It takes many people coming together to make Pamoza’s work successful. Some of these people work diligently behind the scenes and never seek any recognition. At Pamoza, we value the contributions of all our staff, volunteers, and supporters. That’s why, we created this space to highlight one individual once a quarter who works behind the scenes to help advance our work in Malawi.
Meet Nichelle Davis Ahmaddiya
Everyone who has worked with Nichelle always has the same response and reaction: “I love working with Nichelle!”. She leaves everyone feeling valued and important. It’s one of the qualities that has made her an outstanding volunteer for Pamoza and one of the reasons we find her irreplaceable.
“Pamoza was my first chance, outside of church, to work with an organization that is completely rooted in the love of God ” – Nichelle
Nichelle started her journey with Pamoza International in 2015. She found out about the organization through her friend, Executive Director, Temwa Wright. Once Temwa discovered Nichelle was good at so many things – Excel, social media, networking, grant writing, and etc. – Nichelle was called upon for many, many favors. Nichelle didn’t mind because she believed in the cause and she enjoys helping others. She didn’t know it was only the beginning of more Pamoza work.
In 2016, Nichelle formally joined Pamoza’s team as a part-time Executive Assistant. She worked to organize Pamoza’s fundraising efforts including the annual 5K run and Double-the-Blessings Challenge. She created effective strategies for engaging Pamoza supporters, boosted social media outreach, supported the 2018 missions group, and became one of Pamoza’s most devoted ambassadors, encouraging everyone to get involved.
In 2018, Nichelle went through some health challenges that made it difficult for her to continue serving as Executive Assistant and she left her formal role, but she continues to be involved as a Pamoza Ambassador and volunteer today.
We caught up with Nichelle to find out why she loves Pamoza and what makes her so amazing. Here are excerpts from our interview.
What made you get involved with Pamoza?
Everyone who knows and loves Temwa ends up being involved with Pamoza! Seriously, Pamoza was my first chance, outside of church, to work with an organization that is completely rooted in the love of God. The move of the Holy Spirit working through Temwa and others to serve the community in Malawi is awesome. When I work with Pamoza, I always feel like I’m working on the Lord’s plan.
What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
I have an identical twin sister. I tell people this but they forget—until they meet her, either accidentally or deliberately. But in, general, I think I’m an open book; I share of myself, whatever is asked, so there isn’t really much people don’t know.
What is one of your favorite memories working for Pamoza?
Filming Temwa for a Message from the Executive Director. Temwa’s passion makes her talkative when it comes to Pamoza so we had to do a lot of filming to get the video down to under a minute!
What advice do you have for other people who want to get more involved with Pamoza?
If you already know about Pamoza but haven’t been involved, then participate in the annual 5K walk/run. By doing so, you not only support Pamoza, but you become part of a group of people who will encourage you, support you and celebrate you and your accomplishments. Through participation in the 5K, Pamoza supporters develop greater knowledge about Pamoza’s mission, the people in Malawi, and how much God is at the center of it all.
Nichelle crossing the finish line at Pamoza’s 5K