Ndidi Nwuneli
Pamela was the first person that I reached out to when I decided to write my recent book "Social Innovation in Africa: A practical guide for scaling impact." She provided incredible guidance and support through the entire process. She referred social innovators that I should interview for the book, reviewed early drafts and provided critical feedback!
When she broke the news about her battle with cancer, she did it so casually, and told me that everyone was worried, but that she was not! She never skipped a beat...
In typical Pamela style - I reached out to her last year on Thanksgiving day to tell her how much she meant to me and how thankful I was for her role in my life and her response was simply - "I hate Thanksgiving day!" She always deflected honor and praise from herself, and instead pushed others into the spotlight!
I was looking forward to see her at the DSM meeting on September 7th and to speaking at her class at the Columbia Business School on September 20th. We were sharing emails about these activities until mid-July.
What an amazing soul! She gave so much of herself to the world and lived every day to the fullest! A huge advocate for Africa, Social Entrepreneurs, Youth and Women!
I will miss this wonderful friend and mentor! I thank God for blessing me with a "destiny-helper!" She was simply an angel that God sent into my life to push me to do more, challenge, question and push boundaries!
In her memory, I have committed to instituting the annual "Pamela Hartigan Prize for Social Innovation in Nigeria" which will honor a social innovator who like Pamela pushes boundaries. This individual will be honored at LEAP Africa's annual CEOs Forum and will receive funding and training.
I am committed to working with her family and dear friends to keep her memory alive! Her great work will continue to yield fruit for generations!
RIP Pamela!
God bless you all!
Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli
Eileen Lim
regards. Eileen Lim, Singapore
Abby H
I am so very sorry for your loss. Losing a loved one in death is one of the most painful experiences we can go through, but it can be comforting to know that humans were never meant to endure such pain. In fact, we were never meant to die. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God “put eternity in [our] heart.” God also promises us in Psalms 37: 29 that “the righteous will possess the earth, and they will live forever on it.” It's nice to know that we won't have to endure such tragedy and suffering for much longer. A website that I find comforting is jw.org. It's a Bible-based website that talks about all the promises that God has for the future. I hope it can provide some light during this difficult time.
With Sincerity, Abby
Jackie Khor
Marie Gravesande
Lori Heise
We became fast friends and I followed her career as she went on to influence and help shape so many other areas of social justice work.
I was suppose to get together with Pamela for the first weekend in May of this year, but I screwed up the dates in my calendar. I knew she had been battling cancer but the last time we spoke she insisted she was doing fine. I so regret that I didn't do more to rearrange my schedule so we could spend time together. I had no idea that time was so precious.
I was forever inspired by Pamela's energy, passion, and strategic vision. She will be sorely missed by us all.
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