Gender & Human Rights
Deborah Tambulasi Banda is the Deputy Director for Gender and Women’s Rights at Malawi Human Rights Commission. She holds a Master of Science degree in Gender and Development from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She has worked as a Guidance and Counseling teacher at St. Patrick’s International Academy and a part-time lecturer for Gender Studies at the University of Malawi (Chancellor College).
Apart from a number of Gender researches she has conducted, Deborah has also worked as a Gender Specialist at Malawi Institute of Education in a number of projects, which include the following:
- World Vision’s consultancy for the baseline study on the Safe and Nurturing School Project, specifically addressing school related gender based violence;
- Fawema’s consultancy on reviewing and contextualizing regional Gender Responsive Pedagogy (GRP) toolkit to Malawian context;
- Training Primary School Advisers (PEAs), head teachers and deputy head teachers on gender issues in Education.
In addition, she has written instructional materials for the primary and teacher education levels in Malawi that includes gender and human rights issues. She has also contributed to the development of Comprehensive Sexuality Education sourcebook for the teachers in Malawi. Other works include the following:
- Her thesis titled, “the effectiveness of climate change justice in enhancing resilience among women during floods: the case of Chikwawa district”.
- The impact of Covid-19 on women in Malawian families: a gender-based violence perspective (unpublished)
- factors that affect flood response intervention’s effectiveness on women in Malawi, Chikwawa district (Published)
With her passion on gender issues, she has worked as a team leader on her own founded project called Am Equally Important (AEI) with secondary school students at Domasi Demonstration Secondary school where she was using forms of arts (art and design, drama, music and dance) to tackle SRGBV.
She believes in being of help to people who may not necessarily give back what she has given as well as putting a smile on the faces of the people facing challenges. In her free time, she enjoys talking to the youth on different issues of life, listening to gospel music and current affairs as well as cooking.
Currently, she is the UN Women/ILO Global Champion on Decent Work, Chairperson-African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), and Chairperson– Coalition for the Prevention of Unsafe Abortion (COPUA). Until 2018, she was the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of NGO Gender Coordination Network in Malawi.
Emma has also previously held the positions of Chairperson of the Malawi Country Advisory Committee of the Southern Africa Aids Trust (SAT), Vice Chairperson, Partners In Hope Medical Centre-Lilongwe and Former Board Member -CONGOMA Governing Council.
Emma Kaliya has been awarded several awards among them are the following; the Drivers of Change Award- Southern Africa Trust and Mail & Guardian (2009), MHRRC/Danish Institute for Human Rights Recognition Award, Human Rights Consultative Committee recognition Award and the Life Time Achiever’s Award (2021). Emma Kaliya strongly believes that societal change is about empowering the grassroots especially women, to take up new challenges as leaders in their own right. Therefore, it remains my conviction that there is need to apply the principal of helping people to help themselves. Communities must own processes and be able to appreciate their own participation as change agents.
Born on the 8th of September, 1982, Esnart Samuel Kalunga holds a Master of Science in Gender and Development. She is currently the Agriculture Gender Roles Extension Support Services Officer.
Esnart has vast knowledge and experience in gender mainstreaming steps starting with Gender analysis using a number of tools, development of action points to address identified gender issues, and devising strategies to upscale and sustain the interventions while applying equity to attain gender equality.
Esnart also developed a passion for empowering vulnerable gender groups (women, youth, elderly, chronically ill and people with disabilities) by deliberately including them in different interventions and targeting them in Income Generating Projects (IGPs) and labor saving technologies (Gender Equality and Social Inclusion-GESI).
She also has experience in developing, interpreting and adopting Gender HIV and AIDS policies and strategies mainly at district level. In addition, Esnart has more than 3 years’ experience in coordinating Agriculture Sector Wide Approach support Project II and heading extension departments from 2018 where she acquired managerial and project management skills such as work plan development, activity implementation, monitoring and evaluation and report writing.
Gloria has an MA in Social Work and Women’s Development from China Women’s University. She also holds a BA in Business Communication obtained from the University of Malawi, the Polytechnic. She is a Social Worker, Humanitarian, Media and Communications Specialist, Broadcaster, Youth Worker, Gender Advocate and Child Rights Activist. Gloria has strong passion for women, youth and children. Currently, she works for Save the Children (SCI) as Gender and Communications Officer for two humanitarian projects called Pathways for Strengthened Resilience and Graduation among Social Cash Transfer (P4R) and Youth Economic Empowerment, Sexual Reproductive Health Rights and Prevention of Unsafe Migration where she leads in the design, supervision, implementation and facilitation. Her job involves integration of a gender equality lens in SCI’s interventions, advocacy, campaign and communications efforts. She is also responsible for the development of communications strategy, enhancing media engagement and visibility as well as improving social media presence. She has been instrumental in the launch of the first ever Children’s Parliament in Ntcheu district which offers a platform for children voice out issues that affect them and lobby for redress by relevant authorities. She also sits in the SCI’s Children’s Advisory Committee.
