The Rescued Becomes the Rescuer:Zahara Seruyombya-Mccoy #241

In my conversation with Zahara Seruyombya-McCoy, CEO of Children of Grace, we hear her extraordinary story of loss, survival, faith, and purpose. Zahara Seruyombya-McCoy is the CEO of Children of Grace, a wife and mom of three, and a compassionate leader whose own story of loss, faith, and hope fuels her work serving vulnerable children in Uganda.

Born in Uganda, Zahara shares what it was like to lose both of her parents as a child and enter a world shaped by poverty, hunger, instability, and survival. She reflects on the resilience that children can develop in the middle of hardship, the sustaining power of faith, and the inner tension of living between the life she came from and the life she was given through adoption in the United States.

Our conversation also explores parenting, generosity, empathy, and the life-changing impact of one person choosing to step in. Zahara’s story is not just about being rescued — it’s about becoming someone who now helps rescue others.

Takeaways:

1. Zahara’s childhood in Uganda and the loss of both parents
2. How faith helped her endure survival mode as a child
3. What resilience looks like when childhood is interrupted by hardship
4. The contrast between Ugandan and American family life
5. How trauma shaped her parenting and deepened her empathy
6. Why true generosity is an investment in people, not just a donation
7. The story that led her back to Uganda and into leadership with Children of Grace
8. What it means to live a more integrated, less divided life