He Came to Serve. His Community Saw a Leader
From Trusted Health Worker to Elected Leader: The Evolution of Milto
Milto never set out to become a leader. Growing up in the Chiawa Chiefdom, he dreamed of a career in healthcare, hoping to one day become a nurse or a doctor. However, his path was far from straightforward. While volunteering locally, Milto was constantly looking for ways to expand his knowledge and deepen his impact. His breakthrough came when Primrose Community Health Organization (PriCHO) introduced the Aidsfonds-funded KIDS TO CARE Project to his community. Seeing a perfect alignment with his passion, Milto stepped up - transforming his desire to learn into a powerful opportunity to serve.
“Before PriCHO arrived, I was already volunteering at our local health facility,” Milto recalls. “When the project launched, I was selected as a community health worker because of my eagerness and confidence to serve. I readily agreed to join — it was the perfect chance to work directly for my people while gaining the healthcare knowledge I desperately wanted but didn't yet have.”
Joining the KIDS TO CARE Project as a Community Health Worker (CHW) proved to be a turning point for Milto. While he initially stepped into the role to gain medical knowledge and give back to his neighbors, the experience gave him far more. As he worked on the ground, Milto built deep confidence, forged stronger bonds within his community, and began to recognize entirely new possibilities for his own future.
Finding Himself in the Work
On the front lines of the project, Milto threw himself into community health dialogues, HIV testing, and door-to-door visits. These daily, grassroots interactions with people from all walks of life became his ultimate training ground. He quickly mastered the art of active listening and empathetic communication, developing the unique sensitivity required to navigate complex and deeply personal health issues with his neighbors.
Gradually, this fieldwork transformed far more than just his understanding of public health. It fundamentally reshaped how he connected with his neighbors and, ultimately, how he viewed his own potential. No longer just a volunteer seeking knowledge, Milto was beginning to see himself as the leader his community needed.
“I found myself,” Milto reflects. “Before this, I was a completely different person. I didn't have friends and I didn't know how to approach people. But after receiving capacity-building training, I began conducting HIV testing and leading community dialogue sessions. As I stepped into that role, people truly started to trust me.”
For Milto, community HIV testing became particularly meaningful because of the relationships it created.
“I enjoyed community HIV testing the most,” Milto says. “Although I valued the dialogue sessions, testing was what truly connected me to people on a deeper level.”
As Milto became a familiar face in Chiawa Chiefdom, he earned a reputation for being approachable, deeply trustworthy, and fiercely protective of personal confidentiality. The ironclad bonds he forged through health outreach naturally overflowed into other areas of community life.
Recognizing that health and economic security go hand in hand, the KIDS TO CARE project also introduced self-help savings groups to strengthen local livelihoods. Milto eagerly joined one of these groups. Starting by supporting a small handful of members, his integrity quickly stood out. The women in the group first elected him as their secretary, and later, entrusted him with full leadership of the initiative. From 2024 to 2026, Milto served as an active anchor for the group, ultimately guiding and empowering more than 10 local women toward financial resilience.
“To be a leader feels like a gift from God,” Milto reflects. “I never imagined that one day I would be in this position. But looking back to where I started, I simply focused on working hard, and the community recognized that in me. They are the ones who chose me to step up — first to serve as their secretary, and ultimately to lead the entire group.”
Leading the self-help savings group became Milto’s masterclass in leadership. On a practical level, it sharpened his skills in human management, meticulous record-keeping, and driving community participation. More importantly, it taught him how to keep a diverse group focused, motivated, and deeply united. Combined with his ongoing frontline healthcare work, these roles provided a continuous arena to build unshakeable confidence and earn deep-rooted public trust. Over time, his neighbors didn't just see a volunteer; they witnessed a man who consistently took responsibility. His authority didn't come from an official title — it grew organically from his everyday actions
When the Community Saw a Leader
By the time the 2026 Local Government Elections approached, Milto was no longer just a health worker — he was a pillar of the community. From living rooms during intimate household visits to the tables of the self-help savings groups, his neighbors had witnessed his dedication firsthand. When Milto felt a calling to run for public office, it required a profound sacrifice: resigning from his beloved role as a Community Health Worker. Leaving the work that had shaped him was incredibly difficult, but he chose to trade a familiar path for a broader horizon of service. His candidacy was a direct reflection of the values that had always guided him: an unwavering drive to serve others, take responsibility, and uplift his community. When voters looked at the ballot, they didn't see an unfamiliar politician; they saw a proven leader whose integrity they had known firsthand for years.
“The community had real confidence in me,” Milto says proudly. “Because they had seen me facilitating health dialogues, leading our groups, and managing our everyday savings, they said, ‘Let us choose this person. We are sure he will be a true leader for us."
The community voted, and Milto was elected Ward Councilor.
Ultimately, the election marked a triumphant new chapter in a journey defined by service, learning, and profound personal growth. Through the KIDS TO CARE Project, Milto was given the raw materials to succeed: specialized skills, newfound confidence, and deep community relationships. But it was his own relentless dedication, his choice to seize those opportunities, and the ironclad trust he nurtured through daily action that ultimately forged his path to governance.
"Primrose gave me a gift that no one can ever take away from me,” Milto says. “There were people who doubted me before. But when Primrose introduced this project, they chose to see my potential and invested in building my capacity. Because of that, the community started trusting me and having confidence in me. This gift is something I will carry and use for the rest of my life, wherever it takes me."
From Serving to Leading
As Ward Councilor, Milto’s responsibilities have expanded, but his motivation remains unchanged: to help people and contribute to development.
“I wanted to help save my people,” Milto says. “I am deeply passionate about development. I want to live in a world where communities thrive, and I want to lift up those who lack opportunities so that they can develop and succeed, too.”
Although his position has changed, the purpose driving his work remains exactly the same. The community health worker who once walked from household to household is now stepping forward to champion development and represent his people at the ward level. As Councilor, Milto is determined to uplift women and young people by creating youth clubs and sustainable economic opportunities across his constituency. Even as he takes on this massive civic responsibility, he remains fiercely committed to his own lifelong learning and to building a brighter, more secure future for his family.
“I need to go far,” Milto says. “I need to continue my education. I was born into a poor family, and I want to make them proud while giving them a better life. Most of all, I want to support my younger brother and sister so that they have the opportunity to go to school and succeed, too.”
His experience has also shaped the advice he gives to others who may consider becoming Community Health Workers.
“To do this work, you have to be deeply social and protect people's confidentiality,” Milto advises. “You need an open mind, sharp focus, and genuine interest. You will encounter people with all kinds of characters, and you will face challenges — but you learn how to solve them. It is an incredibly rewarding journey. In the end, you find yourself on a completely different level.”
What began as a simple desire to learn and help others gradually grew into an unshakeable commitment to lead and represent an entire community. Milto stepped into the project looking for a chance to serve; instead, he completely transformed his future. By actively seizing every opportunity, he developed critical skills, forged deep relationships, and unlocked a level of confidence he never knew he possessed. Through his consistent presence on the front lines, his neighbours recognized his innate capacity to lead, ultimately handsomely rewarding his dedication with their highest civic trust.
Milto’s journey is a powerful testament to how grassroots community service can shatter barriers and open doors a person might never have imagined. By finding his voice, building authentic bridges, and earning the trust of the Chiawa Chiefdom, his election as Ward Councilor stands as a triumphant new chapter in a lifelong legacy of service and leadership.
He came to serve. The community saw a leader.
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