Chrystina Russell flew from Burundi to tell us what nonprofit leaders need to hear right now: how Village Health Works absorbed a $1.4 million USAID funding gap — and didn't blink.

In this conversation, you'll learn:
✅ How mission-driven organizations survive sudden federal funding cuts
✅ Why love alone isn't enough — you need love AND skill to serve vulnerable communities
✅ What leading from a resource-scarce environment teaches you about systems thinking
✅ The leadership philosophy behind a 20-year organization serving 200,000+ people

This episode is perfect for Executive Directors, nonprofit CEOs, and program leaders navigating funding uncertainty, staff burnout, and the pressure to do more with less.


📊 KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- The system is often the problem — not the people in it. Whether it's teacher burnout or nonprofit funding gaps, individual effort can't outrun broken structures.

- Love is necessary, but not sufficient. Serving vulnerable communities requires pairing genuine care with real, technical skill.

- Village Health Works serves 200,000+ people across 19 communities with 200 community health workers — and absorbed a $1.4M USAID gap without abandoning its mission.

- When peanut paste shipments stopped overnight, the team pivoted to growing their own — turning a crisis into community economic empowerment.

- Rest is resistance. Chrystina shares how Tricia Hersey's framework reshaped her leadership approach to sustainability.

👤 ABOUT CHRYSTINA RUSSELL:
Chrystina Russell is the Chief Strategy and Development Officer at Village Health Works, a 20-year-old community health organization in Burundi, East Africa. She began her career as a bilingual special education teacher in the Bronx, spent a decade as a teacher and principal in East Harlem, and transitioned into international development after building a track record of results in education innovation. She now leads fundraising and strategic development for an organization running a 200-bed hospital, secondary and primary schools, and community economic empowerment programs serving 200,000+ people.

🎙️ ABOUT HART & HUSTLE:
Hart & Hustle brings you weekly conversations with mission-driven leaders solving real problems in healthcare, education, and community services. Every Tuesday, hosts Keenan Hart and Efrain sit down with nonprofit executives, operations directors, and innovators to uncover practical strategies you can implement in your organization.