Meet Our Leaders
Paul Brooks (Executive Chairman) has been up to his neck in charitable work for over 40 years. Describing himself as a “committed, but rather faltering, follower of Jesus”, his constant prayer is “Your kingdom come”, which he sees as bringing help and hope to hurting, despairing, anguished people, whoever and wherever they may be. “To me, Root and Branch Change is the culmination of decades of hard lessons learned through countless opportunities to participate in the transformation of lives in many parts of the world. And one of the greatest of those lessons is the realisation that the big, powerful people are not the biggest change-makers – it’s the small, ordinary, humble people, and even those who are damaged”, says Paul.
John Spence (Trustee) is Youth Minister in the Parish of Great Chesham, UK. He is a big believer in the lasting benefits of giving young people, and older people, too, the opportunity to experience the transforming impact of stepping beyond the normal "safe zone" to serve those in need. He has played a pivotal role in mobilising scores of people from the UK to help bring positive and lasting change in Munsieville and in those who go there to serve the community. John is married to Dani and they are parents to a lively young son.
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Sue Brooks (Trustee and Finance Officer) has been married to Paul since 1977 and as well as involvement in many of the initiatives referred to in his profile above, she made advising young people on their careers her own career, developing a specialism in supporting young people with special needs to discover their way of making a contribution to society after they emerged from school-age provision. Sue is the Pastoral Care Coordinator at St Mary's Church, Chesham (one of our key partner churches) and is a gifted administrator and has a highly-effective listening ear.
Oratile Tshukudu (Development Consultant and Leader of the Ga O Nosi [You Are Never Alone] Project in Munsieville South Africa.) As a devoted public health enthusiast, she is driven by a passion for maternal and child health. She joined the Root and Branch Change in October 2023, operating from our base at Hope Park, Munsieville. With a compassionate heart and a great listening ear, which she attributes to her strong Christian faith, she is always ready to lend a helping hand, especially for young people in crisis. Her dedication to empowering communities has led her to develop and implement impactful programmes in South Africa, including menstrual hygiene initiatives for young girls and health education workshops for children.