Sarah Shucksmith

Sarah, 22, founded the School in 2006 during her gap year between high school and university. Sarah graduated from Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge with a degree in geography. She is currently conducting social research in Nairobi on youth's perceptions of life and visions of the future and developing the new school.

As President of the Cambridge StopAIDS Society and Youth Group leader at Holy Trinity Church, Sarah has further developed her leadership and communication skills.  In her spare time Sarah competes in the University tennis team, captain’s her college squash team and plays the harp for the University's most prestigious symphony orchestra, CUMS I.

The School was named in Sarah's honour after its founding with two local teachers, with a vision that all children in Kenya could have access to education and for the eradication of all barriers to education.

Sarah was included in the exclusive Varsity 100, a list of the most talented and influential students at Cambridge, in both 2008 and 2009.

Alex Capewell

Alex, 25, was born in Edinburgh and graduated from Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, in 2007 with a first class degree in Geography and Management Studies.

Alex is responsible for range of activities for the charity, including web development, PR and fundraising, performance monitoring and risk management.

At university, Alex majored in development studies, economy and history, and brings a business background to the team, through his time studying at the Judge Business School, Cambridge.

He now works in corporate strategy for London-based energy trading company Gazprom Marketing & Trading. Alex has gained further experience at global strategy consultancy firm L.E.K. Consulting; Deloitte and Touche accountants and Aon Ltd insurance brokers.

In his spare time, Alex takes an active part in the UK Scout Association, working with a local Group and sitting on a executive committee that manages the high-level operation and decision-making.

Alex became a Trustee in May 2008 after meeting Sarah at Fitzwilliam and being inspired by her work.

Susannah Shucksmith

Susannah is the ordinary mother of an extra-ordinary daughter, who phoned home from Nairobi one day and said, 'I've been asked if I will help set up a school for children who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford it, in Kibera slum, and finance it from the UK. Will you help me?' Being a supportive sort of mother, who likes to encourage her children in all their exploits, she blithely said, 'yes', and that is how it all started.

Susannah teaches the harp and runs a harp ensemble of about ten harps with some of her pupils, which plays at charity events. In her spare time she runs the Junior Church the Youth Group and the Music Group at her local church.

Michael Dagnell  

Michael, 76, qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1955, and became a partner in a firm of Chartered Accountants in 1958, from which he retired in1997 but continued as a consultant until recently.

His interests are the theatre, food, wine, history, holidays and five grandchildren!

Francis Montague

Francis, 56, is a partner in Bennetts, a firm of solicitors in Wrington, near Bristol. He has been a practicing solicitor for 30 years and now specialises in property and commercial work. His firm specialises in charity law.

He is married to Olivia and is strongly committed to his parish church in Wrington, where he is a lay reader.

Francis worked in Kenya as a lawyer for four years with Hamilton Harrison and Mathews, one of the largest law firms in Nairobi. During that time, he frequently visited Starehe, one of the best-known secondary schools in Nairobi, which was founded specifically to give an education to those who could not afford the fees. Because Sarah Junior School has the same aim, he is very pleased to be a trustee and to support its work.