Who We Are
Trustees & UK Team
Alex and Claire van Straubenzee MBE
Trustees - Henry's parentsAs Henry's parents, Alex and Claire were very keen to establish a lasting memorial to his life. What started as a one off donation to the school in Uganda, where Henry was destined to teach, has grown into over 1,800 separate projects in 51 different schools by the end of 2024.
Thomas and Charlie van Straubenzee
Trustees - Henry's brothersHenry was the middle brother of the three children of Alex and Claire. Thomas and Charlie have been to Uganda on a number of occasions and have visited all the HvSMF schools. They are active trustees.
Ed Browne
Trustee
Lucy Straker
Trustee
Charlie Savory
Trustee
Sue Macpherson
ARPS – Charity PhotographySue has accompanied us on our annual trips to Uganda since 2010. She is a qualified photographer who grew up in Africa.
Richard Lebon
FRGSAdvisor on Africa and developing countries. Richard is a chartered engineer with a background in both engineering and humanitarian sectors, including in countries such as DRC, Kenya, Haiti and Pakistan, and brings a wealth of knowledge and valuable advice to our charity.
Our Team in Uganda
Malcolm [Budge] Burridge
Projects Director - UgandaBudge was appointed to this role during 2012. He is responsible for all our school projects and for organising our funds in Uganda.
He is also responsible for the day to day management of our teams of builders and painters and is a point of contact for any volunteers. Budge served for 24 years in the Parachute Regiment and afterwards specialised in security management worldwide. More recently he gained extensive experience of construction projects in Eastern Africa while working in the area.
Bryony Burridge
Charity AdministratorBryony is married to Budge and has worked and lived in Jinja since 2004. She is a qualified Engineer with many years building experience.
She assists with the charity’s administration and produces the drawings and plans for all our future building projects. She also has overall control of our accounts in Uganda.
Godfrey Samanya Sajjabi
Charity AmbassadorGodfrey was headmaster of Bupadhengo Primary School until his retirement in 2017. During his tenure, Bupadhengo was the best performing school in Kamuli District on numerous occasions. He has 34 years experience as a teacher in Uganda and had been a headmaster for over 20 years. He was also chairman of the Kamuli District Head Teachers Association. In 2016, Godfrey was awarded the Ugandan Independence Medal by President Museveni, for "Excellent professional and public relations performance in the field of education." He is the Charity Ambassador who assists Budge with all building projects at our schools. Most importantly he is the link between HvSMF, the school head teachers and the Ugandan Schools authorities, part of the Ministry of Education and Sport, whose support is vital to the Charity.
Douglas Gracious Kaija
Charity Projects AssistantDouglas joined HvSMF in January 2013 as the supervisor to our painting team. He is a professional painter, originally from Kampala, who has worked for Budge and Bryony in the past. All paintwork has improved measurably and all our buildings are now painted to a standard design. Also, since he has been a member of our team in Uganda, costs have decreased as purchasing is better controlled. Recently he has been promoted to assist both Budge and Godfrey with all building projects.
James and Noah
Building ContractorsTheir teams of builders are highly skilled and very experienced in all school building projects. Overall, we have approximately 80 builders working for the HvSMF and that does not include the roofers, the carpenters and the painters.