We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gloria Sakombi Walker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Gloria Sakombi , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

The foundation of our organization is rooted in the belief that giving back is a powerful force, instilled in me by my parents and my grandmother Antoinette Bena Dia Lutete. Our mission is clear: to support the community, locally in Houston and globally, by enhancing the potential of children, women, and men. We’re committed to ensuring that children have the opportunity to show up prepared for their educational journey. By providing essential school supplies, and reading books, we empower students to unlock their potential and thrive, understanding that education is the catalyst for positive change.
Our legacy is one of giving back, empowering education, and building a brighter future, both locally and worldwide. This is the essence of our organization’s history and the legacy we proudly pursue to continue.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

A GESTURE OF LOVE is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation that values people above all else. Our core mission is to support the community by enhancing the lives of children, women, and men, helping them realize their full potential. We believe in the fundamental importance of education in society and work tirelessly to ensure that underserved children receive educational supplies to give them the confidence that they need to gain an appropriate education. We empower the future generations through providing literacy supplies and introducing youth to employability and reading resources.
Beyond education, we extend our care to meet the social needs of families in various ways. We provide essential household items that make a tangible difference in the lives of countless individuals. Our commitment extends to people with diverse abilities. What sets us apart and what we are most pleased with is that since 2021, we have served over 5000 children in the Democratic Republic of Congo with school supplies, blankets, toys and more donated primarily by educators.
We invite you to be a part of our mission. Together, we can create a more compassionate and inclusive society, one act of kindness at a time. Join us in supporting education, enhancing lives, and spreading love in the communities we serve. Together, we can make a lasting impact and help people realize their dreams.

Starting and maintaining our organization has definitely been challenging, however our belief in our mission: “to give back and to help others increase their potential to succeed,” has fueled us to endure. Our biggest challenge is getting others to believe in our mission and for them to give their time, energy and finances to support the non-profit. Another challenge was finding the appropriate recipients to receive the resources donated and ensuring that the items get to the intended recipients.
At the most, securing the necessary resources and funding to launch our back-to-school drives was a formidable obstacle. Balancing our mission with limited resources required creativity and resilience. As we progressed, sustaining our efforts year after year presented its own set of challenges. We faced hurdles in expanding our reach and ensuring the ability of our programs to serve more communities. Building a network of supporters, volunteers, and partners has also been a continuous effort.

Any advice for managing a team?

I strive to maintain high morale by being transparent with all of whom I collaborate with. I encourage constructive feedback in hopes to find new ideas to help our organization grow. I also credit the individual’s ideas openly with the rest of the team.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When our team discussed serving students internationally, we were going to ship school supplies to the schools, and entrust the campus staff to pass them out to students. We were not confident that all the school supplies were given to students, so we decided to personally make the International trip and personally handout the items to the students. This change has given our organization more exposure, authenticity and integrity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.agestureoflove.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/agestureoflove?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094200054163&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glowalker01?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Image Credits
Sephora Sakombi