Heather Alicia Knox
Heather is the Co-Founder of Project Somos, along with her husband, Greg Kemp. She founded Compassion Fruit Society in 2002 after spending time travelling and volunteering in India with her teenage daughter, Meg. Heather has committed the rest of her life to providing better opportunities to vulnerable children and their families.
Heather has worked as a doula, childbirth educator, infant massage instructor, homeschooling consultant, special events organizer, homeopath, entrepreneur and held many roles at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival (Volunteer Coordinator, Board Member, Community Development Manager, green room host, etc.). She is a photographer with a focus on documentary and portraitraiture. In recent years, Heather has taken up digital storytelling and feels honoured when she gets to help someone tell their personal stories. She is a lifelong learner who can always be found studying something.
Heather and Greg have rescued and found homes for over 25 dogs since moving to Guatemala in 2011. They have three brown dogs of their own; Janga, Olee and Xoxo. She loves preparing food for those she loves and she really enjoys cooking with children. In Latin America, Heather uses her middle name, Alicia, which is SO much easier for Spanish speakers to say than “Heather”.
Greg Kemp
Greg is the Co-Founder and Executive Director on the ground in Guatemala as well as being a director of Compassion Fruit Society. He arrived in February 2011 to break ground and oversee the construction with the local team. It is a plus that he is bilingual and has previous knowledge of construction.
His lifelong interest in creating harmonious, efficient, and beautiful spaces for living led Greg to run successful renovation businesses in Canada, specializing first in heritage homes and later in high-end bathrooms and kitchens. With his care for the environment and an ability to discover creative solutions to structural and design problems, he has been the driving force behind Project Somos’ unique and solid eco-sustainable construction.