OUR TEAM
We believe the most successful development stems from local expertise and connections.
Our founder is from Northern Uganda, and our team is made up of men & women with roots in the communities we work in.
We also have a school management committee that helps govern the school and gives input on key decisions.
Deki Foundation Uganda is an NGO registered in Uganda
EDUCATION
DIRECTOR
NDAGIZE FRANCIS
Francis is on Deki’s Board of Directors and leads strategies to maintain a high quality of education at our schools. He has been training our teachers since 2018 and has many years of experience with education in Uganda.
Currently Francis is a Program Coordinator at Educate!. He has also worked on several teacher training contracts for USAID, and brings this expertise to his work at Deki.
CO-FOUNDER
& DIRECTOR
ETYANG FRED
Fred has a certificate in IT from Makerere University, a diploma in Information Technology Business from Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology, and 5 years of experience in construction.
Fred manages the on the ground operations of the organization. He manages school construction, supervises the head master and staff, and leads our plans for growth and sustainability.
OUR FOUNDER
ETYANG FRED
Fred's family is originally from Northern Uganda, but he grew up in a slum in Kampala called Nakawa.
Not long ago, the government took over the land and evicted his family and friends from their homes. Fred went back and forth between different friends homes, while his family looked for housing. Going to school became hard because it took him almost two hours to walk there.
When Fred visited the village where his family is from, he saw that the kids there were dealing with the same issues, and he wanted them to have a school of their own. He and his friends tried to make this happen, but struggled to get the necessary resources.
Then Fred met Shauna, who had her own dream of supporting locally led development. Shauna committed to raising money to help Fred build a school for these kids, and got connected to the Growing Hearts of Africa Foundation, who contributed the majority of funding needed to build our first school: Nahla Nursery and Primary School.
Now their dreams have come true, and over 600 children are accessing quality education in their village!
FUNDRAISING
CHAIR
TOM LARSEN
Larsen most recently was president and general manager of ZICO Beverages, a 100% owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company. Prior to joining ZICO, Larsen served as general manager of illy, a ready-to-drink coffee business, which is also part of VEB.
Larsen is a Coca-Cola veteran whose previous roles include serving as vice president of Minute Maid Europe Operations based in Brussel’s Belgium, where he led the development of a holistic juice beverage strategy and capability across 45 countries. He also served as managing director Minute Maid International Business Development with operations in the Caribbean, London, South Africa and global Export
OUR US BOARD
The majority of our funding comes from generous foundations, churches, groups and individuals based in the United States.
We are registered as Deki, Inc., a 501c3 Organization in the US and have a US Board of Directors that helps govern the organization.
They provide valuable support and oversight to ensure our organization is financially accountable and sustainable.
SECRETARY &
TREASURER
MATT LEASK
Matt serves as an officer of a multibillion dollar organization spanning 37 countries. His experience encompasses development/implementation of business strategy, organizational structures, budgets, technology platforms, and governance.
He is a practiced business information leader, consultant, and integrator/liaison; and his business passions are people, process, and technology.
CO-FOUNDER
& BOARD PRESIDENT
SHAUNA DAVIDSON
Shauna has a MS in Anthropology and Development from the London School of Economics and 7 years of fundraising experience with non-profits. She has always dreamed of starting her own organization to help youth accomplish their dreams.
Shauna runs the board, fundraising, and administrative responsibilities, and networks to learn from other organizations.