Meet the Team
Meet the team who makes the dream come true!
Tammy
Founder & Director
Tammy was born, bred, and raised as a Canadian, but Africa has always been in her heart. Her feet first touched African soil in 2009, and her life changed forever. After a year of volunteering, she returned to Canada but knew her heart was still in Africa. With just a backpack in tow, Tammy returned to where she now calls home.
Over the past 13 years, Tammy has volunteered across Africa with everything from orphaned and injured African wildlife to teaching HIV education in prison to working with Bushmen in Botswana. She has seen and done a lot, and treasured every opportunity and minute she has been in Africa.
With all of these amazing experiences, Tammy’s greatest dream was to work with an entire community, from the very young to the very old – and the idea of Baobuyu Learning Center was born. Her dream having been realised, Tammy runs the school and Community Center.
Sharon
Head Teacher & Middle Class Teacher
Teacher Sharon joined us as a volunteer Teaching Assistant soon after we opened the school in 2016. In 2018, a generous sponsorship allowed her to complete the first part of an ECE certificate while working part-time at the school. In 2019, Sharon joined us full-time as a teacher for the Middle Class, as well as taking on the role of Head Teacher.
On a school day, you can find Sharon engaging her children in her exciting lesson plans and introducing her students to science, math, early literacy and much more. She is responsible for our Book Worm Club and has recently introduced a Computer Club for our former students!
Sharon is also in charge of our Physical Education and Motor Development class where she instills a love for the outdoors in our pupils, from parachute play to musical chairs, our kids are always on the move! Sharon works extremely hard to create unique and visual lessons for her class. They absolutely adore her!
“Baobuyu has become part of my life and now I cannot do without this place. Over the years seeing how it has grown has made me so happy, the number of children, the clubs, our programs are all amazing. I am so happy I have been able to learn and grow with the school both in wisdom and experiences. My heart is always at the school with the kids.” – Sharon
Ozious
Junior Class Teacher
Teacher Ozious joined us in March 2022 and has taken charge of our Junior Class. Ozious has a beautiful nature and is a complete natural with our littlest learners! He chose a career in teaching to follow his passion for working with children and his desire to make a positive impact on young lives.
Ozious particularly loves teaching pre-maths and science, and takes every opportunity to get his class active and curious about the world they live in. He brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm for his role, and a lot of joy to Baobuyu. We love having his energy part of the team!
“I have a big passion for teaching the young ones as I understand them very well, how they do things and how they learn new ideas. Being at Baobuyu is great because the teachers are great and the children are very well-behaved.” – Ozious
Billy
Senior Class Teacher
Teacher Billy joined us at the start of 2021. He chose to study Early Childhood Education at the David Livingstone College of Education because he has a huge passion for kids. We are so pleased he chose to start his career with us. We love his creative spirit and the enthusiasm for learning he brings to Baobuyu!
Billy’s favourite ways to teach are through games, art, and encouraging his children to learn through play. For him, the best part of his job is watching his class learn and grow throughout the year and the pride he feels when his kids graduate and head off to grade one!
“It's been a wonderful journey of learning each and every day here at Baobuyu Learning Centre and I take it as an opportunity for me to grow higher as a teacher. Looking forward to more to come as we soldier on!” – Billy
Memory
Sponsor-a-Child & Women’s Sewing Circle
Memory has always been a huge part of our school and officially joined the Baobuyu team in 2018. She has been instrumental in managing our Sponsor-a-Child program, as well as contributing to our Girl Power group. When Baobuyu became home to Mwandi’s first recycling center, Memory took on the responsibility of coordinating the project.
Memory does incredible work in advertising our school and its many activities to the wider Mwandi community. She also is an integral part of our Women’s Sewing Circle, as she is one of the founding members! Memory also, every Friday facilitates our afterschool Drafts club. We love having Memory as part of the Baobuyu team!
