Misozi has become a dynamic force for change in her community in Zambia — and she’s just getting started. 

Thanks to ChildFund International, the now 20-year-old woman has risen above poverty and rejection to become a leader and stand up for vulnerable children in the Kafue and Chongwe districts in Zambia.

Misozi grew up grew up shuttled between parents who separated when she was 10 years old.  Her father and his new family rejected her.  And her mother, who earned next to nothing, couldn’t afford to send Misozi to school. 

“The little money she made was only used to feed the family,” she says.

As a result, Misozi felt disconnected from her family for most of her childhood … as if she didn’t belong … and she wasn’t being heard.

Then her life changed dramatically when she was enrolled in a ChildFund International program.  Taking advantage of this opportunity, Misozi worked hard and excelled in school.  She also received the support she needed to boost her self-confidence and give her the courage to become an assertive leader. 

Eventually, she was chosen to be chief editor of the Kafue District’s “Voice of the Child,” a ChildFund newsletter.  And she joined the ChildFund Children’s Committee where she learned about children’s rights.

By the time Misozi graduated, she had been trained in peer education, entrepreneurship, facilitation, and presentation skills.  She became the spokesperson for the Global Movement for Children in the Chongwe and Kafue Districts. 

In partnership with another organization, ChildFund sponsored Misozi to attend a youth conference in 2008.

Misozi has excelled despite all of the difficult obstacles that were in her way. Today, Misozi is about to enter Copperbelt University in Zambia, where she plans to study social work and journalism.  She wants to “expose the problems and other injustices faced by children and adults so that the higher authorities intervene for the betterment of our lives,” she says.