Emma Wood (Chair), a Senior Lecturer at Queen Margaret University (QMU), first visited STEKA in Malawi in 2016. Inspired by the knowledge, capability, energy and vision of Godknows and Helen Maseko (STEKA’s founders and parents) as well as the high self-esteem, ambitious and positive outlook of the STEKA young people, she started to campaign to support the STEKA vision to build a Centre for Vocational Skills and Community Enterprise. STEKA residents Sandra Ndale and Abigail Maseko lived with Emma and her family for 6 months each so they could train at QMU with filmmaker Walid Salhab to get poverty experienced people's voices heard. Gift Thompson lived with her family for 5 years whilst he completed his QMU education on a fee waiver basis. In her academic life, Emma specialises in Critical Dialogue for social justice, and co-produced the unique STEKA Dialogue Groups with a team of young people from the STEKA home - including Sandra, Abigail and Gift. 

 

Christine Hoy (Secretary) is a retired nurse practitioner with experience of working in general practice, the third sector and the Scottish Government. Her particular interests are in inequalities in health, health literacy and strengthening the links between general practice and communities.

 

Gary Zoltie (Treasurer) originally trained as a Chartered Accountant and after qualifying joined a large international brewing company working in senior finance roles over a period of 18 years. He then worked as Finance Director for several other businesses in the FMCG food and drinks sector. He now runs his own property investment and development business in Edinburgh. He is also a mentor to young entrepreneurs setting up in business and is Chairman of the Finance Council at St John The Evangelist Church in Portobello.

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Father Jock Dalrymple

 

Anne Elder is a retired local government policy officer, and has been an active supporter of STEKA and STEKAskills for a number of years. Before becoming a trustee in 2021, Anne visited STEKA in 2019 as a research assistant to Emma Wood, for a project supported by a Scottish Government grant, to develop the Critical Dialogue approach.

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Sally Hinchliffe worked in her family business and then, with her partner, they set up their own business, Bondgate Bakery in Otley. Sally helped establish STEKAskills after she visited STEKA in 2016. 

 

Dr Blessings Kachale is part of a Malawian diaspora group in Edinburgh, her PhD is based on the experiences of young and marginalised groups in Malawi (and she works with NGOs in African countries and Scotland).

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Davie Luhanga is a Malawian singer/song-writer.

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Lisa Luhanga is a Lecturer in Nursing at QMU. She worked for 5 years with VSO in Malawi, lecturing student nurses and midwives at Mzuzu University, working in Mzuzu & St John’s College of Nursing. She has strong connections with the Malawian diaspora and her husband’s family lives in Malawi.

 

Godknows and Helen Maseko are STEKA's inspirational founders and parents. They are described in more detail throughout these pages.

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Kathleen McLoone Bryce

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Gift Thompson joined the STEKA family when he was 14. He received his BA(Hons) in Public Sociology which focusses on community capacity building to bring about social change. He also did an MSc International Management and Leadership. He intends to take a leadership role for the STEKA Centre for Vocational Skills and Community Enterprise to help ensure the future of the Centre. 

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Ayomide Adesanya is a filmmaker and campaigner from Nigeria, who has been a volunteer for STEKAskills in Scotland for over a year. He joined the Board of Trustees in 2024.

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Dr Stefanie Van de Peer is a film historian with a specialism in African and Arab women's cinema. She is a Reader in Film & Media at QMU.

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