THE HEART OF WHO WE ARE

Big Change Starts With Bold Belief

We’re working to educate poverty out of existence — one school, one student, and one community at a time.

We Started With One School — Now We’re Building a Movement

In 2008, two young Australians, Annabelle Chauncy OAM and David Everett OAM, saw firsthand how a lack of access to education was keeping communities trapped in poverty. But they didn’t want to give handouts — they wanted to create lasting solutions.

So they partnered with local leaders in Uganda to build a school that offered more than just academics. A place where children could learn, eat, grow, and be cared for. Where teachers were respected, and communities were transformed.

From that first school, School for Life has grown into a dynamic network of education, training, healthcare and livelihood support across East Africa — reaching over 4,500 people through a model that’s both locally led and globally supported.

A smiling female student in a green shirt raising her hand in a classroom with other students, a blackboard in the background, and books on her desk.
Students in a classroom reading and discussing books, with sunlight coming through windows and a man standing in the background.

Our Vision

To educate poverty out of existence.

Our Mission

To partner with and empower emerging communities around the world to educate as many children as possible — and to achieve lasting self-determination through sustainable, scalable infrastructure and capacity-building.

What That Looks Like

We believe every child deserves more than a uniform and a classroom. That’s why our schools are hubs for change — providing meals, medical care, mentorship, vocational training, on-site accommodation, adult education, and more.

It’s holistic. It’s community-led. And it works.

Explore our model

HOW WE WORK

Our model is built on three key pillars

Relationships

Real change happens together. We work shoulder to shoulder with communities, educators, donors and supporters around the world.

Rigour

Every dollar is tracked. Our funding model is transparent, independently audited, and backed by strong financial governance.

Real-World Impact

We don’t just educate — we transform. Our graduates are building better futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Meet the People Behind the Mission

From Uganda to Australia, our team is united by a shared belief: that education has the power to change everything.

A smiling woman in a blue shirt hugging three children, two girls and one boy, outdoors with other children in the background.
A large diverse group of people attending a School for Life graduation ceremony in Uganda, sitting closely together and paying attention
A woman with dark hair smiling and holding a young boy with a backpack, both are happy, outside a school building with children in the background.
A woman and several children in a colorful classroom, smiling and waving at the camera.

Annabelle Chauncy OAM

(Founding Director & CEO)

Annabelle grew in up in rural New South Wales and completed a Bachelor of Arts/Law at Sydney University. Her passion lies in developing and implementing strategy, governance, business development, fundraising and speaking to promote the work of the Foundation.

Annabelle is the recipient of numerous awards, including:

  • The Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2015.

  • Sydney University Alumni of the Year for Service to Humanity in 2016.

  • NSW Young Woman of the Year in 2015.

  • A finalist in the Audi In Style 'Women of Style' Charity category in 2016.

  • Women of the Future Award - Australian Women’s Weekly and Qantas in 2014.

  • Paul Harris Fellow awarded by Rotary International in 2014.

  • A finalist in 2 categories of the NSW Telstra Businesswomen's Awards 2013 for Business Innovation and Young Businesswoman.

  • A smiling woman with dark hair, wearing a beige collared shirt and a delicate gold necklace, against a dark background.

    Jessica Ledieu

    HEAD OF PROJECTS, PHILANTHROPY

  • A young woman smiling and hugging a young boy, both with joyful expressions, outside in front of a wooden wall and a red window.

    Laura Byrne

    HEAD OF OPERATIONS

  • A smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing earrings and a black T-shirt that says 'School for Life Foundation' stands outdoors in front of a leafy green background.

    Amy Priestly

    GLOBAL HEAD OF IMPACT

  • A young woman with shoulder-length dark hair smiling outdoors among tropical plants, wearing a black t-shirt with a logo that says 'School For Life Foundation'.

