Meet the Project Possible Team

Meet the Staff

Chris BlackhamCEO
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Chris Blackham

Chris leads our team with over two decades of experience working with Christian charities both internationally and domestically. A significant portion of this was spent in East Africa, and he has lived, worked in, and travelled to over 70 countries worldwide. Chris brings a wealth of cross-cultural insight, experience and connections to our work. Chris’ spark is seeing local communities take control of building their own futures. This is what brought him to Project Possible, helping more Christian-led organisations replicate that transformative impact.
Debbie ThompsonProgrammes Manager
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Debbie Thompson

Debbie works closely with our partners and is responsible for ensuring that our projects are developed in line with Project Possible’s mission. She uses her project management skills to maintain financial accountability and a focus on measuring and evaluating impact. Debbie grew up in Peru and is fluent in Spanish. She has many years’ experience working in Peru in the fields of education, discipleship and micro-enterprise and on her return to the UK she managed a healthcare partnerships programme in sub-Saharan Africa. Her spark comes from her experience of living between Peru and UK. She loves to immerse herself in other people’s worlds and is enthusiastic about building diverse multi-cultural partnerships, strongly committed to creating sustainable opportunities, so that a person can live a dignified life.
Amos OumounabidjiPartnership Manager
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Amos Oumounabidji

Amos works closely with our partners, building strong relationships and coaching them in their project design, delivery and reporting with a focus on achieving sustainable outcomes.
Amos grew up in Chad and is fluent in French and seven Chadian languages. He has many years’ experience working in the fields of Bible Translation, literacy, and community health programmes. He is recognised in the Chadian evangelical church, as a leader with a passion for encouraging local church communities to use local resources to achieve holistic mission. From a young age Amos has a desire that every person has the dignity of self-sufficiency. He cites his mother as being his spark, striving to farm her land and provide for the family with dignity, after his father died when Amos was 5 years old.
Wendy BaxterOperations and Data Manager
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Wendy Baxter

Wendy has been with the charity for over 10 years and as a result knows our supporters very well. She has many years’ prior experience in administration and enjoys applying her skills in running the operational aspects of the charity. Wendy is an expert in detail and her spark is to ensure we are as effective administratively as possible to ensure real and lasting change is brought to those we support. She loves to hear the changes brought about in lives and communities as a result of our work.
Natasha ThomsitFinance Manager
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Natasha Thomsit

Bringing a wealth of experience as a qualified accountant, Natasha ensures that the monies raised are used to achieve long-term sustainability to the projects supported. Natasha’s spark has always been about the individual stories from our partners – someone having an opportunity, being able to do something for the first time, a girl who is given the chance of an education or a woman setting up a business. She is inspired by the bravery of the people supported and is encouraged that playing her part in Project Possible impacts so many lives.
Jess OsbornTrusts and Communications Manager
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Jess Osborn

As our Trusts and Communications Manager, Jess seeks to share the inspiring stories of transformation and raise funds to help continue the impactful work of our international partners. With an educational background in Sociology, her spark is seeing our projects address significant social issues and knowing we are making lasting change in communities across the world. She loves to hear the updates from our partners and knowing her skills are making a difference.
Marina PetrovicCommunications and Individual Giving Coordinator
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Marina Petrovic

Marina supports the Marketing and Fundraising team by helping deliver fundraising campaigns and initiatives that will continue to fund the important work of our international partners. Having lived in four different countries as a refugee, Marina has first-hand experience on how a simple opportunity can significantly change a person’s life for the better. She has several years of experience working as a teacher, and her spark is seeing the power of education transform the lives of disadvantaged people all over the world.
Joanne McMullenProject Coordinator
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Joanne McMullen

Joanne is Project Coordinator supporting Debbie and Amos in the day to day communications with our partners.

After 30 years working in a large corporate / paint company, Joanne wanted to move to an organisation where the primary focus was to make a positive impact in the world and Project Possible has provided this opportunity.

She loves the feeling of connection with people around the world and learning about the wonderful work that our partner organisations and communities are doing.

Meet the Trustees

Jonathan GoldthorpeChair of Trustees
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Jonathan Goldthorpe

Jonathan is a chartered accountant who has worked in the insurance and investment management industry in the city. He has previously been a trustee for a local night shelter and affordable housing charity in his hometown of Ipswich, but having joined Project Possible, he says it’s great to now be part of a wider team that is dedicated to helping others to develop capabilities and to see lives changed around the world. He sees creating sustainable futures and targeting long term needs as such a valuable aim.
Tony HoughtonTrustee
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Tony Houghton

Tony has had a career in marketing and communications and continues to work as an external expert to the European Commission on food promotion programmes. He volunteers for charities including Project Possible, developing prayer resources and providing translation work for partners in Latin America. Along with his wife he writes worship songs. His original spark for the charity was hearing Michael Wood speak, which led to Tony preaching at local churches. His spark now is being part of a team who share the same compassionate heart for Christ by delivering practical support to marginalised individuals and communities. But most of all his spark is to share the love of Christ that he has so freely received.
Kaye LillycropTrustee
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Kaye Lillycrop

Kaye has been a Trustee for 5 years and is a retired G.P. In 2016 she was part of a small group from her church who visited our project in Uganda, working with local farming communities. Kaye found the experience an awesome and humbling one. As well as being a Trustee for Project Possible, Kaye has fundraised for a hospital in Ethiopia. She sees her spark as helping people to ignite their ambitions, alongside nurturing and supporting them on their journey.
Illia DjadiTrustee
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Illia Djadi

Illia is from Niger and is now lives in London with his wife and 2 children. Illia works for Open Doors International as Senior Analyst for Freedom of Religion and Belief in Sub-Saharan Africa.

A writer, radio journalist and researcher, Illia has covered news and human rights issues in Africa for over two decades. Previously, he worked for various international organisations including the BBC World Service. A widely respected Africa Analyst, Illia appears regularly on the BBC, Deutsche Welle, The Washington Post, and Christianity Today, amongst others. Illia has made presentations at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the EU parliament in Brussels and the UK House of Commons. He met with King Charles III to advocate on the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel region.
Andrew PattersonTrustee
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Andrew Patterson

Andrew works for an Anglican church in Chesham in Buckinghamshire. In his previous life he studied and taught at the LSE where he was interested in economic history and development. As part of his current role he is also involved with Christians Against Poverty in his local community that seeks to help individuals and families out of debt. Joining the Project Possible team, he is excited to be involved in an organisation that is people focused and committed to changing lives and futures in different places around the world.
Ruth HamptonTrustee
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Ruth Hampton

Ruth first went to Kenya with the Church Mission Society, aged 18. This led to a number of years working in South Sudan and Uganda, where lasting friendships were made based on a shared Christian faith and mutual respect. Supported by Greyfriars Church in Reading, Ruth and her family returned to Reading, where she worked as a social worker and a trustee of Rural Extension with Africa’s Poor. Having retired in 2024, Ruth welcomes the opportunity to become part of Project Possible and sees her spark as ensuring that in our partnerships we learn from and enrich one another.
Kate ForbesTrustee
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Kate Forbes

Kate is a retired GP who spent six months in Sri Lanka working in a small church-run clinic and later, lived six years between Southampton and Dutywa in the Eastern Cape and Cape Town in South Africa, supporting church projects: Health Education, in rural areas with Village health care workers and in the townships with ex drug addicts. She facilitated an indigenous HIV charity being formed in the Eastern Cape. The relationships formed during this time were life and faith changing, recognising that people have the answers for their communities within their own hearts . Her spark is to see people flourish in this and support them on their journey.