Tammy – 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 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 music class, 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 instils 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. 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 in 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 are very excited to have him as part of the team and are looking forward to great things to come!

“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 by encouraging his children in learning 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!

“I’m so grateful and thankful to be a part of the Baobuyu Learning Center. I have already learnt a lot of things about teaching, activities and methodology – and the school at large is so great!” – 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 assists with our fundraising efforts, and is the leader of our ‘Women’s Sewing Circle’. We love having Memory as part of the Baobuyu team!

“Thank you, thank you, thank you a billion times for the opportunity to be a part of Baobuyu. The improvements made by my child at the school has made me more committed than ever to work hard for the school.” – Memory

James – Multitalented Extraordinaire!

James plays several important roles in the day-to-day running of Baobuyu. He is primarily our on-site watchman, gardener and grounds-keeper, working hard to keep the school and our gardens clean and safe every day. His wife, Alice has taken on the job of being our school chef, preparing healthy meals on a daily basis for our teachers and kids. On top of all these responsibilities, they also take care of our three school dogs. We are so pleased to have them join us!

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!

Woofie – Head Librarian

Woofie’s favourite past time is digging big holes all around the school, which John spends most of his free time covering up. She also likes stealing the other dog’s bones and has recently become 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.

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. Since then, Shmigol has more than proven that he is an excellent and effective safety measure at our school. He is repaid with much love, food and cuddles, and the occasional chicken bone.

Hamburglar – 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 learnt 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!