Braden Hintze
Co-founder
Co-founder of Phuka Foundation, working alongside the local Lilongwe team to design programming and recruit the first cohort of students and mentors.
About Phuka
A name that means to sprout. A mission to match.
In Chichewa, phuka means to germinate — for a seed to break through soil and reach toward light. We chose it because it captures everything we believe about young people in Lilongwe: the potential is already there. They just need the right conditions to grow.
High school teaches what to know.
Phuka teaches how to show up.
Why we exist
The skills no one tests, but everyone needs.
Lilongwe is full of bright, motivated high schoolers — students with the ambition to become leaders, professionals, and changemakers. What they often lack isn't ability. It's reps: time to practice speaking, problem-solving, and leading in environments where the stakes are real but the safety net is real too.
Phuka exists to be that environment. An after-school space where students build the soft skills universities and employers reward — through experience, not lectures.
The team
Built by two co-founders. Powered by a community of mentors.
Phuka launched in 2026 with a small founding team and a simple charge: build the after-school learning center we wished every student had access to.
Michael Craig
Co-founder
Co-founder of Phuka Foundation, focused on the foundation's strategy, partnerships, and the remote-mentor program connecting Phuka students with professionals around the world.
We're just getting started.
If our mission resonates, the easiest way to help is to mentor a student remotely. No travel required — just an hour of your week.
Become a mentor →