Leader appointments

Thaddeus Gichana

Thaddeus Gichana | Interim Director, SIM Kenya

Start Date: March 3, 2022

Thaddeus joined the SIM Kenya Area Council in October, 2015 and became Council chair in September, 2018. He took his current role after the death of Country Director Peter Okaalet in February, 2022.

Thaddeus and his wife Lucy attend Christ’s Coworkers Fellowship (Chrisco Church) in Nairobi.

Thaddeus discerned God’s call to mission while a student at Kenyatta University. He joined SIM Kenya as an associate in 2010. A year later, he became the Youth Ministry Coordinator, and then the East Africa Regional Trauma Healing Coordinator in 2016.

Andrew Curry

Andrew Curry | Director, SIM Senegal

Start Date: July 8, 2022

Andrew grew up in a Christian home in the south-west of England. He understood the gospel when he was 15 and decided to follow Christ.

After completing Bible college, Andrew moved to Dakar, Senegal, in 2010 with his wife Helen. Since then, he has worked in SIM’s student centre teaching English and sharing the gospel.

From 2015, he has been part of the SIM Senegal leadership team.

Helen works as a doctor at a local Youth With A Mission (YWAM) clinic, serving the local community. They have two children, Thomas and Esther.

JÉRÔME GYGER

Jérôme Gyger | Director, SIM Switzerland

Start Date: October 1, 2022

Jérôme was born and brought up in a Christian family in the French part of Switzerland. He was involved in his local church at many levels.

After graduating with a Masters in social science, he worked in insurance before going to study at a missionary school in Colombia. He took part in several Christian projects in Madagascar, Mexico and Moldavia.

From 2020 to 2021, he was part of a food security project which was set up to help indigenous women in Bolivia.

He married Katherine, who comes from Ecuador, in 2013 and they have three children.

André Tousch

André Tousch | Director, SIM France-Belgium

Start Date: August 1, 2022

André studied computer and robotics engineering and worked for several years as a systems software engineer before serving with New Tribes Mission.

He and his family moved to Papua New Guinea in 2013. He and the team have been working on the creation of the Iski Orthography and then the translation of the Bible into the Iski language. God also enabled them to plant a church.

They joined SIM in 2020 and relocated to France. André is married to Aurélie, a school teacher, and they have one boy and three girls.

Tatenda Chikwekwe

Tatenda Chikwekwe | Ministry Point Person, Youth and Young Adults

Start Date: July 1, 2022

Tatenda is passionate about entrusting the gospel to the next generation and committed to developing leaders and networks that do God’s work innovatively amongst young people.

Tatenda was born and raised in Zimbabwe. He heard the gospel and placed his faith in Jesus while still in high school.

He has previously served as a youth pastor in a local church and was executive pastor of an international church in Kenya. He now leads youth ministry networks at both a local and continental level from his base in Kenya.

Paul T. Russell

Paul T. Russell | Interim Director, SIM Canada

Start Date: August 1, 2022

Paul was raised in a godly Christian home and made a personal decision to follow Christ at a young age.

Paul joined Africa Evangelical Fellowship (AEF) in 1984 and taught at the Theological College of Central Africa in Zambia. He joined AEF’s home staff as Administrative Director in 1992, where he was responsible for the day to day running of AEF Canada. With the merger of AEF and SIM, Paul became the Director for Member Care and subsequently the Director for Personnel and Deputy Director responsible for Personnel.

Paul is married to Gale and they have two daughters, Sara and Christina, who were born in Zambia.