"Thanks to Baobuyu, I've achieved my biggest dream: owning my own land as a single mother. It's more than just a job; Baobuyu is my home, where hard work and support have brought me incredible success. I hope to be a role model for other women in the community, who can see if you work hard you can achieve your biggest dreams!" - Memory
Katie
Development & Operations Coordinator
Katie first joined us in 2021 as an intern. She spent 5-months working on women empowerment projects, afterschool clubs, and all aspects of the school. Since then she has continued to play an integral role in all aspects of Baobuyu.
Katie is from Boston, Massachusetts, USA. In May 2023 Katie completed her Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology at Northeastern University in Boston. She brings nearly 8 years of experience mentoring, teaching, and working with people of all ages.
Katie has a passion for working with different communities around the world and learning about Zambian culture and history. In August 2023, Katie officially joined us for a full year working as a Development and Operations Coordinator. Katie’s main responsibilities are project coordinating, fundraising, and overseeing the development of the school and women empowerment projects.
James
Multitalented Extraordinaire!
James plays several crucial roles in the day-to-day running of Baobuyu. He is primarily our on-site watchman, gardener, groundskeeper, and caretaker of our three school dogs. He works hard to keep the school and our gardens clean and safe daily. In addition, James has taken on the job of being our school chef, preparing healthy meals daily for our teachers and kids. On top of all these responsibilities, he lives at school full time with his wife Alice, who is part of the Women‘s Sewing Circle, and daughter Rosemary. We are so pleased to have them as part of our Baobuyu family!!
Floyd
Happiness Team
Floyd came to live at Baobuyu in 2019 after spending two years at Zambezi Animal Welfare Services. He is the most loving, patient dog; with a penchant for snacking and long naps in his favourite place in the world – his comfy bed! We love his sweet personality, Winnie the Pooh-like face, happy smile and his catwalk strut. Our kids absolutely adore Floyd too – he is the perfect fit for our school!
Morty
Young Patrol, Security Team
Morty came to us as a puppy from ZAWS, the local animal shelter, in May 2023; she has proven herself to be a rambunctious and caring puppy ever since. She is repaid with much love, food, cuddles, and the occasional chicken bone.
Woofie
Head Librarian
Woofie’s favorite pastime is digging big holes all around the school, which James spends most of his free time covering up. She also likes stealing the other dog’s bones and has recently become a self-proclaimed head librarian (as she loves to be surrounded by books). Woofie is super speedy, alert at night and takes fantastic care of our school.
Huckleberry Fynn
Puppy Patrol
We are beyond excited to welcome our new dog, Huckleberry Fynn, into our family! Adopted from ZAWS, our local animal shelter, on November 4th, 2024, she has already captured our hearts with her kind and gentle nature. Huckleberry Fynn is a calm, affectionate companion who loves nothing more than curling up by our side or gently greeting everyone she meets with a wag of her tail. We feel so fortunate to have her in our lives, and we look forward to many happy moments together as she settles into her new forever home.
Hamburgular
Security Team
Hamburglar came to Baobuyu Learning Center, one day, uninvited, said “I’m not leaving” – and he didn’t! Hamburglar had been severely abused, with many scars and even an ear ripped in half. After much love and attention, Hamburglar started trusting humans again and was able to become part of our school. Given Hamburglar’s gentle nature, the kids soon learned how to treat, love and care for animals.
Hamburgular sadly left us in July 2019 after a long battle with various health problems. We feel honoured that he chose us as his family and are thankful we were able to give him a happy life. As the inspiration behind The African Dog, he lives on in every doggy bandana, as well as in our thoughts and hearts!
Shmigol
Security Team
Shmigol came to us as a puppy in August 2015 when we started building the school and the builders thought it would be a good idea to bring in dogs as a security measure. Through the years, Shmigol proved time and time again that he is an excellent and effective safety measure at our school. He was repaid with much love, food and cuddles, and the occasional chicken bone.
We sadly had to say goodbye to Shmigol in July 2023. Shmigol forever will be loved and remembered for his kind and loving spirit.