The Tiny Lives Foundation (TTLF) is a network of communities and individuals in North America dedicated to supporting the life-saving work of TTL, a non-profit organization based in Mokhotlong, Lesotho. By raising funds, spreading awareness, and providing technical support, TTLF empowers our Basotho partners to continue to provide smart and sustainable local responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Lesotho. We serve as the voice of TTL in North America, sharing the message about the high-impact care that is saving lives, one child at a time.

The foundation’s birth can be traced to a cold, rainy Lesotho night in 2004. A small child, orphaned by AIDS, was left outside in a thunderstorm to die, a desperate move by relatives unable to feed another mouth. Neighbors heard the child’s cries and brought him to Mokhotlong’s social worker. Later that evening, the social worker knocked at the door of former Peace Corps volunteer Ken Storen, asking for help. Ken suggested that he had “better buy some diapers,” and the TTL Safe Home was born.

In the following months, Ken and former Peace Corp volunteer (and now wife), Colleen Dunst, filled a home of children impacted or orphaned by HIV. Ken, Colleen, and a dedicated Basotho staff committed to a vision in solidarity with Lesotho’s families: that every child deserved every chance to survive, regardless of the odds; they committed to providing proper nutrition, medication, and care to make this possible. TTL grew out of a commitment to health in rural Lesotho, by helping one child at a time.

As the Safe Home filled with children and Outreach services grew to care for reintegrated children and those healthy enough to remain with their families, financial support began to flow from Ken’s hometown in the U.S. (Mahopac, New York) and his parent’s church, St. John the Evangelist. After Ken wrote a piece in the Notre Dame Magazine about rural Lesotho’s agricultural and HIV crises, University alumni, supporters, and students mobilized funding and stateside awareness.

One year later, a small group of supporters met in Kansas City to set out a vision for supporting the innovative and committed work in rural Lesotho. The Foundation was created, and gained official non-profit status by the IRS in record time. More than seventeen years later, and with programming having supported over 2,520 children, The Tiny Lives Foundation continues to support the health and well being of the Basotho people – one child at a time.

Board of Directors

TTLF has gathered together a talented board committed to bringing to fulfillment the vision and mission of the foundation. Their backgrounds are diverse; they each give their time and talent freely, without compensation, to successfully implement our work.

Kenneth Storen

Kenneth is the founding father of TTL in Mokhotlong. Ken’s years in Lesotho as a Peace Corps Volunteer led him to open his home to children affected by HIV/AIDS. He was assisted in those early days by his dear friend, and now wife, Colleen.

Colleen Storen

Colleen helped found TTL in Mokhotlong when she was a Peace Corps Volunteer. She was instrumental in building TTL into a stable and thriving organization.

Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC

Fr. Hesburgh was President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame. Before he passed away, he brought a legacy of work in issues of poverty, support for women and children, and human rights in his active role as the Foundation’s Honorary Director. The Hesburgh Initiative, named in honor of his life of service, focuses on efforts within the Foundation’s strategic plan to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Ellen Block, PhD. (Executive Director)

Ellen is a Professor of Anthropology at the College of St. Benedict & St. John’s University in Minnesota. She has been connected to TTL since 2007, when she went to Lesotho as a graduate student. She has lived and worked in Mokhotlong for over two years while conducting research for her book Infected Kin:Orphan Care and AIDS in Lesotho (written with Will McGrath, her husband, and creative non-fiction writer). She has served as advisor to graduate and undergraduate students who wish to do field research at TTL, and has been on the Board since 2015. She took over the position of Executive Director in 2019.

Sheila Block, LLB (Chair)

Sheila is a senior counsel in Canada with extensive non-profit board experience. She has spent considerable time in Lesotho, most recently witnessing TTL’s work with the village health worker program.

Amy Ellingson, MD

Amy is a family doctor in Washington State. A longtime volunteer with TTLF, Amy joined the Board of Directors in 2011 and directs medical volunteers during their travels to Mokhotlong.

Janelle Erickson

Janelle became a board member in 2016. She is a Certified Public Accountant, working as Controller for Comtrol Corporation. Aside from being on the board of TTLF, Janelle also serves as board member and Treasurer of Spero Academy (K-6 charter school).

Carly Partridge

Carly joined the board in 2021. She is a psychotherapist located in Denver, CO.

Kevin Rector

Kevin served as a 2010-11 TTLF Fellow in Lesotho. He is currently a journalist for the Los Angeles Times.

Reid Rector, JD

Reid served as a 2008-09 TTLF Fellow in Lesotho, focusing on organizational strategy. He previously worked for non-profit advocacy organizations the Save Darfur Coalition and Resolve, in Washington, D.C. He currently contributes to TTLF’s fundraising, financial management, and overall strategic direction. Reid is an attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Denver, CO.

Meg Towle, MPH

Meg is a founding member of the foundation. She has worked with the World Health Organization, national governments, and research organizations on maternal and child healthcare delivery. She completed graduate degrees in community health management in the UK as a Marshall Scholar.

Lauren Craft 

Lauren joined the board in 2021. She lives in Oklahoma with her family.

Joanna Garritano-Roger

James Martin, MD

James is a pediatrics doctor in Washington, DC and a graduate of Georgetown Medical School. As a founding pillar of TTL/F, Jamie has worked regularly in Lesotho since 2004.

Conor Rector 

Conor is a Marketing Content Lead at a tech company in San Diego, CA. He helps lead creative strategy, content and campaigns for TTLF.

Michael Roaldi, JD

Michael is the Director of Regulatory Affairs at UnitedHealth Group. A 2005 Notre Dame graduate, Mike previously served as an associate attorney at K&L Gates.

J.T. Arseniadis, CPA

J.T. is a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and assists with the financial management of TTLF.

Howard Block

Howard assists TTLF with database management and finances.

Dan Towle, MD

Dan is a founding member of TTLF and remains deeply committed to the mission of the organization. In addition to being involved with several other charities, he is an anesthesiologist in Kansas.