Founder's Story

About the Founder

Miss Zungwe Deborah

Deborah Zungwe – Founder, Sabbal Humanitarian Foundation My journey with community development didn’t start with Sabbal Humanitarian Foundation. It started in 2016, in Mkar, Gboko, Benue State. As a researcher, I set out to understand “The Advent of Christianity and Its Impacts on Tiv Religious Civilization.” I sat with elders like Rev. Prof. Anjov Ahenakaa at Benue State University and Rev. Peter Azuana at NKST Headquarters. I listened. I documented. What I found changed me. I learned that when missionaries came to Tivland in 1911, they didn’t just bring the Bible. They brought education, agriculture, and medicine practical tools that lifted communities. They buried their own in our soil because they believed in transformation that outlives a lifetime. But I also saw the gaps. I saw how much work was still left undone. That research trip cost me dearly I lost my father while conducting those interviews. In that grief, a conviction was born: Research without action is incomplete. That’s why Sabbal exists. Sabbal Humanitarian Foundation takes the 4 tools I documented in 2016 Faith, Education, Agriculture, and Healthcare and puts them to work today in Nasarawa State and beyond. We don’t just study impact. We become it. From the classrooms of Benue to the streets of the whole Nation, the mission is the same: to restore dignity, one life at a time. The name “Sabbal” reflects that promise to serve, to uplift, to remain rooted in community. This is personal for me. This is the work my father would have been proud of. And we’re just getting started.

Led by Experience. Certified for Impact

Deborah Zungwe is a University of Abuja allumni, practising teaching and school matron, based in Karu, Nasarawa State, she founded Sabbal Humanitarian Foundation to deploy evidence based relief using the same four tools missionaries used to transform Tivland after 1911: Education, Agriculture, Medicine and Faith. Deborah brings 16 verified credentials spanning 2009-2024 including UN OCHA - Trained in Civil Military Coordination, USIP - Certified in Peace Building & Negotiation, Associate Member of FLED Institute Abuja, GIZ Certified entreprenuer, and 17 years of documented computer literacy from 2009-2022. Her service record shows 12+ years of continuous faith-based leadership, from FCS Sister’s Coordinator at UniAbuja in 2012 to active Hospitality/Protocol Service with Living Faith Church in 2024.

OUR MODEL

Sabbal Model Historical Tools. Modern Standards. Sabbal’s model is based on Founder Deborah Zungwe’s 2016 research documenting how missionaries transformed Tivland using Education, Agriculture, Medicine, Education: Safe learning spaces, teacher support, school feeding Practicing Teacher & Matron, UniAbuja Alumna Agriculture: GIZ-standard agribusiness training, food security for IDPs GIZ-Certified Chef, Data Lead Africa Entrepreneur Medicine: Health outreach, WASH, CMCoord-compliant access UN OCHA–Trained Civil-Military Coordination Faith: Ethical leadership, psychosocial support, interfaith dialogue 12+ Years: FCS, NAPRES, Chapel of Love, Living Faith All programs are USIP-certified conflict-sensitive and digitally accountable. Humanitarian Certifications: UN OCHA CMCoord 2022, USIP Peacebuilding 2022, USIP Negotiation 2022 Professional Leadership: Assoc. Member FLED Institute 2022, Diploma in Leadership Living Faith Church Vocational & Digital: GIZ-Certified Chef, Data Lead Africa–Certified Entrepreneur, Certificate in Computer Operations 2009 Faith-Based Service 2012–2024: FCS UniAbuja, NAPRES Recognition, Chapel of Love, Living Faith Hospitality/Protocol Deborah Zungwe is the Founder and Executive Director of Sabbal Humanitarian Foundation. She is UN OCHA-trained in Civil-Military Coordination 2022 and twice-certified by the United States Institute of Peace 2022 in Peacebuilding & Negotiation and Psycho-socially Responsive Humanitarian Programs. With a foundation in Computer Operations 2009, Deborah combines technical systems expertise with 15+ years of community development experience to deliver principled, data-driven aid in North-Central Nigeria

CONTACT:

Deborah Zungwe, Founder Karu, Nasarawa State, Nigeria Phone/WhatsApp: 09028733222 Email: sabbalfoundation12@gmail.com

Through leadership, dedication, and service, she continues to inspire hope and change lives across different communities.

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