Dr. Miriam Farai Siwela: Founding Trustee and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Siwela is the CEO of Teach For Zimbabwe. Dr. Miriam Farai Siwela (nee Jabangwe) was born in rural Mashonaland East in Zimbabwe. She holds a Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Management from the University of South Africa [UNISA]. She received a full scholarship from UNISA to study for her Ph.D. [2017].  She holds a Master’s Degree in Education (cum laude) [UNISA], a Post Graduate Tertiary Diploma in Education [UNISA], and a BSc in Economic honors degree [University of Zimbabwe 1986 – 88]. Dr. Siwela studied in Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. She speaks three languages fluently: English, Shona, and Ndebele/Zulu. She has a limited understanding of French. Dr. Siwela has worked in the government and private sector since 1989 as a Teacher, Senior Economist, Market Adviser/Consultant before embarking on a new career path as a professional educator and mixed methods researcher from 2002. Dr. Siwela has participated in a number of local, regional, and international conferences to promote the development of innovative solutions to the current ‘crisis in primary and secondary education’ in Zimbabwe and Africa. Dr. Siwela has received a number of University of South Africa (UNISA) academic research prizes, which present papers, not just in South Africa but in Brazil in South America, Pune, and New Dehli, India, and Ethiopia. As a rural-born woman, Dr. Siwela is a passionate social entrepreneur, researcher, and educator, and has been a director in a number of organizations focused on addressing educational challenges facing rural learners and communities.

Kundai Miriam Nyachowe- Founding Trustee

Kundai joined Teach For Zimbabwe in 2018 as one of its founding trustees. She began her career with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in 1989 where she was involved in foreign currency allocation to industry and commerce. An Economist by profession, she has for over 25 years been promoting the inclusion of disadvantaged individuals and communities in Southern Africa including Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique. Kundai has worked in government, international development organizations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and in the Real Estate Sector. She specialized in financial management, monitoring, and evaluation of donor-funded projects, to ensure ethical and equitable distribution of scarce resources. Kundai strongly subscribes to the notion that education should equip students with the skills to think critically and to be open to different ways of thinking and behavior. She obtained her B.Sc. Economics Honours Degree from the University of Zimbabwe, a Diploma in Project Planning and Management from the Christian College of Southern Africa (CCOSA) and proceeded to obtain an Executive Master of Business Administration Degree (EMBA) with the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) of Tanzania. She is currently working in real estate as a Property Development and Management Consultant with a special focus on managing investment properties.

Rudo Javangwe- Founding Trustee

Rudo has held various middle and senior management roles with over 25years of experience in sales and marketing and has exceptional exposure to development work. She has been a manager and a leader in almost 20 of those years. Currently, she is a trustee at Teach For All and at the same time managing a housing start-up project. She has experience in the field of NGO’s as she once worked from Higher Life Foundation as the Managing Director for Christian Community Partnership Trust from 2010 to December 2013. She is also a former Executive Director of Marketing and Communication for the Higher Life Foundation from January 2014 to July 2015. Rudo also worked as Head of Marketing for OK Zimbabwe. In addition to the posts mentioned above, she also served as the Regional Trade Marketing head for a Tobacco Company based in Botswana as well as a Chairperson for Zoom Advertising. In the years 1990-91, she was the Marketing Assistant at Lyons Brooke Bond head office.  Prior to that, she had in earlier years worked at Unilever from 1992-1997 as a senior Specialist Sales Representative. Rudo was later promoted to the position of Trade Marketing Manager and Brand Manager. In the years 1997 to 1998, she was the Business Development Manager for Unilever. Rudo also worked as Marketing Manager for Lapadesk Company Zimbabwe with its head offices in Johannesburg.

Chelsea Evans-  Founding Trustee.

Chelsea is currently Chief Operations Director for YOMILK Zimbabwe and the project director at IBA Global.  She is a dynamic results-oriented leader with a strong track record of performance in high paced organizations. She is the founder and developer of plan my wedding online planning platform where she acts as a chief visionary officer. This initiative rewarded her with an award at the MNET shark tank series. She also scooped the South African businesswoman of the year award.

