: 93-1730164 · View our financial reports →
Our history
From a small band of committed people in 1991 to a Candid Platinum-rated institution serving East Africa today.
Our work
Six interlocking programs — each one addressing a different dimension of vulnerability in Kenya’s most underserved communities.
Three partner homes and a specialized therapy center for children with special needs — providing food, healthcare, education, and trained caregiving for approximately 590 children.
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East Africa’s first trauma-informed, self-sustaining campus for girls fleeing gender-based violence, forced marriage, and trafficking — opened March 2025. Over 2,000 girls remain on the waiting list.
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Drilling wells, installing solar-powered pumps, and maintaining water infrastructure in drought-affected regions — giving 2,000+ people safe, daily access to clean water.
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5,500+ women annually through trauma recovery, financial literacy, entrepreneurship training, and round-the-clock crisis support — plus a 100,000 sq ft multi-complex center under construction.
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The Evelyn S. Weatherspoon Scholarship Fund — supporting Kenyan students from communities like Nairobi’s Mathare into secondary school, vocational training, and university.
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Crisis response for widows and families in Nairobi’s informal settlements, plus 12 youth leadership centers across Kenya developing the next generation of community leaders.
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From feeding programs that doubled attendance at rural schools, to scholarships that sent Mercy from Mathare into medical training — our work is measured in transformed lives. These stories are why we continue to show up, season after season.
“Some places carry a weight that words struggle to hold — the kind of poverty that is generational, the kind of hopelessness that has been passed down like an inheritance nobody asked for. Those are exactly the places we go. GDP and Global Hearts Without Borders Network don’t measure success by what is easy to photograph or easy to explain. We measure it in the grandmother who finally has clean water, the teenager who now has a trade, the community that looked up one day and realized it no longer needed rescuing. That kind of change doesn’t happen from a distance. It happens because someone showed up, rolled up their sleeves, and refused to leave until something real was built. You made that possible. You still do.”
In 2026, the Kenyan government formally named and recognized the Global Development Project as a registered Non-Governmental Organization operating in Kenya. This is one of the most significant milestones in GDP’s 35-year history.
The official recognition comes under the name Global Hearts Without Borders Network — GDP’s sister organization operating directly under the GDP banner. Nothing changes about GDP’s mission, leadership, or programs. What changes is reach. Legitimacy. Access. And a permanent declaration that GDP is not a visiting charity — it is officially, nationally, and permanently planted in Kenya.
“GDP is not just a charity passing through Kenya. GDP is not visitors with good intentions. GDP is recognized, registered, and permanently planted in the nation. Officially. Nationally. Permanently.”
— Michael Wright, Co-founder, May 2026 NewsletterMore details on the NGO recognition and what it means for GDP’s future will be published in the June 2026 Newsletter. Subscribe to field updates →
Priority funding 2026
These are GDP’s most urgent capital needs this year. Each project has a clear scope, a specific cost, and a direct, measurable impact on hundreds of children and families. We publish these numbers openly because we believe donors deserve to know exactly what their money builds. Major gift donors and foundations: contact us to discuss naming opportunities and designated gifts.
100% of your gift goes directly to programs in Kenya · Candid Platinum 2026 verified · Tax-deductible 501(c)(3)
Leadership
Michael has led GDP’s vision and operations since co-founding the organization in 1991 alongside his family. He oversees all field programs, strategic partnerships, and the long-term development of GDP’s East Africa presence, traveling to Kenya regularly to maintain direct community relationships built over three decades.
Eric manages day-to-day operations on the ground in Kenya — overseeing project implementation, community relationships, construction timelines, and the ongoing expansion of the St. Rita Evergreen Girls School campus in Nyahururu. His three decades of field presence make him one of GDP’s most trusted voices in Kenya.
Patricia co-founded GDP and leads its women’s empowerment programming — overseeing trauma recovery, vocational training, the Intercontinental Women’s Development Conferences, and the 100,000 sq ft women’s center under construction. Her advocacy for Kenya’s most vulnerable women has directly shaped the lives of more than 5,500 women annually.
A practicing physician and certified trauma specialist, Dr. Anthony developed GDP’s trauma-informed care framework — now deployed at St. Rita and across GDP’s women’s centers. She leads staff training, beneficiary counseling, and the clinical design of GDP’s emerging therapy center for children with special needs.
Jocelyne coordinates GDP’s international supply chains, medical and educational shipments, volunteer missions trip logistics, and donor communications — bridging the organization’s US and Kenya operations. Her background in international business ensures that every delivery reaches the right community at the right time.
Greg oversees all of GDP’s construction and infrastructure projects — from borehole drilling and solar pump installation to the St. Rita campus buildout and community center construction across Kenya. His engineering expertise has directly enabled the design of sustainable, climate-resilient facilities built to serve communities for decades.
Yira, born in Managua, the vibrant capital of Nicaragua, brings a wealth of expertise and international perspective to our financial accounting and advising team.
She combines her extensive knowledge in financial accounting with a deep-rooted faith and a genuine passion for helping others achieve their financial goals.
Stories of hope
From Mercy in Mathare to the young mother at St. Rita — every program exists because of a real person with a real name. Read their stories.
Before GDP drilled the well, women walked 4 miles each way for water that made their children sick. Today, 340 families have safe water at their doorstep.
Read the full story →
The Evelyn S. Weatherspoon Scholarship Fund gave Mercy from one of Nairobi’s most challenging communities the chance no one else offered her.
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A young mother arrived at St. Rita in 2025 with her infant, fleeing violence. Today, both she and her child receive trauma-informed care, education, and hope.
Read the full story →Accountability
GDP publishes annual financial reports on this website — open to any donor, partner, or member of the public. We also undergo voluntary third-party audits to verify our financial stewardship. View reports →
Every donor who provides an email address receives a monthly impact update — with photos, project progress, and specific outcomes tied to their giving period. You’ll always know what your gift did.
Every GDP project includes vocational training, income-generating activities, and local partnerships so communities maintain services after initial implementation. We build to last — not to be needed forever.