Akki & Allison EL-Kaakour
Hello! We are the Elks, and we would like to introduce ourselves and give you a brief background on how we got to where we are and what our work entails.

We have been working as “the Elks” in Eswatini since 2012 and have two children, Annabel and Amaya.
Allison El-Kaakour, formerly Smith, came to Eswatini in 2007 to be a teacher at the Bulembu Pre-Primary School. In 2008, she began pastoring the youth group at the Bulembu Community Church, as well as teaching. She found her passion in youth ministry and teaching the children of Bulembu. In 2010, Bulembu opened up Royal Rangers, and Allison was part of a small cohort of leaders who helped get the very large outpost started. Within a few months, Allison was put in charge of pioneering and building the new ministry. With very little skill in scouting but a whole lot of heart, and amazing mentors in Cape Town who walked alongside her during the first few years, along with a team of dedicated young leaders, the ministry thrived and became a blessing to the children of the Bulembu Community.
Ahmad El-Kaakour moved to Cape Town, South Africa, in 2011 to volunteer under the Royal Rangers National Directors, Tammy and Gerhard Uys, for six months. During his time volunteering, the team from Cape Town made the long drive to Bulembu, Swaziland, to help run children’s camps. Upon driving into Bulembu for the first time, Ahmad felt the Lord calling him to this small town. During the six weeks they were in Bulembu, the Lord stirred Ahmad’s heart, and he applied for a job in Bulembu. Alongside that, he met Allison, an American missionary, and a relationship quickly developed. Ahmad moved to Bulembu in October 2012 to teach and work alongside Allison in running the Royal Rangers and youth ministry.

In 2013, we were married! At that point, we left teaching at the school and focused solely on youth pastoring and running Royal Rangers. In 2016, Annabel Grace was born, and shortly after, in 2017, Amaya Hope entered the world. Both girls are adventurous, kind, and love the outdoors and animals. They are avid Royal Rangers and love to accompany us on camps and planting new outposts.
In 2023, we knew the Lord was calling us further into Eswatini to partner with other pastors, leaders, and organizations in the holistic development of children and youth. We successfully handed over the Bulembu Ranger Ministry in 2024 to a dynamite group of young leaders and have since opened a not-for-profit called Anvil Ministries and relocated to the capital city of Mbabane.
We now focus on training churches, planting Ranger outposts, and providing leadership training nationwide.