Prof. Caiphus Nziramasanga – Advisory Board

A renowned educationalist in Zimbabwe; mostly known for leading the Nziramasanga Commission in 1998 which inquired in the Education system of Zimbabwe. Dr. Nziramasanga was working as a Director of Curriculum Studies at the University of Zimbabwe until his retirement in 2018 and is renounced for leading the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training, in 1999. It was the last comprehensive research in the education sector. It came up with meaningful strategies for transforming the education sector through the use of local and international multi-stakeholder collaboration strategies. The Nziramasanga Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training report (1999), emphasized that the Zimbabwean curriculum for both primary and secondary schools at the time had no relevance to the labor market, nor did it meet the needs, philosophies, values, or beliefs of its society. It prepared learners for “industrial training”, which is synonymous with ‘cheap labor’, and failed to instill knowledge and skills for intellectual thinking and self-consciousness. The result was the enactment of the Two-Pathway Education Policy Circular Number P77 of 2006. The policy provided details of how the two-pathway system should be incorporated into the school curriculum. It introduced a new ‘holistic’ curriculum; offering both academic and vocational subjects deemed relevant for employment in the industry. Dr. Nziramasanga has worked for the Ministry of Education for over 20 years in the department of curriculum studies and wrote articles on education.

Dr. Claudius Mundoma – Advisory Board

Holder of a Ph.D. Chemistry with West Virginia University attained in 1999. Claudius also has an M.B.A from Florida State University (FSU) College of business. He attained a Bachelor honors degree in chemistry at the University of Zimbabwe and a business certificate from Florida State University. Apart from the educational qualification, Dr. Mundoma holds a Certificate in Institutional Research: FSU COE, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies; Lessons in Entrepreneurship (Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship), LEAN Six Sigma – Yellow Belt (Biobridge Training Series, OregonBio, Portland). He has experience in student advising and mentoring as a lecturer at the FSU. He was also the overall advisor at FSU Garnet and Gold Scholars program. Dr. Mundoma is a committee member for the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (www.ABRF.org) from 2014 – to date; a committee member for the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (www.ABRF.org) Careers Committee (2015 – Current); Board Member and Vice President of the Tallahassee Scientific Society, a not for profit 501c. Corporation (2009 – current); Chairperson: Pittcon Conferee Networking Session – “Establishing a Symbiotic Relationship Between Core Research Facility Managers and Equipment Suppliers”, March 3, 2014, Chicago, IL Committee Member: – American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Subcommittee E13.15, Standard Guide for Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), 2011 – 2012; Chairperson for the Gorier Travelling Lecture Series Committee – Tallahassee Scientific Society (Current) Mentor; FSU Diversity Leadership Mentoring Program (Current); and the overall advisor for Garnet and Gold Scholars Program, Florida State University Facilitator. He is also the Florida State University Global Health Forum, from 2006 and a committee member of the Research and Engineering Roundtable Planning Committee – Economic Development Council of Tallahassee.

Asere Shumba – Board Member

Mr. Asere Shumba is a Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA- United Kingdom), a Chartered Secretary (ACIS) and was awarded CIS first place prize for 1989 November examination in the Human Resources Management paper. He is a holder of the following Executive development programmes

• Wits University – Executive Development Programme
• Delta and University of Zimbabwe – Management Development Programme (awarded distinction)

Mr. Shumba is a proficient business leader with an exceptional performance record at the highest levels of business, as Managing Director, Projects Director, General Manager, Chief Operating Officer, Group Finance Director, and Company Secretary in both listed and non-listed entities. These roles were in industries that include agribusiness, processing, beverages, property management, the mining sector, hospitality, transport, technology, finance and others. His strengths include strong innovation and visioning capability, strategy formulation and implementation skills covering corporate, business unit and functional strategies, having a strong bias towards total quality management. He is proficient at management of Boards and Shareholders matters, strategy management, general management, operational finance, marketing and route to market management, treasury management, people development and am an exceptional team player. Mr. Shumba has excellent negotiation skills regarding mergers, de-mergers, acquisitions, business retrenchments, structuring of business finance, company secretarial, corporate governance (including shareholder management, boards and stock exchange management) business development, project management, systems management, people development, and risk management. He also has experience in lobbing for changes in policies in areas such as tariffs, prices and other external factors that might impact business. He held leadership position in business and in leading business associations for more than over 30 years.