In her previous role, she worked for Oxfam in Malawi as Humanitarian Media and Communications Officer specifically for the Cyclone Idai Emergency Response Project where she successfully led the development and implementation of communications strategy to highlight Oxfam response to floods in Nsanje and Phalombe districts and supported gender, protection and safeguarding focal points in mainstreaming activities to ensure participation, ownership, dignity and empowerment of staff, partners and beneficiaries. She also has experience in working with implementing partners at district and national levels.
Gloria is driven. She is an accomplished broadcaster with more than 15 years of experience. She worked with the national broadcaster Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) as Head of VVIP live coverage, Documentaries and Special Events. Besides playing a supervisory role, her job involved developing, producing and presenting radio and TV programmes relating to gender, social inclusion, governance, youth, child rights, health, agriculture and humanitarian. For instance, she successfully transformed a mere phone in programme called ‘Zokonda Amai’ to a vibrant interactive social network for women across the country. Apart from empowering women across the country, the programme is MBCs flag carrier which tackles gender inequality as a root cause of many barriers to sustainable development. Her broadcasting career assisted me to build a solid relationship with various partners namely; NGOs, local authorities, government departments, local leaders, communities and policy makers.
Gloria is ambitious. During her post graduate studies, in 2017 I was a graduate internship with an organisation which offers social, economic and legal support to women and girls called Women’s Legal Resources Centre (WOLREC). During the internship, she was involved in a women’s empowerment project in Balaka district funded by Trocaire which used ‘Star Circle’ approach to address harmful cultural practices. Gloria has experience in community mobilization and engagement, advocacy and communications, research and mentorship.
Gloria has wide experience supporting the development of project proposals that have over time supported women, youth and children’s development, education, nutrition and empowerment initiatives. She has also completed training in project management, gender and PSEA, humanitarian operations fundamentals, advocacy, communication, child rights based approaches, social accountability amongst others.
Her accolades include; Family Planning Champion by Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (2014 -2016), recipient of the 2012 Women of Distinction Award Media Category by WODA Malawi, Board Member of Eye of the Child (2015 – 2018) and awardee of Outstanding Master Student (CWU in 2018). Gloria aspires to attain a PHD in International Relations by 2026.
Veronica Ludaka has a Master of Social Work degree in Women Leadership and Social Development from China Women’s University, as well as a Bachelor of Education Science degree in Chemistry and Mathematics from the University of Malawi (Chancellor College).
She has worked for the Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s Office (ECCO) of the People’s Republic of China’s Embassy in Malawi, as well as the Professional Women’s Network Malawi. Veronica is very passionate about women’s and children’s rights and well-being because there is a disparity in Malawi, for example, women are systematically excluded from decision-making positions in the provision of public services, which is evident both in senior public office and at the community level, as affirmative action provisions are systematically ignored, further excluding women from participation.
Veronica is constantly advocating for the inclusion of women in decision-making positions and seeking to engage policymakers and decision-makers in advocating for the implementation and enactment of more gender inclusive policies and legislation in order to create an enabling environment for women and children, better working conditions, and better service delivery.
Growing up in a small suburb surrounded by many social challenges such as gender discrimination, gender-based sexual violence, countless child abuses cases, and some harmful traditional practices inspired her to advocate for, organize, and improve women’s participation in social development.
Ms. Caroline Kayira-Kulemeka
Carol Kayira-Kulemeka is the Global Program Manager on Resilient Livelihoods and Climate Justice for Action Aid International. Her portfolio involves strategy development and implementation oversight for ActionAid’s livelihoods program implemented in 43 countries. She also manages three multi country projects implemented in Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Prior to this position, Carol worked with Oxfam Malawi as Head of Livelihoods Resilience, Economic Justice Coordinator and briefly seconded to Oxfam’s regional office in Pretoria, South Africa as the Regional Economic Justice Coordinator. She also worked as Program and Finance Manager for Fahamu- Networks for Social Justice, Head of Food Security, Nutrition and Emergencies for ActionAid Malawi, Program Coordinator for Action Aid Democratic Republic of Congo and Livelihoods Program Officer for DFID Malawi.
