No Barriers Education Foundation Inc (NoBarriers) is a small Australian, not-for-profit organisation with the purpose of “assisting Zimbabwean children and youth to overcome barriers to education, to encourage their learning and to create opportunities for them to thrive”. It represents a group of individual supporters, who value education and feel strongly that education should be accessible by all. It is apolitical and does not have any religious affiliations.
NoBarriers is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. It has Deductible Gift Recipient status. Donations are tax deductible. NoBarriers is operated entirely by volunteers; donations go directly to initiatives which further its cause.
Our Mission
We want children and youth in rural Zimbabwe to reach their full potential in life: We assist them to overcome barriers to education, encourage their learning and create opportunities for them to thrive.
We share the values of the Australian Council for International Development. These values guide our conduct with the communities we support in Zimbabwe, the communities who support us in Australia and the partners we collaborate with:
INTEGRITY:
We act with honesty and are guided by ethical principles in all that we do: when raising funds, when working with school communities in Zimbabwe, when selecting partner organisations and contractors to assist us in the delivery of our initiatives and when measuring and reporting on their implementation and impact.
RESPECT:
We are committed to treating others with respect for their rights and dignity. We aim to reverse the dis-empowering impact of poverty on children’s and youth’s sense of self-worth and nurture them to grow entitled to quality education and opportunities in life.
EQUITY:
We are committed to overcoming prejudices and disadvantage and to promoting fair and just access to education. We provide support at school community level, so that all of its students shall benefit. When support is provided to individual children, it is done based on an objective assessment of their situation and need.
ACCOUNTABILITY:
We take responsibility for our actions and are accountable to all our stakeholders, but in particular, to vulnerable children in the disadvantaged communities we support.
TRANSPARENCY:
We openly share information about our Foundation and its work with our stakeholders and with the public. Our financial systems are maintained at the highest level of transparency and accountability.
EFFECTIVENESS:
We strive to deliver outcomes that bring about positive change in the lives of the children in the school communities we support. We assess the impact of our initiatives by measuring and reporting tangible change over time.
COOPERATION:
We work with and alongside others respecting their diversity and difference in the pursuit of common goals. We initiate apolitical partnerships with like minded organisations to maximise outcomes for children in the communities we support.
Our Board of Directors
Col Eardley, Interim Chair (Advisor)
Col has over 36 years of experience as an international, professional director and business executive, skilled in developing and growing businesses successfully and profitably. Notably, she was responsible for turning around three loss making businesses. As the Executive Director of an Australian privately owned, engineering business, she turned around the nonperforming business enabling ASX listing. She was a member of the Executive and Senior Vice President Kvaerner, globally responsible for two engineering divisions and a Non-Executive Director of a UK privately owned recruitment company. In Adelaide she was appointed Deputy Chair Energy Council SA providing high level advice to the Minister of Energy.
She has carried over these skills to assist several NFPs to successfully achieve their objectives: She supported the work of Autism SA in her capacity as Deputy Chair and Chair of its Governance Committee. She was on the Board of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for 6 years as a Non-Executive Director and a Chair/Member of several Committees reporting to the Board.
Col was attracted to No Barriers Education Foundation due to her lifelong strong support for girls’ education. She commenced her work with No Barriers Education Foundation in March 2023 in an advisor capacity assisting the Foundation in organisational change and, specifically, its strategic planning and risk management. Currently, she is the foundation’s Interim Chair.
Kelly Batsiokis, Secretary
Kelly joined No Barriers Education Foundation in 2021 to help disadvantaged children in Zimbabwe. She believes education gives children choices and a better future. She manages NoBarriers’ social media and supports the fundraising effort, showing how donations help the children at our two partner schools through storytelling.
Kelly has been a project officer for the past ten years, working in health promotion, social services, and education to improve the lives of people with chronic diseases. Currently living in Brisbane, she works as a Senior Consultant for a global research organisation, managing an evaluation of a national program for Australian veterans.
Kelly has a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) from the University of Adelaide and qualifications in training and education. She is also an accomplished artist with collectors in Australia and overseas and her love for storytelling is reflected in her artwork (www.kellybatsiokisart.com). Kelly has previously donated artwork to raise funds for NoBarriers..
