Our People
The leaders building LEAD for Burundi—from the ground up.
Meet Our Founder
Florian Mbanga
Founder & CEOFlorian MBANGA founded LEAD for Burundi in 2023 with a conviction forged over a decade inside classrooms: Burundi's education crisis is not a technical problem — it is a leadership problem, and only collective leadership can solve it..
Born and raised in Burundi, Florian has seen firsthand how inequality compounds when schools lack committed, trained leaders. Nearly 64% of students drop out every year — not because they lack potential, but because the system lacks the people to unlock it.
After years as a teacher in China and founding Head of School at Cubahiro International School in Bujumbura, Florian studied the Teach For All model and saw its power: deploy trained leaders into classrooms, grow them into system-changers, and watch the impact compound across communities and generations.
But he also saw what was missing: indigenous ownership. Too many education initiatives are designed abroad and imported. Florian built LEAD for Burundi to be different — 100% Burundian-led, Ubuntu-centered, rooted in the principle of Twese Hamwe — we rise together. Not lone heroes. A collective movement.
Florian lives in Bujumbura and is building LEAD for Burundi with the discipline, patience, and long-term commitment Burundi's children deserve.
The People Leading the Work
Burundians building the movement from the inside.
Pamela Irambona
Curriculum LeadA mathematics teacher with over four years of experience in Bujumbura's leading international schools — including Cubahiro International School and Burundi English School — Pamela brings academic rigor and classroom reality to LEAD's curriculum. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of Burundi and co-constructs the fellowship training program alongside Steve Guma and Dinah Achola.
Innocent Ncuti
School Partnerships & Field Implementation LeadInnocent brings a rare combination of classroom experience and institutional knowledge — as a former secondary school teacher and ex-civil servant at the Ministry of Public Works. He leads LEAD's school partnerships and ground-level implementation, ensuring the fellowship is embedded where it matters most: in communities.
Médiatrice Ndayishimiye
Training LeadWith over 32 years teaching in Burundi's primary schools, Médiatrice is the living memory of the system LEAD is working to transform. She supports the curriculum and training teams with unmatched knowledge of how Burundian classrooms actually work — and what Fellows will truly need to thrive in them.
Our Advisory Team
The people building with us and making LEAD for Burundi a reality.
Dinah Achola
Consultant, Program DesignA Teach For Uganda alumna and valedictorian of her cohort, Dinah rose to lead the Teach For All Africa Leadership Committee — bringing rare, ground-level mastery of the fellowship model to LEAD for Burundi. She consults on program design, fellow recruitment, and support systems, ensuring LEAD is built to world-class standards from Day 1.
Steve Guma
Consultant,Curriculum & Training Design LeadA seasoned educator with deep roots in the Burundian education system, Steve brings years of classroom experience and pedagogical expertise to LEAD for Burundi. Working alongside Dinah Achola and Pamela, he co-constructs the fellowship training curriculum — ensuring it is both world-class in design and grounded in the realities Burundian teachers face every day.
Could This Be You?
Future Team MemberWe're building a world-class team. If you're passionate about education equity and indigenous leadership, we want to hear from you.
View OpportunitiesAdvisors & Strategic Partners
We are building LEAD for Burundi with guidance from world-class partners.
Teach For All Global Network
Access to 17 years of evidence, coaching frameworks, and best practices from 61 countries. We are an aspiring network partner.
Spring Communities
Early financial supporter and strategic partner, providing funding and guidance for our foundational work.
Ministry of Education, Burundi
Building a partnership to integrate LEAD fellows into the national education system. Formal partnership in development.
Want to work with LEAD for Burundi?
We're building a world-class team. If you're passionate about education equity, indigenous leadership, and systems change—we want to hear from you.