Hamilton

Hello! My name is Hamilton Chipanda, my friends call me “Zamani”, and I am from Zomba, the former capital city of Malawi. My two siblings and I live with my mother, because my parents divorced when I was young. When my father left my mother and married another woman, things became difficult for us, especially financially. From that time on, my mother has been the only person I depend on, she supported the family and paid our school fees. Watching all of the hardships she faced through my child-eyes was very complicated and confusing. I experienced shame and ridicule in secondary school when I would get sent back home due to lack of school fees.

Despite the fact that I was from a Christian family, I really never understood much about Jesus Christ being my Savior and God until I was invited to a Young Life camp in 2017 by a leader who was also a friend to me. The care and love we were shown at camp made me feel that Jesus truly loves me and I made a choice to follow Him. Now my faith in Christ assures me that He always cares about me and He will never let me down. This compels me to reach out to fellow young men in my community in hopes that they would also know about the love of Christ.

I have always been interested in the development issues we face as a country. Now, a Developing Global Leader, I am able to pursue a degree in development economics at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources. I hope to become a specialist in development and revitalization efforts in my community and ultimately have a great impact on my country. I am currently serving as a team leader to my local Young Life club and will be the first person in my family to graduate from university.