Andrew Stevens, Finance Director / Treasurer
Andrew Stevens is a dedicated professional with a rich background in accounting and finance. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Andrew emigrated to Australia in 2003, where he has since built a strong career. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from the University of Adelaide, completed in 2008, and a Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting from the Chartered Accounting Institutes of Australia and New Zealand.
Andrew’s career began at Deloitte, where he spent nine years in Assurance & Advisory. His tenure at Deloitte saw him working across multiple states in Australia and undertaking international secondments in the United Kingdom and Canada. During this time, Andrew gained valuable experience in a variety of industries, including wine, agriculture, mining, and infrastructure.
Currently, Andrew serves as the Financial Controller at Flinders Port Holdings, a pivotal organisation that owns and operates seven of South Australia’s ten deep-water ports, and provides essential port-related services for the remaining three. Recently, Andrew has taken on the role of Corporate Development Manager within the Commercial department at Flinders Port Holdings, where he will be instrumental in driving strategic development projects for the Group.
Andrew’s personal journey from Zimbabwe to Australia and his professional achievements make him a passionate advocate for education and opportunity. His involvement with No Barriers Education Foundation Inc. is driven by his commitment to giving back and helping others overcome obstacles to achieve their educational goals. Andrew’s expertise and dedication make him a valuable asset to our Foundation, bringing a wealth of experience and a strategic mindset to our financial and developmental endeavours.
Ringisai (Langton) Nyasha, Country Director, Zimbabwe
Langton is a qualified and certified builder, born and educated in Harare, Zimbabwe. He holds several trade qualifications. Over the past 16 years he has been a building contractor working for commercial and residential clients across Zimbabwe.
In 2019, he constructed a community library on the grounds of a primary school in the Muzarabani District, Mashonaland Central. During that time and during follow-up work in the District, he formed strong relationships with the local communities. Langton – feeling a strong desire to support disadvantaged local communities – decided to offer his local knowledge and ability to navigate an everchanging Zimbabwean operating environment to the No Barriers Education Foundation.
Langton was appointed in December 2020 as Country Director, Zimbabwe and since then has worked on liaising with local communities and government authorities. He co-ordinates a small NoBarriers team in Zimbabwe and works together with the Managing Director on the local implementation of NoBarriers’ initiatives.
Sigrid Pfaffle, Executive Director
Sigrid has worked as a management consultant for many years in Australia assisting corporate and public sector clients. More recently, she has worked in health, community and international development and humanitarian assistance internationally and in Australia.
For several years, Sigrid worked in Jordan as Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, Middle East and North Africa for Caritas Switzerland. She also implemented a scholarship and school fee support program in rural Zimbabwe. Prior to this, she worked as an advisor to the Philippine Red Cross in Manila.
In the first year of the pandemic 2020, she was approached by the principals of two secondary schools in the Muzarabani District, Zimbabwe seeking assistance to support their students. This approach triggered the inception of the Foundation.
Sigrid was appointed Managing Director, No Barriers Education Foundation in December 2020.
Eddie Sandrini, Director
Eddie Sandrini is an engineer with over 40 years of experience in design and construction management across a range of engineering sectors. He brings a thorough understanding of the project delivery process, including the management of risk, quality and safety to any of his assignments. He has worked across the building, infrastructure, and energy sectors throughout Australia. Eddie has a degree in Civil Engineering (Honours) and an MBA from the University of Adelaide.
Eddie, is a keen cyclist and as such, he has contributed to NoBarriers bicycle initiative for several years. His appreciation of the freedom a bike delivers and his desire to free-up children from the drudgery of daily long walks to school motivated him to join the NoBarriers’ Board in 2023. He is the organizer of NoBarriers annual “Ride for Bikes” community cycling event, to generate funds for the distribution of sturdy bikes to newly enrolled long-distance students.
No Barriers Education Foundation, ABN 12 585 031 991, 4 Loma Linda Grove, Wattle Park SA 5066, Australia