Bertha currently lives in Zambia, where she is married with four children. Family is very important to her as it is a key source of inspiration, focus, passion, and hard work. She believes that great societies begin from and are built upon family units. Since young, Bertha has loved sport, and whilst growing up, she tried to play as many sports as possible. She was a little ‘dare devil’ and was always selected to be part of the school team competing in tournaments, both in primary and high school, mostly in swimming, netball, track, and field event. Later in Bertha’s high school years, she became a cross country runner. In addition to her love of sport, she also loves art and crafts – which is a hobby that she is developing and growing into.
Bertha has been in the Non-Profit sector for over 16 years, where she has accumulated a mass of knowledge, through her various organizational roles, making her a valuable part of the Catalyst Foundation.
She has mainly been part of Save the Children International as a ‘Programme/Project Manager’ in the Zambia Country Office, where she manages various programmes across different sectors, including child rights governance, child protection, social protection, adolescent health, and climate change. This role requires Bertha to oversee a programme called ‘Driving Sustainable Change for Children’s Rights’, which is being implemented across 20 districts in 7 provinces of Zambia.Whilst working for Save the Children International, Bertha has been involved in various projects within other organizations as well.
To begin with, she was part of the Society for Women and AIDS in Zambia (SWAZ), which exists to empower, advocate & support women & young people to address issues related to HIV/AIDS. Secondly, Bertha was the ‘Programme/Project Manager’ for Mwabu Zambia – a private education company that supports African primary school teachers with appropriate technology to improve learning outcomes, even in the most challenging of rural areas. Lastly, she was the ‘Project Coordinator’ at Right to Play International, which is an international NGO that uses sport for development.
“I was honored and privileged to become a Trustee of the Catalyst Foundation in December 2022, just before the S.H.E. Programme – Zambia chapter was officially set up. I decided to accept the opportunity to become a Trustee because I am a child rights activist and have been working in the social development sector for most, if not all my professional life. I love working for children and young people, helping them not only to survive, but thrive as well. My passion for my work lies here. The mission and vision of the Catalyst Foundation is well aligned to this; thus, I was very excited when the opportunity to become a Trustee presented itself. This is an important platform where I will be able to offer my skills, knowledge, and time, to contribute to the wellbeing of children, more so, the girl-child.
Today, many girls now know that they can become anything. The Catalyst Foundation, through the S.H.E Programme is helping vulnerable girls become the best version of themselves, and this will leave an indelible mark and footprint in the lives of the young girls, their families, and communities in Africa. Catalyst Foundation will always be a reference point for making long lasting impact in the lives of girls and women, impact that will transcend generations of women.
To our beneficiaries, girls, always remember that you are unique, and you will bring special value to the world! In today’s world, you can become anything and everything you want to be. In everything that you do, remain focused, work hard and be the very best version of yourself.”
