Helen and Justin working at a laptop

Our Moon is a UK-based grassroots charity on a mission to boost social mobility in Zambia. We’re registered with the Charity Commission in the UK and the Ministry of Community Development in Zambia.

Co-founded by Helen Leale-Green and Justin Mushitu in 2016, Our Moon started as a conversation between a teacher and a student. After a discussion one evening, Justin — a student at the time — came to Helen with a proposition: to make an impact in Zambia using Helen’s skills, knowledge and contacts and Justin’s lived experience of poverty.

A year later, Helen was on a plane to Zambia, organising workshops for teachers and students with Justin — and from those humble beginnings, Our Moon was born.

Since then, Our Moon has gone from strength to strength. We’ve gone from simply supporting students at a government boarding school to building a programme outside of traditional curriculums. Not only do our programmes develop dialogue, critical thinking, self-exploration and presentation skills, but we give our students the exposure they need outside of their home communities before going to university.

Starting with our Young Leaders programme, we now boast five programmes aimed at developing young people at different stages of their academic and working lives.

View our programmes

Our Moon doesn’t just support the next generation of future leaders. We’re one of the largest employers in the area, hiring members of the local community to carry out building maintenance, construction work, garden landscaping and more.

We’ve also introduced a volunteering programme that gives unemployable individuals of working age the valuable skills and experience they need to generate capital in their communities.

ZAMBIA CORE TEAM

Justin Mushitu

Justin has studied in the UK (where he met Helen) and Canada. On returning to Zambia, he started working for Our Moon. Justin is passionate about education and giving opportunities to the less advantaged. He is responsible for managing our work and programmes in Zambia.

Ntasuwila Nambao

Ntasuwila has a degree in Agronomy from a Chinese university. She is a fluent Mandarin speaker, loves working on the land and reading good literature. She has worked as a private tutor “I thought impact was mainly about numbers but now I realise that by impacting a few in a positive and life-changing way, the ripple effect can be enormous”.

Malama Mushitu

Malama is responsible for taking photos and videos of the students and various onsite activities at the NGO. Passionate about capturing details, he skillfully edits the footage to ensure high-quality visual content. His dedication to storytelling through visuals helps to highlight the NGO’s impact and bring its projects to life.

Zambia team

OUR UK TEAM AND TRUSTEES

HELEN LEALE-GREEN - FOUNDER, CEO AND TRUSTEE

Helen worked for PwC before becoming a trustee and volunteer for an international development charity. She founded Our Moon with the help of her former student, Justin. Helen sits on Exco of HALI Access Network and has an MA in Education and International Development from UCL.

RICHARD BOWEN - CHAIR OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Rich works in Risk Assurance for PwC where he specialises in technology, risk and governance. He studied Economics and Politics at Cardiff University and has been supporting Our Moon since 2019. Rich is passionate about economic development and believes education is a key factor for stimulating growth

ALAN LEALE-GREEN - TRUSTEE

Alan has over 40 years of experience in the securities and futures industries. Running his own compliance consultancy business, he gained a wealth of experience in financial, risk and corporate governance matters. Alan also volunteers for the Citizens Advice Bureau.

FUNMI AKINLUYI - TRUSTEE

Funmi is an experienced sustainable infrastructure and capital markets professional with over 20 years of expertise in sustainable investing and sustainable finance. She specializes in climate transition and sustainable infrastructure financing across emerging and developed markets. Passionate about Africa, she is also dedicated to teaching children and young adults about financial literacy, empowering the next generation with essential financial skills.

KIM POLLEY - TRUSTEE

Kim Polley is the Managing Partner for UK & Ireland at Instinctif Partners, specializing in strategic communications that drive sustainable growth and foster economic development. With extensive experience in reputation management, public affairs, and ESG across the UK, Europe, and Africa, Kim is passionate about creating inclusive narratives and partnerships that enable businesses to thrive. As a trustee of Our Moon, she is committed to empowering young Zambians through education and opportunity.

DHRUV SARDA - TRUSTEE

Dhruv is a Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal. He spent over 17 years living in Zambia and has been supporting Our Moon since 2021. Dhruv is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London.

CHANDA SINGOYI - TRUSTEE

Chanda Singoyi is a Financial Specialist at Bloomberg L.P. in London. He holds master’s degrees from University of Oxford and University of Leeds, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University in the United States. Before joining Bloomberg, Chanda worked with the World Bank Group, focusing on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure projects, particularly in some of the world’s poorest countries.
He is passionate about education reform and equitable access to education, and is committed to reducing poverty through human capital development and enterprise, both in Zambia and beyond.

VANESSA STRAUSS - TRUSTEE

Vanessa runs Bright Fox Lettings in Tunbridge Wells. From South Africa, she is passionate about giving opportunities to disadvantaged young Africans

KRISHAN TAILOR - TRUSTEE

Krishan was born and raised in Ndola, Zambia, where he completed his secondary education. He then pursued a degree in Agricultural Business Economics in the United Kingdom and the United States. Krishan is dedicated to giving back to his community and country of birth, and has identified Our Moon as an excellent platform to achieve this goal. He is passionate about education and believes that developing an informed and educated citizenry is essential for the self-fulfillment and progress of the nation.

OUR SUPPORTERS & VOLUNTEERS

We would like to thank all our supporters for their generous support of Our Moon, including our friends and companies, both local and far, who have donated to our auction and raffle prizes.

With special thanks to: 

The Headmen of Chipansha Village and Chief Liteta of the Lenje people of Chibombo District for their support of our project.

The Ministry of Community Development and the Department for Social Welfare in Chibombo.

Mulenga J Mulenga and Aubrey Chali for helping Our Moon students create a mural.

Malama Mushitu for his outstanding photography that is showcased on our website. 

The UK Zambia High Commission and Her Excellency, Macenje Mazoka for providing space for charity functions.

The Sarda family for donating a small stipend to our students studying at Ashoka University in India.

Pestalozzi International for their support of our programmes.

The HALI Access Network for all the support they offer Our Moon.

The Small International Development Charities Network, which provides invaluable resources to all small international development charities operating overseas from the UK.

Ally Buck, Fungai Munyeza and Chipala McCalla for offering students and alumni psychotherapy and counselling pro bono.

Keith Browne and teachers Philip Wingate, Melanie Church, Toby Reid, from Ecolint (International School of Geneva) in Switzerland for tutoring our students through research essays, and to Mark Grace and his IT team for their generous donation of Chromebooks for our programmes.

Thomas Lifuti, alumnus and IT manager, for giving so much of his time to furthering our IT development.

Dhruv Sarda for reading our longlisted applicants and for interviewing our shortlisted students, and for providing corporate connections in Zambia.

Will Sullivan for his input to our strategic review.

Lute Chongo (alumna) and Rachel Cameron-Potter for their work on the website.

The following trusts and foundations for their recent generous donations:

  • The Chalk Cliff Trust
  • The Coles-Medlock Foundation
  • Didymus CIO
  • Gilchrist Educational Trust
  • John Collings Charitable Trust
  • Mageni Trust
  • The Souter Charitable Trust
  • SMOAT

We would also like to thank all family and friends for their continued donations and support and all the companies that provide internship opportunities for our students and alumni.