Our Leadership

Andrew Williams has 35 years’ experience of direct work with children and young people, in a wide range of settings. He was born in Uganda and studied for an MA Hons at Edinburgh University and for an MSc in Applied Social Studies at the University of Oxford. He trained and qualified as a Probation Officer and in 1996 accepted an invitation to Kampala, along with his wife, Katina to develop what was a football club for street boys into a professional social work organisation. RETRAK (formerly The Tigers Club Project) was registered in 1997. To widen impact and reflect significant changes, the charity was rebranded and formally launched as RETRAK in 2005, when Andrew relocated to Nairobi, Kenya to enable expansion. Operations began in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the same year and in 2006 Andrew received the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) from the late Queen Elizabeth II for services to disadvantaged children. Andrew moved to the UK in 2008 and combined an acting career with consultancy, advocacy, training and support for child-focussed NGOs. His first book, ‘Working with Street Children’ was published in 2011 in order to share lessons learned and inspire others to fulfil a vision of a world in which every child has dignity and no chid is forced to live on the street. In 2017, RETRAK merged with Hope for Justice, an international anti-trafficking organisation committed to ending modern slavery. The work in Uganda and Ethiopia continues to enable those enslaved or at risk of exploitation to find freedom and opportunity. Andrew is a member of the International Board of Trustees. ENDORSEMENT OF RISEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT and LEADERSHIP TRAINING at KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY, April 2025 I am happy to commend Risen Sustainable Development, led by Emmanual Buyinza who I have known for twenty years. He has worked tirelessly in the service of others and has overcome many challenges in order to establish Risen Sustainable Development as a registered organisation, seeking to restore hope to vulnerable women and children and to equip and empower rising leaders with integrity and skills. The Leadership Training, in association with the National Association of Social Workers, is an exciting initiative to broaden the impact of both organisations. The vision is to nurture leadership skills, integrity and best practice in order to transform families, communities and the nation as a whole. For that, I wholeheartedly endorse this venture and trust it will become a trail-blazer for future training and the rising up of leaders in all spheres, who serve the people they are entrusted with in an honourable and accomplished way.