This year, our Africa Partnerships team introduced the Blood:Water Leadership Award, an award that honors exceptional steward leadership in our partners. Chosen by the Blood:Water staff and board, the winner was chosen based on their relationship with Blood:Water, including but not limited to grant compliance, organizational strengthening, and excellence in leadership while serving their communities. The winner will receive a plaque and a cash reward to be presented in person upon Blood:Water’s next visit.

We are proud to announce that Jimmy Katuma, Executive Director of Community Partnership for Relief and Development (COPRED) in Malawi has been selected as the winner of this award!

Our Africa Partnerships team had this to say about his work, “Jimmy adeptly leads our partnership with COPRED, arguably in the most challenging and resource-constrained context out of all of our current partnerships.” 

He challenges his staff and communities to produce the highest level of impact and quality of service possible, even going so far as to send staff back into the field at times to validate data. He prioritizes improvement, collaborating with Blood:Water at every step at an unprecedented rate – and COPRED has only used a little less than half of their grant so far!

Jimmy and COPRED form personal relationships with individuals in the community and focus on empowerment at every level. He intentionally puts others in the position to speak into their experience with honesty in order to create critical and healthy dialogue. He also enforces a culture of sincerity and commitment to performance and communal health at COPRED.

The Africa Partnerships team puts it best when summarizing the ineffable effect Jimmy has had on his community: “Jimmy puts himself behind others, elevates his team, their partners, and their beneficiaries ahead of himself at all times. He is known to take a seat on the floor with communities rather than the seat of honor offered to him. He is a model servant who is willing to do anything it takes to stand for what is right and just and if you were to capture Jimmy’s leadership in one word, our team unanimously agrees this word would be integrity.”

We are so grateful for all of Jimmy’s hard work. Please join us in congratulating him!