Our Story
The Maker Club was founded by Simba Mufunde and Dr Priscah Mufunde, and we are a husband and wife team. It was born out of a deeply personal journey our family went through. As parents of three children, we began asking hard questions early on. If our children went through school the same way we did would they grow into adaptable, confident young people able to thrive in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) 21st-century world?
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In the late 2000s, Zimbabwe was facing severe economic hardship, hyperinflation, and international isolation. We searched widely for educational solutions for our children that were practical, affordable, and relevant to our context. We found none. So we decided to build one.
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“The Maker Club was built by parents for children - because real learning must work in real life - now and in the future.”
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We made the difficult decision to withdraw our children from mainstream schooling and homeschool them. Dr Priscah became their full-time academic tutor in the mornings, while Coach Simba designed hands-on, project-based learning experiences in the afternoons.
Drawing from backgrounds in engineering, technology, and systems thinking, and years of hands-on tinkering with electronics, aeromodelling, and mechanical systems, we created learning environments that develop agency, curiosity, and real problem-solving ability.
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Using locally available and recycled materials, real tools, and later advanced digital fabrication technologies, we developed a STEAM-based approach that allowed our children to learn concepts in engineering, coding, robotics, and artificial intelligence, all within their lived context. The transformation was undeniable. Our children became more confident, capable, and self-directed. Soon, other families began asking if their children could join us. What began as a family solution revealed a much wider need.
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In 2016, we formalised this work and founded The Maker Club as a Social Enterprise. Many of the programs, curricula, and methods we use today are rooted in what we first tested and refined through our own children’s learning journeys. Since then, we have delivered The Maker Club experience in both low-resource and well-resourced environments, with consistent outcomes: learners develop confidence, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and a strong sense of agency.
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Today, The Maker Club is built on a simple truth: Children develop confidence, agency, and transferable skills when learning is hands-on, contextual, and project-based. We have seen this consistently across our own children and many others. For the last ten years, we have lived it. We have tested it. And we are committed to scaling its impact so that more young people across Zimbabwe and Africa can experience an education that prepares them not just to pass exams but to thrive in life.
Meet The Founders
Simbarashe Mufunde "Coach Simba"
is an education innovator, systems thinker, and Co-Founder of The Maker Club.
Being a holder of a BSc (Hons) in Computer Science from the National University of Science and Technology (Zimbabwe), he brings over three decades of experience across entrepreneurship, technology, engineering, and systems leadership, with professional roles spanning IBM, AT&T/NCR, and Econet Wireless in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Kenya, and Lesotho. His background includes systems engineering, information systems management, privacy and information security, business continuity, and large-scale systems integration, work that shaped his understanding of how skills, tools, and human capabilities interact in complex environments.
At The Maker Club, Simba leads learning system design, curriculum architecture, pedagogy development, and scalable delivery models. His work focuses on translating engineering and technology principles into accessible, project-based learning experiences that develop problem-solving abilities, creativity, collaboration, persistence, and curiosity.
In addition to his role at The Maker Club, Simba serves as the National Coordinator for FIRST® LEGO® League Zimbabwe, where he leads the national growth of the world’s largest youth robotics programme and supports the development of long-term STEM pathways aligned with global standards.
Simba’s work is driven by a conviction that education must move beyond content delivery to develop agency, confidence, and the ability to create. As a co-founder, parent, and practitioner, he remains focused on building learning systems that are context-appropriate, scalable, and capable of preparing young people for real-world challenges.
Dr Priscah Mufunde
is a Zimbabwean enterprise builder, teacher educator, and foresight practitioner working at the intersection of STEM learning, entrepreneurship, and future-ready education. A trained medical doctor and Co-Founder of The Maker Club, she is committed to making STEM fun and accessible for young people through engaging, hands-on learning experiences that build both technical capability and essential soft skills.
Dr Priscah is also an AI enthusiast and trainer who equips educators and organisations to use AI responsibly and practically to improve teaching, learning, and productivity. Her work is strengthened by futures thinking, helping her anticipate the skills and mindsets young people will need to thrive in emerging workplaces and designing learning experiences that stay ahead of change.
She is an alumna of the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC) Fellowship Programme and serves as an AWEC Alumnae Board Member. Dr Priscah Mufunde is an Associate Member of the World Futures Studies Federation and a Member of the Association of Professional Futurists.
Dr Priscah Mufunde holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (Honours) from the University of Zimbabwe, alongside an ACCA Diploma in Financial Management. She also earned a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from UNICAF and a Postgraduate Diploma in Research Methods from the University of the Highlands and Islands.