By Sharon Nashipae – Communications & Community Coordinator
It’s great to welcome new members to our growing team of passionate professionals who work tirelessly to make sure that every child gets the education that they deserve.
It’s our pleasure to introduce Faith Mbushi, our new Strategy and Growth Director. With 15 years in the development industry, Faith describes herself as passionate about serving the underrepresented, marginalized and vulnerable.
– FaithI am passionate and gifted in strategic leadership, I have a quick eye for what needs to be done to create platforms where others can fully utilize their strengths to solve problems and achieve results. I believe in adding value and contributing to the whole.
We asked Faith to tell us a bit more about herself and her motivations and here’s what she shared:
What excites you most about your role at Dignitas?
I am excited to join a team that is purposefully and passionately driven and who find joy in their work. I am strongly aligned with the Dignitas mission to ensure that schools are vibrant places where all children thrive. I also believe that empowered school leaders and teachers are the catalyst to improving learning outcomes and ensuring that schools are gender transformative places where all children thrive. I am eager to continue the path that Dignitas began to scale up their work at the system level, collaborating with government actors and other multiple partners to resolve the current learning crisis.
Who has influenced you most when it comes to your work ethic?
I have been truly blessed to have amazing mentors throughout my career. Starting with my mother who has been a teacher for over 40 years and impacted thousands of learners as the chief examiner in the biology paper. She is retired now, but still teaching and her drive to impact others has always shaped me. My first boss, George Kogolla, is one of my longest serving career mentor. I met George when I was 18 working through my summer holidays at University, he influenced my Masters Course choice and was graciously available to review my thesis. I have also had amazing women mentors starting from Nyambura Musyimi, who taught me that there is nothing impossible, if we change our perspective; Eunice Muthengi – a mentor and a friend who challenges my assumptions and helps me find alternatives to difficulties; Karen Austrian – who knows and sees my potential even when I cannot and of course my husband and partner who supports me and helps me stay the course.
What are your biggest motivators in your work within the education space?
I love this quote by Albert Einstein – When you stop learning, you start dying. In a changing world, we must all develop the ability and skill to learn and continue to grow. This can happen within formal education systems or outside it. Learning is not limited to children, it is continuous and we who can shape younger generations into learning beings, to value and love learning must do so.
If you had one superpower, what would it be and how would you use it in your work at Dignitas?
The super power I desire right now for my work is the AI- Chat-GPT power to synthesize the numerous information available to me to make evidence informed decisions.
What thing do you do every day that often goes unnoticed?
Checking if my kids are fully covered while sleeping.
What advice would you give your younger self?
To embrace change, as becoming is a continuous process and there is no destination.
We wish Faith all the best as she brings forth her skills, gifts and passion to support Vibrant Schools and Thriving Children!