Kujali International

our mission.

Kujali International is a 501c3 organization that partners with local communities to help establish free, private secondary boarding schools that provide comprehensive care and a quality education to orphaned and vulnerable youth.  Kujali believes education and entrepreneurship are cornerstones of sustainable development, and has for the last four years worked in partnership with local leaders in East Africa to develop an innovative model that harnesses the power of education and business to create lasting change in the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children growing up in poverty.  Kujali’s mission is to equip orphaned and vulnerable children with the tools, resources, and opportunities to overcome poverty and become agents of change in their communities.

our innovation.

Kujali’s social impact model involves a three-pronged approach: boarding school launches; micro-business investments; and local capacity-building.  Boarding school represent a powerful alternative to traditional orphanages, which typically only provide for children’s basic needs.  By opening the door of education and opportunity to disadvantaged children, young people will be positioned to play a key role in poverty alleviation in their own communities.  Kujali’s micro-business investments are the means by which it is able to generate sustainable revenue to cover school operating costs, rather than charging high tuition fees that disadvantaged children can’t afford, or depending on international aid, which creates a cycle of dependence for the community.  Additionally, local business is used to provide employment and training opportunities within a community, while also serving as a mechanism for educating the next generation of young leaders.

Finally, Kujali provides capacity-building support to its local partners through staff development, strategic planning, and management assistance. Committed to the long-term impact and autonomy of its partner organization, Kujali seeks to ensure that local leadership is equipped with the tools and resources to sustain, and continually improve, its impact in the local community.  Kujali has provided intensive teacher training programs, financial management coaching, administrative support, management assistance, and strategic planning facilitation to support local operations and staff development.

our impact.

In 2007, Kujali International and Hananasif Orphanage Center (HOCET) co-founded  HOCET Secondary School (formerly “Hananasif Academy”), the first free, secondary boarding school in Mkuranga Tanzania.  HOCET Secondary School now serves 90 students, employs 10 local staff, and features pilot projects in agriculture farming, fine arts, and entrepreneurship training.  HOCET Secondary School is on the path to becoming the first successful pilot of Kujali’s social impact model, and Kujali’s goal is that by 2012, HSS will not only be one of the most high-performing schools in Tanzania, but that it will be a model for financially and environmentally sustainable education.

Kujali’s long-term vision is to scale this sustainable boarding school model in other parts of the world, creating systemic change in how communities approach the needs – and invest in the incredible potential – of orphaned and vulnerable children growing up in poverty.

our team.

Sydney Schaef, M.Ed., Founder and Director, holds a B.A. from the University of Florida and a Masters in Education from the University of California Los Angeles; she is also a Teach For America alumna with three years of experience in urban education as a teacher in South Central Los Angeles.  Sydney founded Kujali International in 2006 to serve as a partner and advocate for local non-profits dedicated to educating and equipping orphaned youth with the tools to change their own lives and lead their own communities.

Sarah Lowe, Director of Development, graduated from the University of Florida in 2006 as a distinguished scholar-athlete with a dual degree in Political Science and Spanish.  Sarah is also a Fulbright Scholarship who spent one year in Costa Rica studying the impact of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) on Costa Rica.  Sarah currently lives in Los Angeles and works at the Milken Institute in Santa Monica.

Amy Tilley, Secretary, graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Public Relations and a concentration in business.  She spent six months in Tanzania serving as our Field Operations Director, working closely with HOCET’s staff and children to facilitate Kujali programming.  She now serves as Secretary and works in Washington D.C.

David Lipps, M.A., J.D., Web & Graphic Design holds a dual degree in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Florida, and a Juris Doctor and Masters in Philosophy from Duke University.  David practices civil rights law in San Francisco.  He enjoys rock-climbing, producing music, playing ultimate frisbee, and web and graphic design.

Emily Vogelsong, M.Ed., School Development Director, holds a B.A. in Biology and Religious Studies from William and Marry College, and a M.Ed. from UCLA.  Emily is an award-winning Teach For America alumni who has taught in Los Angeles, CA for four years. Emily is also a former BP A+ Teacher Grant Recipient through which she received funding to teach solar power technology to her secondary science classes in the US.

