The World Ethic Forum is a living organism, continuously evolving. This extends to our Firekeeper circle. It is our great pleasure to welcome six new members to the core body that holds our inquiry.
Our new Firekeepers will no doubt contribute to the richness and diversity of the circle. Their professional and personal engagements stretch across academia, community development, leadership, business, agriculture, and technology, with lives that span across continents, and a firm commitment to radically shared aliveness.
Astrid Leyssens is the founder of We Are Impact Collective, where she drives system change through sustainable impact investing and strategy. Born and based in Belgium, she brings broad experience in both private equity and family offices, advising companies, private banks, families and high net worth individuals on integrating social and environmental value into their long-term strategies. A seasoned board member, investor and mentor, Astrid excels in guiding people and organisations through complex challenges while fostering inner reflection, innovation and societal impact – exploring how financial decisions reflect and manifest our relationships with each other and with the broader ecosystem.
Hassan Koki is a humanitarian and emerging social entrepreneur advancing community-driven climate solutions on the African continent. He has led initiatives ranging from large-scale tree planting and waste management campaigns to behavior change and mental wellbeing programs linked to environmental health. Attuned to the resonance between sectors and scales, his work spans technology, environmental sustainability and social wellbeing, championing inclusive approaches that empower vulnerable communities. Hassan has earned international recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International, Climate Reality Leader, Community Engagement Exchange Fellow sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, PARTICIPATE International Seminar Awardee and Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice Fellow. He currently serves as the National Youth Vice Chairperson of the Kenya Red Cross Society and President of the Rotaract Club of Karura 2026 – 2027. He is also a Youth:Present representative with the World Future council. Meanwhile, at the local level, his grassroots efforts in Nairobi have mobilized hundreds of young people, strengthened sustainable waste practices in informal settlements and expanded climate education through school based eco clubs and community dialogues. Across his work, Hassan’s focus is to deepen connections between people, ecosystems and place.
Dr. Karambu Ringera is a regenerative development leader working at the intersection of peace-building, women’s rights, poverty eradication, community empowerment, grassroots organising, health campaigning and food sovereignty. Born and raised in Kenya, she studied intercultural communication, Media and Theology in the US and South Africa. Bridging academia and practice, Karambu now teaches at the University of Nairobi while leading place-based development initiatives in Meru, Kenya. Her initiatives combine food forests, leadership education for peace and community homes for orphans and vulnerable children, weaving webs of kinship among humans and the more-than-human – anchored in a groundbreaking regenerative transformation model redefining what development looks like in Africa. She brings deep field experience and a grounded belief that lasting change starts from the inside out.
Dr. Naveen Shamsudhin is a social artist, community builder, poet, technologist, and is passionate about creating transdisciplinary spaces for inner and systems transformation. He is the co-founder of Kaleido Retreat, Humane Warriors, The Origin AG and the Institute of Body Energetics. He is a highly cited researcher and was a lecturer for robotics at ETH Zurich. His experience of working across sectors and living in diverse cultural landscapes across India, the Middle East, and Europe, contextualises and queers his praxis. Naveen’s current transdisciplinary research practice centers around embodied decoloniality and love. From technology to the living world, from shamanism to plant cell growth, from Asia to Europe, Naveen’s work extends a rich web of kinship across realms and disciplines.
Nyakio Kaniu-Lake is a visionary ecofeminist and anti-abuse activist stewarding souls and land through programs, organisations and practices that combine permaculture design and mental health therapy. Nyakio grew up in Naivasha, Kenya and now shares her time between Kenya and Kansas. She has a BS in Business Management, an MS in Counseling Psychology, and certificates in many practices associated to Permaculture and Ecovillage Design. She was a member of the 2015 Women Leaders of the World Class and is an alumni of the Global Women Leaders Network. In 2014, Nyakio founded Agatha Amani House, a shelter in Kenya for women and their children who are victims of sexual and domestic violence. She is now guiding its evolution into a matriarchal ecovillage. Nyakio is also the Founder and Executive Director of Empowering Minds International, a 501(c)3 non-profit organisation that offers support for domestic violence shelters and mental health services for the marginalised in Kenyan communities. In 2018 she was recognised by Avila University and awarded the Alumni Service Award for humanitarian service. She is fulfilled when she serves and helps other human beings live a peaceful, loving and abundant life.
Sikhetiwe Mlotsha is a reflective steward embedded in Kufunda Village, Zimbabwe. Founded in 2001, Kufunda is a place guided by the principle of ‘living the future we want today’, from biodynamic farming that grows food in harmony with Earth and the cosmos, to the Waldorf School, where children are nurtured in ways that honor their full being and encourage them to grow with respect for the wider web of life. For two decades, as a practitioner of Art of Hosting and inspired by Earth jurisprudence, Sikhetiwe has been leading a collective inquiry into how people can be more fully alive together. Central to this inquiry is her dedicated work with women; she facilitates sacred women’s circles where participants co-create safe spaces for deep healing, shared learning, and the cultivation of a resilient sisterhood. The practices she fosters combine deep listening, storytelling, Circle processes, ancestral traditions, and honouring the Earth, all in the service of an extended web of life. At Kufunda and in her wider engagements, she has witnessed how communities can be transformed when they learn to care not only for one another, but also for the Earth to which they belong.