01 OBED MAMBWE

Obed Mambwe has over 12 years of experience in sign language interpreting, 8 years in training interpreters, and 5 years in Comprehensive Sexual Education and Information (CSE & I) for both hearing and deaf persons. He is the founder and president of the Federation of Sign Language Interpreters and Translators of Zambia (FLSITZ). Currently, Obed is a senior sign language interpreter at Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), focusing on television interpreting and supervising the interpreters' department. Obed is a volunteer member of the Zambia Deaf Society (ZDS) serving as the Projects and Communications Officer since 2020, Sign Language Channel of Zambia (SLCZ) serving as the Academic Officer since 2018, the Association of Sign Language Interpreters of Zambia (ASLIZ) serving as the Interpreter Trainer and he was voted as the 2019 to 2023 African Regional Representative Board member to the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI). He is pursuing a diploma in Journalism and Public Relations. Obed is committed to making the world a better place for deaf people to access equal services, communication, and information. Obed credits the Mandela Washington Fellowship with exposing and connecting him to the interpreting and Deaf experience and professionals in the USA and other African countries who support his work in Zambia from the time of the fellowship. During his 2019 Mandela Washington Mandela Fellowship, he has learned a lot from the USA deaf inclusion experience.