Team Spotlight: Mali Kambandu
By Erika Amaya, Communications Associate, BID Initiative
Dec 14, 2015
Posted in General
The BID Initiative team works across three countries in the United States, Tanzania, and Zambia. This week, we learn more about Mali Kambandu, Communications Officer, in Zambia.
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? I would learn to be a chef. I enjoy cooking, and I’m pretty good at it. I would love to master certain cooking techniques and learn more about food flavours, etc. I enjoy foods from all over the world so it would be great to learn how to prepare some of these in the right way.
What is one of your favorite quotes? “Hope is life’s greatest treasure. If you have no hope, create some!” –Daisaku Ikeda, SGI President
I love this quote because it speaks to us all—we work in development because we hope for a better life for millions of people. Hope helps sustain us all, and I like the emphasis on ‘creating hope’ because it means we can take action if the circumstances require it.
What was the last experience that made you a stronger person? In truth, the experience that made me a stronger person was having children. It takes so much strength because the early days are so exhausting and such a roller-coaster because you’re terrified of every strange or new thing that happens to your baby. But I learned how much stamina I had, what my body could handle, and I gained such a deeper appreciation for women all over the world. We don’t give ourselves enough credit! But why it made me stronger was I learned how to endure, and perhaps before this experience, I would have taken an easier route and given up. But now I don’t do that anymore.
What do you like most about your job? I love hearing the stories that people have to share, and in the work assignments I’ve had, I have met so many people with a broad range of experiences. Oftentimes, when listening to someone share their experience or talk about a particular issue, I find myself learning a lesson. Writing about it makes me enjoy it all the more.
I also enjoy taking pictures. I’m not an excellent photographer but I enjoy capturing moments and looking at the beautiful pictures.
What are your hobbies? I enjoy reading, writing, and watching movies. Those three go together in my world. A new hobby of mine is farming. I’m learning to grow herbs and spices. And lastly, it’s really hard to say no to a good glass of wine!