Joyce Chimbila

Joyce Chimbila began her working life as a Secretary for a Copper Mining Company in Kabwe and Ndola, Zambia. Joyce’s ability, competence, hard work and efficiency saw her rise rapidly to Senior Personal Assistant positions then onto senior positions in Marketing and Sales. She later retired from the Mining Industry to run her families’ businesses.

Joyce is married to Ronald and they have six children. In addition to raising their six children, she also cared for more than 25 children of her family and friends.

While running her families’ businesses, Joyce’s abilities were recognised at many levels, and was given Business and Community Development Training within and outside Zambia. She was sponsored by the Zambian Government in conjunction with International Organisations including USAID, ILO and Care. Through this, she began training entrepreneurs of small to medium sized businesses in Zambia, on “How to Start A Business”. Finally, she became a Business Consultant, working with medium sized business on “Developing Business and Management Skills”.

A single event then changed Joyce’s world view and the new path her life would take. A fire guttered Joyce and Ronald’s family home. They lost everything and barely escaped with their lives.

Joyce began studying Social Work, Counselling, Project Management, Community Development, Youth and Childcare. She enrolled at Northrise University and graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity Degree.

During this time of recovery and study, Joyce noticed, in the suburb of Old Mushili, several children over eight had never attended school and were sick and malnourished. With her friend Minerva Kachaka, they started a Feeding Program. Together with Feeding Program, Joyce and some friends then began teaching the children basic literacy, numeracy and social skills. Almost without realising it, they had begun a school with 25 students. They called it Arising Life Ministries (ALMs).

Joyce has since used her previous training and experience to develop and expand ALMs. Using every donation and jumping at every opportunity to broaden ALMs’ work. Organically growing ALMs, one grade each year, she also organised healthcare, developed a Child Protection Policy and dealt with issues in the community with kindness and personal strength. Joyce works tirelessly to make ALMs self sufficient and further employment opportunities to the local community. She has tremendous organisation skills and delegates successfully to those around her; developing support networks through her friends and family.

In all her ’spare time’, Joyce also presents on a local Radio Program, providing biblical and economic education as well as counselling on varies issues affecting people in her community.

Most recently, Joyce has overseen the construction of a new school building. Construction began in September 2020 and was completed in August 2021, supplying locals with continuous support and employment during the COVID 19 Pandemic. She also expanded the Feeding Program, supplying school families and others in hardship with food supplies during the Pandemic. Approximately 110 families were supported.

This is Mrs Joyce Chimbila.