Continuing our series with our senior managers in Zambia, today we highlight the work of Constance Chonde, Program Manager (LCC), and Rachel Ndabala, Project Manager at Mukungule.
Constance’s journey began in the Copperbelt, where wildlife was scarce but curiosity ran deep. “As a child, I felt a calling the first time I saw wild animals when I first visited Mundawanga Zoo,” she recalls. “That day I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to protecting wildlife but in nature.”
Her path wasn’t straightforward. While her father hoped she would study medicine, Constance chose Wildlife Management and never looked back. From interning at Zambia’s Ministry of Tourism, under the Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (TFCA) Unit to completing a master’s degree in Tanzania with a World Bank scholarship, she carved her way through a field long dominated by men.
She laughs remembering some of her most challenging situations in the field. “Sometimes you have to drive in remote areas. I get stuck on rough tracks, surrounded by wildlife, but you just keep going. You can’t give up not in this line of work.”
Her determination didn’t go unnoticed. As a Senior Community Conservation Officer at Frankfurt Zoological Society (North Luangwa Conservation Programme), she gained the respect of colleagues and communities alike. Today, at WeForest, she leads with confidence the implementation of the Lavushimanda Conservation Community Project, with a team of 10 people.
“It takes time for men to believe you can do it,” she says, “but once they see the results, they start to believe not just in you, but in what women are capable of.”
Constance believes women leadership in conservation brings a different kind of strength: one that listens, connects, and builds trust. She explains that in some rural communities of Zambia, social norms often make it hard for women to speak up, especially in the presence of men. Yet, through deliberate engagement, change is happening.
“Gender issues shouldn’t stand apart in nature conservation,” she adds. “They should be woven into every policy formulation and implementation, so that conservation efforts are equitable, effective and sustainable for all. When women grow stronger, the whole community does.”
“The Forest Never Left My Heart”
Rachel’s story begins in Luano Valley, Shikabela, a remote game management area where the forest was her first classroom. “There was only one community school,” she recalls, “but I learned more from the forest than from any book.”
When her father passed away, Rachel and her three siblings moved to the city. Her mother worked as a housekeeper to keep them in school. Yet even far from home, the memory of the valley stayed alive in her mind, the sound of baboons, the walks through the Lower Luano Game Management Area (GMA) with her mother to collect firewood, the deep respect her community held for wildlife because of their culture.
“Our culture teaches that our ancestors can be reborn as animals,” she explains. “That belief kept us from fighting with them. If elephants or baboons took something from the fields, we let them take what they need. To chase them would bring more trouble.”
This sense of harmony between people and nature never left her. When she later studied wildlife biology at university, she was among the few women in her class. Her placement with the Frankfurt Zoological Society took her back to the field, this time as the only female conservation officer. “It wasn’t easy,” she says. “You have to prove yourself every single day. Work life is competitive, and women have to work twice as hard to show they can deliver.”
“It’s not about being a woman in the field,” she adds. “It’s about performing your best and letting your work speak for you.”
Today, Rachel leads Mukungule at WeForest Zambia with quiet authority, guiding a team of three people. She looks up to leaders like Dr. Karen Laurenson the Africa Director of FZS, the Country Director, Dr. Fainess Lumbwe, at WeForest Zambia. “They’ve shown me that women can reach high positions and lead large teams with strength and fairness.”
When asked how conservation organisations can be more inclusive, Rachel doesn’t hesitate: “Give women more space to connect. Sometimes we just need safe places to talk, share, and support one another. In our culture, women are not encouraged to speak up but when they do, they bring solutions that benefit everyone.”
She appreciates WeForest’s fair approach to recruitment and advancement. “Here, it’s not about gender preference,” she says. “It’s about performance, and that’s what gives you the chance to grow.”
