Polisi Kivava joined CBM as a Relief and Development Specialist in 2019. Based in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, he manages CBM’s relief and development initiatives across several African countries. His role involves supervising food security and development projects, which provide vital support to vulnerable populations.  

Polisi also collaborates with local teams to identify training needs and design capacity-building programs, enhancing the effectiveness of CBM’s partnerships in Africa. 

Prior to his appointment, he worked with the United Evangelical Mission as a program officer responsible for implementing joint programs among member churches. He later spent a decade serving his church as head of diakonia and development work.

He earned a degree in Education from Bukavu University in 1986 and worked for many years as an English teacher before being seconded to the United Evangelical Mission. He has completed a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from Nairobi International University. He has also attended different courses in conservation agriculture, integral mission, leadership, and peacebuilding, and more recently a certificate course on Integral mission with the Institute of Marketplace Transformation. 

As part of his work with CBM, he is a member of our Creation Care, Relief and Development, and Gender working groups, while also providing his expertise to the Baptist World Alliance as a member of their BFAD Advisory Group and Creation Care Working Group.

Polisi is married to Elizabeth, with whom he shares four children and seven grandchildren.