“Joining Copper Rose Zambia at a young age has helped me succeed in my Career,”- Chimwemwe Chitambala
Ever since I graduated from the University of Zambia with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with Economics, I have always been passionate about working with young people especially women because they can achieve great impact in our communities if we address the many barriers they face. Due to my commitment to my passion and hard work, I have been honoured by the Governor of the Bank of Zambia with an award for exceptional contribution to financial literacy for women and young people in Zambia.
Joining Copper Rose Zambia at a very young age has helped me to gain over five years’ experience working with several organisations on issues affecting young people and women. I have been given the opportunity of exposure to see how other young people work in other Non-Governmental Organisations. I am equally excited to have had the opportunity to network and work with organisations such as MasterCard Foundation, Restless Development Uganda, Pollination Project, GirlUp Foundation, Safety First for Girls, UN volunteers and USAID. Am also an alumnus of the University of Delaware under Study in the United States Institutes of Women’s Global Leadership, Social Innovation warehouse and African Women Entrepreneurs Cooperation.
I joined Copper Rose Zambia in 2016 as an Adolescent Health Educator and my roles were to mobilise outreach programs in the community and schools as well as facilitating sessions on Sexual Reproductive Health and Menstrual Health Management. This was the beginning of my voluntary service journey and having joined Copper Rose opened even more doors to other opportunities. However, one of the challenges I faced during my volunteer journey was how to be effective and efficient while being the youngest on the team.
Chimwemwe Chitambala as a Volunteer at Copper Rose Zambia during an outreach in 2017
Furthermore, I served as a part-time Executive Assistant to the CEO and COO at CRZ, which was another great opportunity to work with the most hardworking women and learn as much as I could as a young woman leader. I am currently working as District Coordinator under the USAID CHEKUP 1 project that focuses on HIV prevention and gender-based violence for adolescents.
To have been part of Copper Rose from the very beginning and witnessing its growth , is a good example that women are capable, to have seen the effort that the co-founders have put from the start up to date shows that if you put your mind to something you will achieve it.
I have acquired several skills throughout my work with Copper Rose Zambia, especially the time I served as a volunteer. This built my skills in public speaking, community mobilisation, meaningful engagement of young people and overall basic programming for youth-led organisations. I must say I was privileged to have been mentored by Dr. Natasha who always took time out of her busy schedule to provide guidance and support throughout my journey as a volunteer.
One thing I really like and appreciate about CRZ is that the work environment is a youthful space that allows you to be the best of your abilities and an opportunity to learn as you share your experiences. Being a full-time employee has its own amazing learning experience and I hope to further strengthen my skills to support adolescents and young people. As much as I have not experienced any major challenges, I have learnt that every new journey comes with change which calls for adaptation of skills which can drive you out of your comfort zone.
As I conclude sharing my remarkable journey with CRZ, I would like to encourage young people to never overlook the work you do in the background, instead always remember that your work will always speak for you.
A current photo of Chimwemwe Chitambala as a member of staff at Copper Rose Zambia .
