About Us

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – William Butler Yeats

Guided by this philosophy, Helen Nsunge De Jonghe is an experienced education professional, project manager, and social impact leader dedicated to transforming lives through learning. As Co-Founder and Board Chairperson of Foundational Steps Matter, she leads initiatives that strengthen foundational learning, promote mentorship, and empower children, youth, and communities to reach their full potential. With a background in teaching, literacy development, and educational program management, Helen has worked with organizations including Room to Read Zambia and the Peace Corps Zambia, championing quality education and sustainable community development. Her passion lies in inspiring lifelong learning, building opportunities for growth, and creating lasting positive change.

Benny Mwaanga is a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), Programme Management and Education Sector Specialist with over 20 years of experience in programme management, MEL systems, evidence generation and education-sector development in Zambia. He has held senior roles with USAID/Zambia, the Ministry of Education, CMMB Zambia and the US Peace Corps Zambia, supporting programme design, monitoring and evaluation, research, data quality, learning and institutional capacity strengthening.

Matongo Mundia is a PMP-certified project management, water security, environmental health and environmental governance professional with over 20 years of experience leading climate resilience, environmental management and donor-funded development programmes. His experience includes strengthening water, sanitation and environmental health in schools, alongside project oversight, stakeholder engagement, donor coordination and policy implementation across government, development partners and civil society. He has a strong interest in healthy, safe, sustainable and climate-resilient school environments.

Thierry De Jonghe is an experienced educator and community development advocate with a strong commitment to supporting vulnerable children and families. After many years of teaching at Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege in Malle, Belgium, he devoted much of his personal time to volunteer service, including supporting people living with multiple sclerosis, assisting immigrant children with homework, co-founding the non-profit organization iThemba, and serving as a family coach for Red Cross Tracing.

Between 2001 and 2009, Thierry regularly visited Kasisi Children’s Home in Zambia during his school holidays, developing a lasting connection with the country and its communities. In 2010, he relocated to Zambia, where he continued his involvement with child welfare initiatives, including Kasisi Children’s Home and Mulungushi Family Center in Kabwe. Today, he serves as an active board member of Foundational Steps Matter (FSM), contributing his experience and passion to supporting children and families through community-based development programs

Marggie Chibwe-Beel is an experienced educator and school leader with over 25 years of teaching and leadership experience in international and private schools across Zambia, Zimbabwe, Suriname, and Cambodia. She has held key leadership roles, including Head of Primary School at Pestalozzi Education Centre, where she led school operations, supervised teaching staff, managed academic programs, and strengthened parent engagement.

In addition to her leadership responsibilities, Marggie has taught Science, Biology, Geography, and Mathematics across primary and secondary levels, including Cambridge IGCSE, O-Level, AS, and A-Level programs. She has also contributed to school improvement initiatives as Chairperson of the AdvancED Governance and Leadership Accreditation Committee at Suriname International School and led international partnership programs as Chairperson of the Twinning Committee at Helen Kaunda High School.