Zambia YMCA has gone through a lot of changes in the last few years. In 2005, we had the elected leadership of the previous year replaced by an interim leadership appointed by the Africa Alliance of YMCAs. The interim leadership led YMCA for two years, helping to put policy documents in place and going around the country to help Local Associations internalize them. It was an all-inclusive process from beginning to end, and by 2007, we were ready to elect the new National Board of Directors. Since then, Pastor Conrad Mbewe has been leading the National Board and Zambia YMCA as its President

Presently, national leadership’s task focuses on strengthening relationships with its partners. The new approach of the "Country Focus meeting”, under the Global Operation Plan (GOP) creates an opportunity Partners can now see the big picture together and seek to work to a common goal. Another task of the national leadership is to work towards strengthening weaker Local YMCAs.

Importantly, national leadership is timely strengthening the spiritual aspect of YMCA’s work by ensuring that local YMCAs’ Christian Mission subcommittees are functional and are being chaired by Chaplains. The Chaplains’ task is to mainstream spirituality in all YMCA programmes. This is a strong conviction that unless youths are strengthened from the inside spiritually, everything else done for them will be like pouring water into a bucket full of holes.


Norfred House Hotel--the goose that lays the golden eggs-- has just been given a new board and will soon be employing a new general manager. The national leadership hopes that this new team will deliver even better than the previous team. The need to improve on Fair Share income and expenditure is strong. Once the Local Associations are strengthened economically and they send their Fair Share to the national office, the national leadership will be able to send its Fair Share to Africa and World alliances of the YMCAs. In that way, Zambia YMCA will be seen to be a responsible national movement as it seeks to empower youths for the African Renaissance.