Alex Manchon, M.B.A, Field Operations Manager, grew up in Barcelona, Spain, and received an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya.  He worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Co. where he advised clients in electrical power, telecommunications, airlines, and private equity industries.  He gained broad experience in strategy, operations, and technology.  Alex then moved to Los Angeles, CA and earned his MBA at UCLA Anderson, with a focus on Operations and Global Economics.  He is fluent in English, Spanish, and Catalan, enjoys international politics, and has a special interest in micro-finance as a tool for serving developing communities.

Alberto Brian Vega, Director of Sustainability and Partnerships graduated from Eugene Lang College at The New School in New York City where he studied, composed and performed poetry with the likes of Sekou Sundiata and Eileen Myles. Since then he has served non-profit organizations form small arts organizations in the Lower East Side of Manhattan to a community health center in North East Los Angeles. He has worked directly with executive directors to facilitate programatic growth, transition outreach efforts to new media and further fund development through event coordination and grant  research/writing.

Iris Zeilske, Program Director earned a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering, a B.A. in Linguistics, and a minor in African Studies from the University of Florida.  She spent time in Tanzania in 2008 and volunteered at Hananasif Orphanage Center.  Since then, Iris has been involved in fundraising, raising awareness, and coordinating Kujali’s volunteer program.  Iris is returning to Tanzania in the summer of 2010 to develop educational programming at HOCET’s city center, support Kujali field operations, and launch our New Paths Program.

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our board of directors.

Lia Langworthy is a graduate of UC Berkeley with 10 years of experience in the entertainment industry, including both commercial production and screenwriting. A rotary scholar at age seventeen, Lia studied abroad for a year in Abidjan, Ivory coast and traveled extensively to neighboring countries such as Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Liberia, Mali and Cameroon. Touched by the warmth of African people at an early age and witnessing first hand the need for systemic change, Kujali’s mission moved her to action. Lia joined Kujali’s board in 2008, deeply committed to Kujali’s mission to build a new generation of change-makers and leaders, one child at a time.

Dr. Kaleen Love, Ph.D., received a BA in Political Science and Economics from the University of Arizona, a Masters in International Development from the University of Oxford, and a Doctorate in International Development from the University of Oxford. She has spent extensive time overseas, and has background experience in teaching and consulting. She has served as a consultant for the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Ministry for Development of Disadvantaged Regions in Indonesia, and has also served as a Program Coordinator for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFP). Kaleen is currently working as a consultant for McKinsey & Company and resides in New York City, New York.

Lavanya Mahendran, J.D., received a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a J.D. from Columbia University. She is currently working at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP as an associate attorney in Los Angeles, California.

Marianna Sachse, M.P.H., M.S.W., has worked with multiple non-profit organizations on program development, management, and evaluation. Marianna received a Master’s in Public Health and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Archaeology from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She currently works at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as a program associate of the Vulnerable Populations Portfolio, promoting immediate and lasting change for vulnerable people by finding solutions to problems at the intersection of health and social factors.  Her areas of interest include youth engagement, social media, and program evaluation.

Michael Jay Walker, M.B.A. serves as the Sr. Director of International Marketing at Mattel. He holds a M.B.A from the University of Michigan, and has extensive experience in marketing, businee development, and strategy.

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our advisory council.

Dr. Jane Isaacs Lowe, Ph.D., currently works as a Senior Program Officer at the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation.  Previously served as a faculty member at University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work from 1989 through 1998, publishing and teaching in the areas of health practice, administration and planning.  She was the recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award in 1992 and 1997.  From 1976–1989, she worked at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City where she served as a faculty member in the medical school’s Department of Community Medicine and as a hospital social work administrator.   Ms. Lowe earned a doctorate in social welfare policy and planning from Rutgers University, a master’s in social work from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology and education from Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pa.

Dr. Aldin Mutembei, Ph.D., serves as a senior lecturer and head of  Research Department of Kiswahili at the University of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania.  He has been involved in extensive research on the impact of HIV/AIDS on children in East Africa.  Dr. Mutembei serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Parapanda Theater Lab Trust.