    Zoe Brigstocke

    EVENTS AND EXPERIENCES COORDINATOR

  • A smiling woman with blonde hair wearing a blue top, standing outdoors with green bushes and trees in the background.

    Tamara Wikaruk

    PHILANTHROPY MANAGER

  • A young man in formal attire, wearing a black suit, light blue shirt with small dots, and a black tie, standing against a plain white background.

    Ibrahim Bayondo

    HEAD TEACHER, MBAZZI PRIMARY SCHOOL

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    Paulyn Ruth Alupo

    COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING OFFICER

  • A smiling woman with short hair and blue earrings, wearing a light gray blouse with puffed sleeves, stands outdoors with green trees and yellow flowers in the background.

    Lyn Tumwine

    COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OFFICER

  • A man in a light purple button-up shirt and dark blue polka dot tie, standing against a plain white background.

    Joseph Kaabunga

    HEAD TEACHER, KATUUSO PRIMARY SCHOOL

  • A smiling woman with dark curly hair wearing a red and white striped dress standing outdoors with a yellow wall, a palm tree, and a blue sky in the background.

    Prossy Tophista Amono

    MONITORING AND EVALUATION OFFICER

  • A man with dark skin, short hair, and a slight beard, wearing a gray button-up shirt with a small logo on the left chest, standing against a plain white background.

    Fred Ssembeguya

    HEAD TEACHER, MBAZZI SECONDARY SCHOOL

  • A woman with short braided hair, wearing a purple sleeveless top, smiling and crossing her arms, standing outdoors in front of a yellow building and a metal gate.

    Mary Kevine Akoth

    HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES

  • A man in a blue blazer and white shirt standing in front of a yellow building with decorative window framing.

    Elisha Bwambale

    HEAD OF OPERATIONS

  • A man wearing a white shirt and dark tie standing outside in front of a yellow wall with a tropical background.

    Samuel Woko

    TERTIARY PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER

Australian Board of Directors

  • A woman with long blonde hair wearing a navy blue blouse with a bow tie, smiling at the camera.

    Adrienne Revai — Chair

    Adrienne holds a Bachelor of Arts/Law degree from the University of Sydney. She worked as a lawyer before moving into the corporate sector where she has held legal, risk and commercial roles in Australia, Asia and the US. Most recently, she was the Chief Operating Officer for JLL Australia, a global real estate services firm. During this time, she was also involved as an Implementation Leader for the Property Male Champions of Change initiative to drive greater gender equality and increase the number of women in leadership in the property industry.

    Adrienne is an Independent Member of the Trustee Governance Committee for QIC Real Estate which has a focus on propelling sustainable returns for its investors and enhancing the communities in which it operates. Adrienne is a non-executive director of Evolve FM Pty Limited, a commercial facilities management and project management company created to maximise outcomes for indigenous Australians.

    She is also a non-executive director of Beehive Industries Cooperative Limited, a social enterprise focussed on alleviating the consequences of social isolation predominantly amongst older person, those living with a disability and the long term unemployed. She is Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of Chief Executive Women.

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    Artur Kaluza (Non-Executive Director)

    Artur is the Head of Strategy and Digital - Information Delivery - Risk at ANZ. He has over seventeen years of experience with broad cross industry and functional exposure including automobile industry, mining, IT, telecommunications, management consulting and financial services both internationally and in Australia. Artur’s expertise is in strategy, business transformation and project management. He is a big picture thinker and problem solver with recognised analytical and critical thinking skills. He spent 2 months at School for Life in July 2017 conducting an organisation review and designing our sustainability strategy, then returned to Australia in September and joined the Board of Directors. Art is passionate about creating a sustainable SFL organisation that will provide the advantage of education for many generations to come. 

  • A man with short brown hair and a beard, smiling, wearing a dark gray blazer over a blue shirt, against a dark gray background.

