TEEZ Registrar, Ms Esther Chishala, died in the Kitwe Teaching Hospital on 24th January 2023 after an illness. Ms Chishala joined TEEZ as a Typist in January 1991 and was later promoted to Assistant Registrar.
In 1995 she was elevated to the post of Registrar, a position she held until her demise. She was the longest-serving member of staff who worked for TEEZ for 31 years.
She died at the age of 61 after a battle with breast cancer.
Representing Management, Executive Committee, and Secretariat of TEEZ, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the institution, the Reverend Canon Dennis Milanzi, said the following:
SPEECH AT THE CHURCH SERVICE AND BURIAL OF MS ESTHER CHISHALA ON 26TH JANUARY 2023
Today is the day we are paying our last respects to a dedicated worker, a mother, a sister, an aunt, a grandmother, friend.
We witness the farewell service of Ms Esther Chishala as we escort her to her final resisting place as she awaits to rise in eternal glory.
Ms Chishala was a special gift to TEEZ. She was a household name to TEEZ, even in the remotest parts of Zambia.
She was known by clergy, students, tutors, and many other church members in the TEEZ ecumenical family.
Born on 11th November 1961 in Mufulira, Esther, as we fondly called her, did her primary school education at Mutamba and Makole Primary Schools from 1969 to 1976.
She further proceeded to Kawambwa school for continuing education from 1977 to 1979 to pursue her junior secondary education, where she attained a form 3 certificate.
She then decided to upgrade her qualifications and enrolled for a grade 9 junior certificate at mama Monty Basic school in 2004 and was awarded a full grade 9 junior secondary school certificate.
From 2005 to 2006, she pursued her GCE exams at Chibote Girls Secondary School here in Kitwe and got a grade 12 certificate.
She also acquired several formal and in-service training such as:
- Typewriting at roan consolidated copper mines, Kantanshi typing school in 1981. She was awarded an elementary and intermediate Pitman’s certificate.
- from there, she pursued secretarial training at Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation’s industry & commerce department in March 1994.
- she again pursued another in-service course in secretarial and word processing at MEL computers systems education here in Kitwe in 2002. As a result, she was awarded a certificate in advanced typewriting and English for business communication level 1 under Pitman’s.
She also attended other in-service courses, such as
- HIV/AIDS Gender and Society Trainer of Trainers at Makeni Ecumenical Center in 2003 in Lusaka.
- also did TEEZ basic courses in Preaching and Counselling in 2011.
Ba Esther joined TEEZ in January 1991 as a typist.
In mid-1992, she was elevated to the position of Registrar till December 2017.
In January 2018, following the restructuring of TEEZ, she was appointed as Registrar & Education Officer (REO), a position she held till her demise.
She was a dedicated staff, punctual, and always willing to explore and learn new things.
She managed change in the organisation’s transition processes of its work and ministry to fit the current context of doing ministry.
Having been the longest-serving staff at TEEZ, the office decided to appreciate her resilience and commitment by sending her for three internationally accredited training.
These were:
- Gender Diversity and Social Transformation (GDST)at the Xavier Institute of Social sciences (XISS) in Bangalore, India, in May 2019.
- While in Bangalore, she pursued another course in gender equity and reconciliation in collaboration with partners from Seattle, USA
- From April to September 2022, ba Esther was sponsored for an online project management and planning course at All Nations Christian College, UK, in collaboration with our mission partner, Verre Naasten of the Netherlands. This was to widen her scope of work and understanding following the rollout of teez work in Zambia and beyond.
It was part of our commitment to appreciate people like ba Esther Chishala. Therefore, we felt the only gift we could give her for her long-dedicated service was to send her overseas for new learning, insights, and knowledge transformation.
Even upon her return from India, she remained joyful and motivated to carry on this work.
On 11 November 2021, ba Esther reached her retirement age of 60 years as per TEEZ conditions of service and employment. However, it was felt that valuable services would still be needed. Therefore, the institution decided to extend her contract, so she could still serve for a little while.
As TEEZ, we mourn her passing but rejoice in her confession of Jesus Christ as her lord and Saviour.
Even when she felt unwell, she still leaned on her faith and the cross of Jesus Christ.
And today, we can say the words of the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Philippi that ‘for me to live is Christ and to die is gain’.
We will surely miss her and the joys and challenges we shared.
May the Lord keep her sweet soul and grant her eternal rest.
May God bless and console us all.
The Revd Canon Dennis Milanzi
Executive Director & CEO, TEEZ