Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence, and making sure that that impact lasts in your absence. In July 2023, Esther Mwandiko Kitenge Esther was hired by The Contributor Newspaper as an Engagement Specialist where she hopes to bring her unique talents and abilities to assist the homeless population with the same drive and determination that she has towards refugees.
As I learned about Kitenge’s backstory and her history, it was apparent how much this saying applied to her. She came to America from Tanzania in East Africa in 1991. Upon her arrival in America, she started on an impressive journey of service to others, particularly refugees.
She also lived in North Carolina where she was the founder and CEO of Elimu (Elimu is the Swahili word for education) and she was Director of Elimu Learning Center.
“Elimu existed to help refugees, asylees, immigrants and parolees achieve an economically stable, community driven life in the United States,” she said. “I am a first generation immigrant so therefore I hold dearly issues that affect the immigrant communities. We use education, leadership training, career counseling, mentorship, social integration and empowerment services to create an environment where participants can evolve into successful contributing members of society.”
Before the pandemic caused her to close down Elimu Empowerment Services in Greensboro, she served as chair and vice chair of the International Advisory Committee for the City of High Point’s Human Relations Commission. She was a member of the Advisory Board of the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership Steering Committee, and she was selected by the Greensboro City Council to establish a participatory Budgeting Program.
“I found that the main barrier that refugees have is learning a new language,” she said. “Having this knowledge, I collaborated with the Guilford County Schools to provide advocacy, interpretation and translation for Swahili, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, French and Arabic speaking parents and students.”
She is so dedicated to making it easier for immigrants and refugees to assimilate into American society that in 2012 she opened a free after school program for refugees and immigrants at the Elimu Learning Center in Greensboro. In 2013, she was co-chair of The Refugee and Immigrant Network (RING) of Guilford County.
“This was another way for me to ensure that all refugees and immigrants have the opportunity to succeed,” she said. “It seeks to develop an effective sustainable network of immigrants/refugees, service providers, volunteers and donors and it increased public awareness of the contributions of newcomers to our community, and it promotes mutual support and achievements with the newcomer communities.”
In 2014, Kitenge served as a committee member of the Welcoming Greensboro Initiative that worked with the city council to unanimously pass a resolution declaring Greensboro to be a “Welcoming City” which was part of a national movement to create a more welcoming and supportive community for immigrants and refugees.
She has received numerous certificates and awards of recognition including but not limited to a Fellowship Program from the Institute of Political Leadership, she served as Vice Chair of the Human Relations Commission from 2018 to 2020 in Greensboro, and she was nominated twice as Woman of The Year.
Kitenge holds a B.S degree in Business Accounting from the University of Phoenix Nashville Campus and a diploma in Automated Accounting from Knoxville State Tech. She also holds a Certificate of Bookkeeping from Dar-Es-Salaam School of Accountancy in Tanzania, East Africa. She is the mother to three children she describes as highly motivated: Ombeni is a graduate of Meharry Medical College and works as Program Coordinator in the Global Hematology Program at St. Jude Hospital in Memphis; son Jacob is a Workforce Diversity Specialist with Metro Nashville; and Daughter Lydia is a junior at North Carolina A&T State University. She has two grandsons, Kittia and Keyon.
She also continues to assist immigrants and refugees in Nashville as she did in North Carolina.
Leadership is about making others better as a result of one’s presence and making sure that that impact lasts in one’s absence. Kitenge has left an impeccable and lasting impact on the people of North Carolina that won’t be forgotten and is working in the city of Nashville and with the The Contributor to have that same impact on the people of this city with her own impeccable style of leadership with a keen desire to help those who are marginalized.
“No matter where I reside, my goal is and will always be to address the quality of life challenges faced by refugee individuals who are new to the country,” she said.