Meet a Changemaker: Zamanganga Mbatha (Zama Shozi) MBE, Head of the Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities Unit at Royal Docks Academy

For more than 21 years, Zama has dedicated her career to the dynamic landscape of Newham. While her roles have varied, supporting and teaching teenagers with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has always been at the core of what she does. She feels passionately about connecting children and young people to their food, and has introduced a gardening initiative at Royal Docks Academy, where children who are experiencing mental and emotional challenges find solace in hands-on gardening and food-growing activities. In January 2024, Zama was awarded an MBE for services to Teenagers with Learning Difficulties in the London Borough of Newham.