Usually on my trips to Zambia, I’m blown away by the stories of our women entrepreneurs - their determination, their resilience, their ingenuity. And I still was. But this trip left me in awe of a different group of people.

Our unsung heroes: our Zambia staff.

These women and men have been with us for years now, some since the very beginning. They have endured really difficult seasons of financial hardship and uncertainty. Some of our security team have been attacked. Some of our other staff have been robbed. These incredible individuals have walked through fire in their personal lives. And they’ve stuck it out with CiH when we’ve had really hard things to tackle together.

We had our Staff Retreat at a nearby lodge. The lodge offers an array of recreational activities for the day trip, such as fishing and safari and nature walks. After a very busy week, we were all ready to unwind. But we also had plans to discuss our direction and unified vision during some downtime.

We began the discussion with our accomplishments. My Western mindset immediately went to numbers - how many impacted, how many businesses created, percentages and data. But our Zambia staff offered their unique and valuable observations:

Staff members saw themselves as “living proof” that the empowerment model truly changes lives and offered their own testimonies
The entrepreneur training has made an indirect influence on the larger community, benefitting many
Endurance: several staff noted how it is an accomplishment in itself to have pushed through seasons of difficulty while staying unified
“Many will go on to believe there is still hope.”
And perhaps the most significant accomplishment mentioned of them all:
“Loving Others”

These accomplishments are only possible because of our Zambia staff. Sure we are also so grateful for the hundreds of women who have come through our doors, for those solid stats that prove the efficacy of our model. But the day in and day out investment of our staff has produced the most powerful accomplishment: loving others. In a world where it’s easy to feel unloved, unseen, unappreciated, our staff chooses to step out in their roles each and every day to make sure that’s not the case.

They are motivated by love, fueled by hope. Our staff reaches the most remote parts of the city compounds to visit with each entrepreneur, making sure she feels supported, ensuring that she has the training needed to succeed.

These women and men are our unsung heroes. They deserve more than just this post (more details coming on how to bless these incredible people), but I wanted our first follow-up post to be about them.

When it was time to wrap up and go off for fishing or nature walks, the staff refused to go. They said they would rather spend this precious time planning together, gaining a clear vision for what’s ahead, than to go off for the activity. (Don’t worry - we definitely all got to do an amazing safari drive together) But I found that to be a profound testament to who they are. Committed. Determined. Passionate. Not just a job, but a calling. I am honored to work shoulder-to-shoulder with these incredible individuals. Thank you for supporting them as you support Clothed in Hope as they support countless vulnerable women in Zambia.

With Chikondi (Love),
Amy