Staff Profile: Meet Victor 

Name: Victor Shalakha

Title: Program Information Processing Officer in Kenya 

About Victor: Growing up in a village in western Kenya, Victor witnessed many pastors living in poverty because they had little to no income. The gravity of the struggle was sometimes disturbing to him. It was also there that his grandparents taught him valuable life lessons through storytelling, which ultimately gave him the desire to help people in communities. When he discovered Possibilities Africa, he knew he wanted to give back to his society and was also attracted to the model of equipping pastors in rural areas.

Victor has been working for Possibilities Africa since January 4, 2022. He facilitates learning and feedback between community members and country offices to track progress for effective program implementation. In this role, he designs baseline tools and helps tailor the intervention to specific community needs. He is also responsible for analyzing data, sharing reports for program performance indexing, and enabling communication for publicity. Victor enjoys the day-to-day of fellowshipping with pastors and helping them troubleshoot problems. The positive change he sees in the lives of pastors, churches, and communities is incredibly fulfilling for him.

Victor has a bachelor’s in social work and community development, a certificate in monitoring and evaluation, and is pursuing a master’s degree. He has eight years of previous work experience in Monitoring and Evaluation at CAP Youth Empowerment Institute and ACE (Action, Community, Environment) Africa. At ACE, he helped implement various programs, including a program for vulnerable children with USAID and Duke University.

Victor and his wife have two sons and one daughter. People close to him describe him as hard-working, committed, and passionate about making an impact. On the weekends, he can be found mentoring youth at his church and enjoying soccer. Victor asks God for guidance daily and calls Him his Creator, Supreme, and Ebenezer (“stone of help” in Hebrew). “We have seen His marvelous work, and I cherish serving God,” says Victor.

How to pray for Victor

• Victor’s wife was in an accident leaving work one day and is undergoing therapy to recover. Pray for full restoration and recovery. 
• Pray for the pastors who have experienced powerlessness in multiple areas of their lives. Pray that Victor’s work will touch many lives in communities and churches as the power of the Gospel informs every area of life. 
• Pray for safety as Victor travels to and from the villages he works in and when he travels often to see his family. Pray that God would set shield of protection around him.