Easing the burden of faith changemakers in Africa

South Africa 🇿🇦

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What if 1,000 faith changemakers could 10X their contribution in Zambia and Malawi. 

I had flown back home from Ghana at the end of February 2020.  The future was uncertain. Although it was early days of the pandemic, I was worried that the African church was unprepared.

Over time, my fears were confirmed as the church was thrust to the frontline of the pandemic.  Away from the media glare, the idea of "frontline workers" was blurred between the faith community and healthcare workers.

Across the continent, leaders were grappling with increased gender-based violence, depression, and suicide.  Leaders everywhere were stretched. Many were dealing with things they had never dealt with before.

What caused me to take to become a full-time faith changemaker – transforming leadership as the key to an Africa that works for everyone – was the statistics on the effect of Covid on women. 

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2022 said it would take 132 years to close the global gender gap, up from 100 years pre-pandemic. 

Data shows that investment in women leadership has a higher return than that invested in men.  Women are closest to challenges facing communities.  They’re majority of the faith changemakers, scrapping whatever is available to make a difference.  When women step into their leadership - and faith changemaking roles - the results are felt immediately in their families and communities.

I knew that my mission is to create 1 million leaders in 10 countries by 2050 would be a pipedream if we ignored what was happening to the women.  Although there were many leadership programs targeting Africa women, most focused on women in the corporate world.  The influential women leaders I spoke to were excited by the idea of a "rapid leadership intervention" and broadening the target to include marginalized women. To date, over 100 refugee women have attended our programs.

We have trained over 700 women from 25 African countries. The Course – which includes modules in leadership and integrity, resilience, abuse of power, mental wellbeing and forgiveness - is now in its fifth offering.

In 2021, I attended the online Ashoka Faith-Inspired Changemakers Initiative.  Here, I found people of kindred spirit.  From the first session, I knew that I was called to make a difference among Africa's faith changemakers. 

While attending the Ashoka master-class, I reached out to Lake Malawi Anglican University (LAMAU).  I explained to Prof. Lenoard Kamwanja, the Vice Chancellor.  I told him I wanted us to develop a course that would be “the wind beneath the wings of African faith changemakers.” He was in.

“Most African faith changemakers are transforming communities on a wing and a prayer,” Prof Kamwanja said.  “We need to affirm those who have stepped forward and create a strong pull for those considering whether they should be faith changemakers or not.” 

With LAMAU's partnership concluded, I reached out to Reverend Cannon Dennis Milanzi, the Executive Director of Theological Education by Extension in Zambia (TEEZ), an ecumenical program of nine churches. Like Prof. Kamwanja, Rev. Milanzi was enrolled in the first few minutes of our discussion.

In December 2021, with seed investment by Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies, a multi-disciplinary team from several African countries convened to design the course.  In total, 100 faith changemakers have been trained.  Trinity has supported our vision to train 1,000 over the next two years with the goal of amplifying the contribution of African faith changemakers by 10!