Our Team

The people below are the essential team that help spread our reach and keep the charity running.
The Office Team are the core group who do the day-to-day ins-and-outs of running the charity, while the Trustees are there to help with the big decisions.

Office Team – Trustees

Office Team

Rachel Butt - Director, Thare Machi Education Rachel has worked in the overseas development sector for 20 years and now looks after the running of the UK office on a day-to-day basis, as well as supporting the partner organisations who use our lessons and working to find potential new users for the DVDs. She is our main voice on Facebook, using social media to spread the word about our work.

Ayesha Dikko Ayesha decided she wanted a change after 23 years in banking, and put to use her underlying passion for changing lives.
She volunteered at Education Saves Lives, translating lessons into Hausa and then in 2017 joined the team as office manager.
Ayesha uses her incredible networking skills to increase the distribution of lessons, engage with volunteers, drive fundraising and help lead the day-to-day operations of the organisation.

Marc Greene Chief Executive, Canopi Foundation Marc joins Canopi and Education Saves Lives following his role as Commercial Director and Interim CEO at In Kind Direct, where he has served since December 2020.
During this time, he transformed the In Kind Direct approach to Corporate Partnerships and story-telling, collaborating with hundreds of companies and tripling commercial revenue within 4 years. His highlight was the award-winning, multi-year hygiene campaign in Tesco stores, unlocking over 5 million products for people in need. Marc brings extensive expertise across commercial sales, operations, and social impact, making him well-placed to lead Canopi and Education Saves Lives into the next chapter.

Mary Briggs Mary (volunteer) is in charge of our DVD dispatch, making sure that lessons are ready to send when needed. She also plays a key role in the final production and quality control of the DVDs as well as keeping our records up to date – and all this in her spare time!

Xander Bennett Xander is another long-term volunteer. He occasionally facilitates and supervises the recording of new audio recordings with local students as well as authoring new lessons.

Andrew Sampson and Chris Crowstaff (volunteers) are a husband and wife team who are passionate about developing websites for charities and grassroots organisations, inspired by their visit to women’s groups in rural regions of Uganda in 2009.
In 2013, Chris received a Katerva Award for Gender Equality at the United Nations in Geneva, for working to promote under-represented grassroots groups focusing on women’s issues. Some of these groups are now user groups of Education Saves Lives.
Andrew and Chris are responsible for maintaining our website and updating content.

Online lesson co-ordinator and analyst
Graham has pioneered the development of the online versions of our lessons, and the creation of the USB version. He has also worked on our data and disaster recovery and supported the authoring process.

Trustees

Russell Thompson Russel is an experienced consultant and business leader with over 20 years advising local authorities on adult social care transformation and alternative delivery models. As Chair of the Canopi Board, he brings extensive expertise in governance, financial management, and strategic partnerships.

Jyotsna Chandrani Jyotsna has been involved with Education Saves Lives since her student days at the University of Warwick.
Jyotsna is the Global Head of Change Risk at HSBC (MSS) and is responsible for ensuring change is delivered safely. Jyotsna brings extensive experience in transformation, governance and risk management, with an ethos of delivering maximum value with integrity and efficiency.

Pete MacIntyre Pete is a lawyer and charity board leader with 25 years of experience across technology, edtech, and media. He has held senior legal roles at Meta, TikTok, Multiverse, and SuperAwesome. He brings expertise in governance, risk, and organisational growth, alongside a strong commitment to education, ethical technology, and helping charities thrive.

Dayna Ferdinandi Dayna is an experienced Charity Director with over 20 years in the commercial and charity sectors, specialising in fundraising, communications, and strategic partnerships. Passionate about user-led service design, financial management, and fostering relationships that drive organisational growth and social impact.

Reem Al Rasheed Reem is a strategic leader with board and executive experience across international NGOs, social enterprises, and public sector organisations. High-level expertise in charity governance, fundraising strategy, and scaling impact-led organisations with a proven ability to contribute at board level, including financial oversight, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement across diverse sectors.

Soumya Guha Soumya is a global development and humanitarian leader with over 20 years’ experience across Asia and Africa, specialising in education, health, and social inclusion. As Director of Global Programmes at Plan International, he oversees initiatives in 72 countries, driving partnerships and advocacy to advance youth leadership, gender equality, and climate resilience.