Meet James Kasongo from Zambia

By Jacklyn Carroll

October 3, 2019

Last Updated: August 29, 2014

Meet James Kasongo from Zambia

Name: James Chinkubila Kasongo
Title:  Country Director
Location: Zambia  

When did you start working for Heifer?
I started working with Heifer International in 2009.

What attracted you to work for Heifer?
The Passing on the Gift® (POG) approach attracted me because of its sustainability and multiplier effect. Also, the physical empowerment I saw among the women groups that Heifer Zambia worked with touched my heart. In 2004, I even went to the extent of engaging Heifer Zambia to collaborate with the Keepers Zambia Foundation, the NGO I was working with as Executive Director, to jointly implement a project in Kaoma District in Western Province of Zambia. For the first time Keepers Zambia Foundation tried the POG approach. In 2009 an opportunity arose to work with Heifer, and here I am.

James Kasongo, Country Director from Uganda
James Kasongo, Country Director from Zambia

What has been the most memorable experience you have had while working for Heifer? 
My most memorable moment thus far has been when I witnessed a POG ceremony for the first time with the Fisenge Cooperative. It was such a moving moment for me. During the ceremony I was particularly impressed by Monica, a blind woman who’s life had been changed by Heifer. Seeing women that had been recipients of livestock now giving to others made me realize how much they were our partners and not beneficiaries in development.

My education includes:

  • Master of Business Administration from Edith Cowan University, Australia
  • Master of Agricultural Sciences from Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania
  • Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Sciences, Zambia
  • Certificate in Management and Planning from Central African Correspondence College

My hobbies include:

  • Going to the Gym
  • Visiting the aged and youths providing support and spiritual strength
  • Reading and listening to country and gospel music

My family consists of: 

My wife, and our five children (three boys and two girls)  

Something about me that you might not know:
 I am an Evangelist.

What is the best thing about working at Heifer? 
The best thing about working at Heifer is the social capital, multicultural and creative learning environment that Heifer International provides.