Christelle Katumba Shimbi, Master of Economics

RETROSPECTIVE
My formal learning experience started at the age of 3 when I attended a kinder garden
school Bombie in a small town in D.R. Congo called Likasi. The real purpose of this early
attendance was to accompany my bigger sister to school because she was not yet ready
to leave home alone, she needed be around her family member to feel secured. As young
I was I set for long hours observing the little pupils, learning was fun. I enjoyed deeply
(the) children stories and cartoons became my only hobby. Since then observation
become one of my experiential learning methods. I observed my mum cooking, praying,
doing gardening, and serving the community, which influenced my life later on.
At the age of 6, I was enrolled at Ustawi to pursue my primary education and changed
the school at the age of 8 to study at Maadini in Lubumbashi, which is another town. As
a young pupil, I enjoyed all the mathematical courses as well as the life training courses
such as sewing, cleaning and cooking. One day, when I was 9 years old, one of my
classmates vomited in the classroom, and I volunteered to clean her mess this triggered
in me a sense of compassion, and of serving others. Few months later, I was watching
the news with father, I saw a picture of a Somalian child starving to death, and this pushed
me to pray and to decide to do everything I can to never see any child dying with hunger.
Compassion bore the desire to pursue my study in Economics, then I thought this could
help me find the answer to end hunger in Africa. Few years later, my sister and I, in our
past –time, did outreaches visiting the sick in our community.
After graduate from high school in 2004, I left D.R. Congo for South Africa with the only
aim to pursue my university study in Economics. But I had to be strong and motivated to
face all the obstacles in my ways to achieve that goal. While I was studying, I attended
Gospel Ramah Church where I served as an Evangelist and a cell leader for more than
5 years, and then left the church in 2010. Every Saturday, I had to walk in the Cape Town
street preaching the very message of compassion with the same aim that I had (in the
past years) years to provide food for the hunger but this time a spiritual food that will bring
eternal prosperity.
In addition, in August 2016, I returned to D.R. Congo where I served as an outreach agent
for 6 months at the Eglise Evangelique Dieu Vivant. Afterward, October 2017, I had
opportunity to work as National Coordinator Assistant Intern at the Hands of Love CongoFood for the Hungry Japan. I assisted the National Coordinator with research, writing
reports and manuals, and outreach projects. One of the projects was to provide foods to
the needy of the Pweto Community.
In the same line, after my bachelor of commerce in Economics graduation in 2012 from
the University of South Africa, I acquired a certificate in Hospitality and Catering
Operations from Hospitality and Commercial College. To complete this certificate, I had
to do a job shadowing in a professional kitchen, I got the privilege to cook with the best
chefs in town from the Vineyard Hotel and Spa in Cape Town. One of my favorite dish I
made starter gourmet quiches for vegetarians. I made the quiche with very light paper
pastries brushed with butter then for the filling I used chopped spinach, slices mushrooms
and feta cheese. After completing the course, I became a professional cook in the position
of a sous chef.
Going back in time, I worked part-time, as a Human Resources and Administrative
Assistant intern at Vodacom Congo in 2006, Supervisor and Sales Person at Coco Public
Phone in 2009, and Receptionist and Personal Assistant to the CEO at Body Future in
2010. Through these professional experiences, I acquired the following skills: the office
management, reporting, managing actions items (to maintain register with and due dates
of action items, and follow up regularly to ensure finalization of actions items),
HR/Administration (to maintain accurate records of the following, staff headcount list with
names, and annual leave management), customer service, cashier, opening and locking
up, Inventory management, answering the phone, booking appointments and training
sessions for clients, booking and arranging the CEO diary and preparing the salary
advice. I obtained a concrete experience in the field of management, which was one of
my majors for my bachelor degree in Economics.
Moreover, in 2011, I had a chance to do an internship at the United Nations Information
Centre as a media intern where I did the media monitoring of French electronic media,
took minutes at ad- hoc, documentation, did the clipping board, research, did the
monitoring the UNIC website, assisted with drafting invitation and preparing information
package of the launch UNCTAD report and wrote the report for the UNIC website. During
my internship, I had to complete a personal project, I co- wrote with my sister a children
book Malahika and Sita the future is in your hands that has the aim to educate the young
children on corruption and its consequences in order to alleviate this vice among the
future generation. Since then I developed a passion to write children books, the ones I
enjoyed in my early childhood.
Thereafter, I opened a company El- Shddai Media Ltd (Pty) in August 2017, which is
specialized in the delivery of cutting edge products and technologies such a conventional
books (drama, inspirational and children’s books), E- books, graphics design and
websites design.
CURRENT
I am currently enrolled to study an online Economics master program at the Atlantic
International University. I am also completing a part- time MBA program at the University
of the People another distance learning university.
I am busy building my small company El-Shddai Media and equipping myself with the
skills required to create a strong brand for my company.
Socially, I am constraint by the Corona Virus, which has put on hold all the community or
social activities in my church.
PROSPECTIVE
Acquiring the Economics Master Degree will equip with the appropriate skills required to
work in the field of Economics as Economist Analyst and will give me the expertise and
the confidence to try finding a solution to end hunger in my community and probably with
God help ending hunger in Africa.
After few years of working as Economists and acquiring enough fund, I will open a NGO
in my community that will tackle the lack of school attendance that is on the rise in Congo
due to higher unemployment.
For the El-Shddai Media, I am planning to produce TV shows in the future that expose
the issues that my country is facingBest Regards, Christelle Katumba Shimbi