    Simon Goff (Non-Executive Director)

    Simon is the Global Managing Director for Purpose, a leading international social impact agency and campaigning organisation that collaborates with philanthropy, non-profits, businesses and activists to build and support movements for an open, just, and habitable world. He has developed and led projects with clients including The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the LEGO Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Google, Luminate Group, Unilever and the World Health Organization on issues including early childhood development, digital rights, climate change, avoidable blindness, and women’s empowerment. Prior to Purpose, Simon spent over a decade working at the intersection of media and social change. After joining Viacom International in London to work on MTV’s social responsibility initiatives, Simon co-founded the MTV EXIT Foundation, an independent non-profit organization based in London and Bangkok committed to ending human trafficking and exploitation, becoming its Chief Executive in 2009. In 2013, Simon became Executive Director of FilmAid International, an organization that uses the power of film and media to bring life-saving information, psychological relief and empowerment to refugees.

  • Black and white close-up portrait of a smiling man with short hair and a beard, wearing a dark shirt, against a plain white background.

    Michael Muehlheim (Non-Executive Director)

    Michael’s core belief is that every person in the world has an equal right to education; it is this mission that ultimately led Michael to becoming a board member of School for Life Foundation. Michael is an adviser with Macquarie Private Bank, providing strategic and investment advice to a concentrated group of entrepreneurs and their families.  Michael joined the board in September 2017.

  • A man smiling, wearing a purple checkered shirt, with short black hair, against a plain white background.

    James Centenera (Non-Executive Director)

    James is a serial entrepreneur and strategy leader with experience building, leading, and transforming organisations across the Asia-Pacific region. He is passionate about developing and scaling innovations that positively impact society, particularly in the education sector. He currently leads strategy development for the Catholic Schools in Canberra and Goulburn. He also acts as a Senior Adviser with Acasus helping support education reforms and transformations around the world with government agencies such as UNESCO and social sector organisations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And he is also the Chair of TULA Philippines, an edtech social enterprise focused on affordable holistic after-school learning that he co-founded in 2015.

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    Ben Colman (Non-Executive Director)

    Ben has worked as both marketer and agency across such a diverse range of sectors that he has acquired instinctive strategic skills and a unique blend of commercial and creative abilities. He has strong FMCG and Finance experience and a passion for forging enduring client relationships and exceptional account service. Ben is currently the Chief Marketing Officer at Exetel. Ben joined the board in March 2016.

  • A middle-aged man with glasses and a bald head wearing a dark suit, light blue shirt, and patterned tie, standing indoors with blurred windows in the background.

    Craig White (Non-Executive Director)

    Craig is a global executive with more than 35 years of Australian and international experience across numerous countries, most recently over the past 4 years in the healthcare sector. For the last 4 years Mr White has served as the Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of GenesisCare, the leading global provider of radiation oncology services, solutions and insights, with operations and an international presence spanning Australia, the US, the UK and Spain. Prior to joining GenesisCare, Craig held similar roles with The Coca-Cola Company, both in Sydney and Jakarta, Billabong International Limited, the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) and the Australian College of Training & Employment (ACTE).

Ugandan Board Of Directors

  • A man dressed in a blue suit with a white shirt and a black tie with a crest, standing outdoors in front of a rocky background with greenery.

    John Mark Muwangala (Chairman)

  • Portrait of an older African American woman with short curly hair, wearing glasses with dark blue frames, a gold chain necklace, earrings, and a bright green top, standing against a plain white wall.

    Bati Kawooya (Company Secretary)

  • Portrait of a woman with short black hair, glasses, and jewelry, wearing a light blue blazer, against a white background.

    Grace Christine Obonyo Kyayonka

  • A smiling woman with blonde hair tied back, wearing a black t-shirt that says 'School for Life Foundation,' standing in a classroom with two young boys in the background.

    Annabelle Chauncy (Founding Director)

Want to be part of something bigger?

We believe lasting change starts with relationships. Whether you’re a donor, partner, volunteer or advocate — there’s a place for you here.

Get in Touch