LivLife People

We’ve got a small core team at LivLife, who you can meet below, but we need to reserve a special mention for our army of LivLifers who are always on hand to offer their time, effort and expertise to the cause. They’re a bit like on-call volunteers really – the real unsung heroes of the charity. If you fancy becoming a LivLifer, drop us an email to hello@livlife.org.

Sam Yates, Founder, Director of Fundraising

It was the research into the socio-cultural effect of tourism on the Maasai which Sam did with Max in 2004 that led to idea of LivLife. Holding a Bachelors Degree in Geography and a Masters Degree in International Development: Project Management from Manchester University, Sam brings a lot of theoretical expertise to LivLife to go with his passion and ideas which form the basis for our strategy and drive LivLife forward. Sam is also responsible for all the fundraising that the charity does from grants to events, so if you have any ideas or would like to be part of the fundraising team, please contact him on sam@livlife.org

Max Griffiths, Founder, Director of Projects

Max has been volunteering on LivLife work since the Maasai asked him and Sam for help in 2004. In 2005 he led a group of students from the University of Nottingham to raise the funds for and then build Meserani Education Centre and since then he has been a programme coordinator, teacher, trustee and adviser, meaning he knows the Centre inside out! With a Bachelors Degree in Geography and a Masters Degree in Education and Development Max as well brings a level of academic expertise and he was appointed as the Executive Director of LivLife in November 2010 having been made one of the winners of the Vodafone World of Difference Programme.

Laura Wells, Trustee

Laura is an accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers and has a great deal of experience working with the finance departments of large national charities. A keen fundraiser since her early years, Laura brings bags of enthusiasm, ideas and professional expertise to the board as well as an ability to fit in more hours of work into a day than anyone else we know. Laura has been involved with LivLife since we officially formed the charity and she has been key in setting up the charity with a firm foundation moving forward.

Peter Shelley, Trustee

Peter joined LivLife as a trustee in January 2010 having taken a keen interest in the charity. Currently working at the British Council in Manchester, Pete brings a wealth of experience from years of working in international development organisations such as Concern, Oxfam and DFID. His experience is going to be key for LivLife as we move forward in this time of development.

Rosie Burbidge, Trustee

Rosie is the legal head on our board of trustees. Having supported and followed the progress of Meserani Education Centre since the seed was planted in 2004, she played an important role in working out the structure of how LivLife would work as a charity, despite travelling in South America at the time. She joined the board of trustees at the same time as Pete in January 2010 and we look forward to her continuing to play a key role for LivLife.

Jennifer Bradshaw, Trustee

As the Head of Literacy at her school, Jen brings some much needed professional teaching experience to the LivLife team. With a keen interest in international education and awareness, Jen has been key in helping her school achieve the International Award and has organised Fairtrade Fortnight activities for the past three years. After graduating from university she taught in China for a few months and did a tour of Eastern Africa where she passed through Meserani and fell in love with Tanzania. She joined the board of trustees in September 2009 and her education expertise is going to be key in ensuring our courses are of the highest standard.

David Adam Project Manager

David is our ears, eyes and brains on the ground! He assists the local staff to get the best from their roles, introduces and facilitates new projects, trains staff, networks, writes funding applications and makes sure we do what we do best; empowering people to make positive change.
David is dedicated and hardworking, he's worked with the local Maasai for many years now and really understands local culture and local people. He's friendly, professional and a vital part of what we do day-to-day.

Roxanne Matthews, Project Manager: Education & Creative

Roxanne has been one of the keenest LivLife supporters and volunteers since we formed and has been out to volunteer at Meserani Education Centre no fewer than three times. Roxanne brings with her a wide variety of expertise from a lifetime involvement with the educational movement Woodcraft Folk and jobs managing outreach programmes for disadvantaged children in South East London and working in the education department at the Wallace Collection in London. She joined the LivLife Tanzania team in March 2010 as a Project Manager on Education & Creative projects, overseeing the expansion of the kindergarten, the development of the after-school programme and the creative side of our income generating activities.