Currently serving as council member for the University of Malawi, she previously served as board member for the Malawi Scotland partnership (MASP) and Civil Society Agriculture network (CISANET).
Carol has a Master of Arts Degree in Development Studies, a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree and is currently working on her Doctorate Degree in Business Administration.
Atupele is a gender, women’s development specialist and a women’s rights advocate with strong expertise in organizational development, project management in humanitarian setting, leadership and results-based management.
Atupele Wirima holds a Masters in Human Resource Management and a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Economics. She was awarded the Future Leaders Program award by Oxford University. She is the director of the National Women`s Lobby Group.
She founded a Non – Profit Organization called: Build Her.
Atupele stands by three mantras: Respect, Dignity and Equality. She is a Wife, Mother, Entrepreneur, and an advocate for women’s rights, empowerment and development.
Joanna Ziwa
Medellina Joanna Mbeye
Medellina Joanna Mbeye is an Environmental and Social safeguards specialist with extensive knowledge and hands on experience in the monitoring projects to check compliance with environmental legislations, safeguards instruments preparation, safeguards documents review and provisions of technical guidance on implementation of environmental and social mitigation measures in the both national and donor funded projects. In addition, she is capable of leading projects for local government as well as large multi-national companies. She is proficient with various types of environmental software and equipment. Is a holder of Masters in Gender and Development and a Bachelors Degree in Environmental Science. She is working with Environmental Affairs Department as an Environmental Inspector, based in Lilongwe.
Maggie Kathewera Banda is the founder and Executive Director of Women’s Legal Resources Centre (WOLREC) a local women’s rights NGO established in 2006 whose mission is to facilitate increased access to social, economic and legal justice for women and girls in Malawi. Maggie has 22 years’ experience working on gender and women’s rights issues. She has designed and managed projects on Gender based violence, Women’s economic empowerment, among others. She is a holder of a Bachelor of Social Science Degree with credit from Chancellor College- University of Malawi (1997), Post Graduate Certificate in NGO Management from Wye College-University of London (2002) and a Masters Degree in Development Studies-Cavendish University- Zambia. Maggie’s work has been recognized by government through the Ministry of Gender evidenced by her inclusion in technical working groups including Gender Based Violence Technical Working Group and Women in Politics Technical working group. Maggie was also recognised by the Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare as a Champion of women’s rights in Malawi in September 2020. She has been part of Malawi Government delegation to Commission on the Status of Women in New-york in March 2011 and March 2015, 2017,2018 and 2019. Maggie was also part of the five CSOs representatives to Geneva in November 2015 who presented the CEDAW Shadow report for Malawi to the CEDAW committee. She has been a Commissioner sitting in the Special Law Commission on the Review of the Malawi Citizenship Act from 2017 to 2019.She is also a member of the Core Advisory Panel on Vision 2063. Maggie through WOLREC is also leading the Women’s Manifesto Movement which is a diverse movement advocating for protection and fulfilment of women’s rights in Malawi. She is a recipient of the 2021 Africa Gender Equality as a Women’s human rights defender.
Tikhala is Human Rights Lawyer from Malawi that has spent the past 10 years in policy advocacy and movement building work related to sexual reproductive health rights and gender justice. Tikhala is currently the Director of Global Movement Building (WGH). WGH has catalyzed a global network of national and regional chapters aiming to enable women from around the world to engage at all levels in decision-making, particularly for women that are under-represented in global health leadership and especially from low- and middle-income countries.
Tikhala has a track record in engaging and presenting at national, regional and international political high-level platforms such as the African Union Head of State Summit, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, the World Health Assembly, the SADC Women Parliamentarian Forum and many others. She has worked as a UN Youth Advisor for East and Southern Africa as well as a UNAIDS Social Justice Think Tank member. She founded her own youth-led organisation in 2017 in Malawi called HeR Liberty and has worked as a Country Director in Malawi for a Global Fund Regional Programme, where she was part of the Country Coordination Mechanism, working closely with key Government Ministries such as the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance. She led a regional youth network called AfriYAN (African Youth and Adolescent Network) that coordinates youth-networks in 21 East and Southern African countries, served as a board member on the Global Partnership on Maternal, Newborn and Child health and is the former Chairperson for the Global Political Movement on women and girls’ rights called SheDecides. She completed her Master’s in Public Health at the University of Washington, Seattle under the US Fulbright Scholarship and has worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.