Rescue Mission Zambia (RMZ)

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Cherise Makubale is RMZ Goodwill Ambassador

2003 Big Brother Africa winner Cherise Makubale has been appointed Rescue Mission Zambia Goodwill Ambassador to help the organisation with its publicity and promotion. She gladly accepted her position and she has set her eyes in working with the organisation especially on promoting the Youth SPEARHEAD project.

In the first edition of Big Brother Africa, the winner turned out to be pre-show favourite Cherise Makubale from Zambia. In popular voting, which was conducted as "one vote per country," Cherise received six of the 13 votes and was the only finalist to win more than two. In Zambia and the rest of Africa, she is a huge celebrity who pulls crowds and that, added to her youthful age, prompted RMZ to ask her to be our Goodwill Ambassador.

She is shown here meeting people's heroes Nelson Madiba Mandela (above) and Kenneth Kaunda (below) alongside South African actors Tshepo Maseko and Hlubi Mboya. In the photoes below, left she is shown celebrating her winner of the continental reality TV show which brought her a US $ 100 000 windfall. On the right, she is attending to children on one of her many charity initiatives.

Rescue Mission Zambia shall in turn produce content for the Cherise Kids Park for free in the areas of Education, Environment, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights owing to its past experience.

Rescue Mission Zambia Appoints Board

The leadership structure of RMZ has changed.

The RMZ board has been constituted and its members are as follows:

1. Kufamuyeke Munyinda - Board Chair

He is the CEO of NEXT Technology a prominent ICT Trading Company and Microsoft partner for Zambia. He was instrumental in the Zambia ICT Policy formulation process. He is also a member of Southern Africa Enterprise Network Executive Committee.

2. Harriet Muyoyeta Simui - Board Member

She is the Deputy Librarian at the University of Zambia and so one of the females in high position in the institution. She is involved in the Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information (PERI) and International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications and also local ICT activities.

3. Mr. Godfrey Munsanje - Board Treasurer

Mr. Munsanje is the Human Resources manager for Zambia Sugar Company which is the leading sugar manufacturing company. He worked for Standard Chartered bank as Human Resources Manager for many years before joining Zambia Sugar last year. He is active in social activities and AIDS projects.

4. Rev Abednego Mambwe - Board Member

He is the Executive Director of New Vision for Africa, which is a partner of the World Computer Exchange of USA. New Vision for Africa leads the Computer Aid Zambia which is a start up educational initiative whose mission is to provide basic computer equipment and connect poor and underprivileged youth under the age of 20 in marginalized communities of Zambia to the Internet. The other members of this partnership are: DANIDA, E – Brain, Ernst and Young, Government of Ireland, IICD, Information Development Fund, Microlink Technologies, Pact – Zambia, Panos Institute Of Southern Africa, Partnership Forum, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, and the Zambia Ministry Of Transport And Communication.

5. Mr. Humphrey Mwale - Board Member

He is a Senior Inspector in the Waste Management Unit of the Environmental Council of Zambia. He is an expert in Environmental matters and has a background in civil society. He has a history of youth activism too. he has represented Zambia at a number of environmental events.

6. Mr. Victor Mbumwae - Board Member

He is currently working in the Ministry of Communications and Transport as the chief focal point and coordinator for the National ICT Policy formulation process. He is an IT/GIS Expert and he has worked in the Ministry of Environment, Tourism and Natural Resources, he is a member of the Surveyors Institute of Zambia and the International Federation of Surveyors. He also worked for the Environmental Information Network & Monitoring System of the Environmental Support Programme in Lusaka.

7. Mrs. Emelda Mwanza - Board Member

She is a secondary school teacher who has taught at a number of locally important schools including Kamwala, Kings Highway and Munali in Lusaka. She has also taught in other towns such as Mumbwa and Kabwe. She is also a qualified Social Worker who is involved in civil society. Her areas of work include HIV/AIDS.

Ex-Officio Board Member (Secretary) and Executive Director

He is the founder of Rescue Mission Zambia and he worked as its National Coordinator from 1998 to 2005. He now assumes the role of the head of the RMZ staff or administrators who collectively are called the management team. On the Board the Executive Director is a non-voting member and he is the Board Secretary.

Advisory Panel to the Board

This shall be a constitutional panel and standing in nature. It shall help in the orientation of the board, recruiting of new members and in resolving conflicts. It will also help staff and the youth executive committee in its work. They will attend Board Meetings when available but will not have voting rights.

The following are members of the panel:

1. Dr. Lemba Nyirenda - Chair and Chief Trustee

He is the Chief Technical Advisor and Coordinator for the UNIDO/UNEP/GEF/MOE Rural Renewable Energy ICT Teleconnectivity Project in Zambia. He is also the Technical Advisor to ZESCO Board and the Energy Regulation Board. Currently he is also the Chairman of the Engineers Registration Board under the Engineering Institution of Zambia ACT.

2. Mr. Jerome Kawesha

He is now the Government and Carriers Services Manager for Celtel Zambia, the largest and leading Mobile telecoms entity in Zambia. He has worked in other companies and organizations like Mobil Zambia and is a Rotarian.

3. Mr J. Munsaka, CEO of ZAMNET

He is the Managing Director of ZAMNET Communications Ltd, the first and biggest ISP in Zambia. He is active in a number of ICT and education initiatives. Prior to joining ZAMNET, he worked as the University of Zambia Computer Centre Director. He is also for the Zambian Consolidated Copper Mines.

National Youth Advisory Council

This will be a formal panel which shall ensure youth and children issues are adequately covered in all programmes and projects. The councillors shall be 15, 8 from outside Lusaka province (one per province) and 7 from within Lusaka who shall meet often but be in touch with their colleagues. Rural youth shall be given preference and females too.

Selection shall be done in late June and names shall appear here in July.

International Advisory Panel

This will be an informal panel and will be very much loose in nature. We have actually had this in existence already.

Names shall follow in July.

Management Team

The management team shall do the day-to-day work of the NGO. With time and resources, the team shall form the staff and will be full-time and paid. Currently the team is made up of volunteers.

By the end of the week, all management team members shall be listed here.

Support for the Youth SPEARHEAD Project Grows

Support from the general public to our project is promising. The Area Member of Parliament for Nangoma Constituency, where one deliverable under our Youth SPEARHEAD project shall be based, Hon. Kennedy Mpolobe Shepande, has officially endorsed our project and has agreed to be the Project Patron in Nangoma. Hon. Shepande is also The Deputy Minister for Works and Supply in the Zambian government. This is important because it ensures sustainability of the project as this will ensure that project receives recognition at the highest level of government and hence have needed publicity and resources next year onwards.

Further we have meetings with a number of private sector organisations coming up. All the meetings are coming up this week on funding for Youth SPEARHEAD. Watch this space for new sponsors. Last week we met officers at UNDP and we are now discussing with them possible funding for next year, since this years budget is already done, to ensure sustainability after OSISA funding (The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa has pledged support already).