Dr Mukombe – Board Member

Dr. Mkombe is an experienced professional in Strategic Partnerships and Resource Mobilization, with a proven track record in the International NGO sector, where she excels in securing funding for impactful projects and programs. Her expertise encompasses corporate communication management, corporate social responsibility (CSR), donor management, and partnership management. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication Management from the University of Pretoria, earned in 2019, with research centered on communicative decision-making between corporates and NGO partners. Additionally, she obtained a Master’s Degree in Corporate Communication from the same university in 2005, focusing on Corporate Partnerships Management. Her academic foundation is further strengthened by a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Social Work from the University of Witwatersrand, awarded in 1999. Dr. Mkombe’s comprehensive skill set and strategic insight make her a valuable asset in fostering effective collaborations that drive sustainable development within the nonprofit sector.

Beatrice Joyce Moyo – Board Member

Beatrice Joyce Moyo is a distinguished legal practitioner and conveyancer with over 8 years of experience, currently serving as the managing partner at Mushoriwa Moyo. She specializes in corporate law, displaying profound expertise in due diligence, commercial advisory, contract law, labor law, and corporate governance. Beatrice excels in litigation, legal research, drafting, and reviewing pleadings and contracts, alongside the preparation of thorough legal reports and negotiation strategies. She holds a Master of Laws (LLM) with Distinction in Commercial Law from the University of Cape Town and graduated Cum Laude with an LLB (Honours) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her qualifications include a Practical Construction Law Certificate and a Certificate in Fintech & the Law. As a Registered Legal Practitioner and Conveyancer in Zimbabwe and a Professional Director at the Directors Association of South Africa, Beatrice is recognized as a trusted authority in the legal profession.

Janet T. Zengeni  – Board Member

Janet T. Zengeni is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in the insurance industry, specializing in the development of training modules and facilitating comprehensive training programs for agents. Her expertise encompasses initial training, product knowledge, selling skills, and other essential courses that enhance the capabilities of the agent force. Janet holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from the National University of Science & Technology, equipping her with advanced managerial skills and strategic insights. She also possesses a Bachelor of Technology degree in Management from the University of Zimbabwe, complemented by a Diploma in Systems Analysis and Design from the Mac Maine School of Computing. Additionally, she has earned a Certificate of Proficiency in Long Term Insurance Business from the Insurance Institute of Zimbabwe. Janet’s diverse educational background and robust training experience make her a valuable asset in promoting effective learning and development within the insurance sector.

Debra Gwati – Board Member 

Debra Gwati is a visionary leader and advocate for women’s empowerment, renowned for her dedication to fostering small-scale businesses and promoting self-sufficiency among women. In 2010, she founded the Women in Business Consortium (MUPKWE) to support and facilitate the registration of women-owned enterprises. As the founder of Great Destiny Enterprise, Debra provides strategic leadership and governance across various initiatives. With 8 years of experience as a Training Manager at the Institute of Training Management Bureau in Harare, she now serves as Corporate Secretary and Dean of Marketing at Celebration International College. Committed to social impact, Debra imparts knowledge to young women and supports orphans, having nurtured and housed twelve children herself. An alumna of Isla de la Juventud in Cuba, she holds degrees in Biology and is fluent in Spanish. As a respected panellist and the current Vice-Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Cuba Friendship Association, Debra continues to inspire change through her writings and teachings.

Dr. Kujeke – Board Member

Dr. Kujeke is a highly accomplished academic and leader in educational management and business leadership, holding a Doctor of Business Leadership (DBL), an M.Phil., and a Ph.D. in Educational Management and Technology from Christ University, India, along with a Ph.D. in Human Resources Development and Management from California Creek University, USA. He earned his M.Ed. in Educational Administration, Planning, and Policy Studies from the University of Zimbabwe with Merit. His qualifications are further enhanced by a Diploma in Human Resources Management and extensive certifications in computer skills and training management. With a strong background as a scholarships consultant, researcher, and education officer, Dr. Kujeke has acquired significant expertise in organizational management, public relations, and curriculum development. His roles have included writer, lecturer, and consultant across various educational levels, allowing him to develop commendable competencies in ICT and instructional materials. He is committed to advancing educational quality and leadership in higher education.