Immaculate Chawanda: EU youth Sounding Board Ambassador

Immaculate Chawanda stands out as dynamic force in the country’s development.

She serves as co-founder and executive director of Validus Circle (VC)—a youth-led organisation championing education, economic empowerment, talents and sexual reproductive health services since its inception in 2020.

Having reached out to a diverse group of people, Immaculate has been selected by the European Union (EU) to be part of the Youth Sounding Board, representing the youth in Malawi.

She advises the EU ambassador and the EU delegation in Malawi on youth participation and empowerment.

This allows young people to influence EU external action and international partnerships and, thereby, contribute towards making EU action more participatory, relevant and effective for young people in Malawi.

This is a two-year position where she will also contribute in shaping projects that align with the aspirations of Malawian youth.

Validus was founded when the Covid-19 pandemic worsened and Malawi was under lockdown.

‘’The time the organisation was born, I was in Ukraine under lockdown myself, but I had the privilege to continue my studies online while most schools in Malawi, especially in the rural areas, had closed down.

‘’After learning about school closures and many girls getting pregnant because of staying idle my co-founder Elitah  Kachifumbu derived the Validus Circle idea,” she said.

Immaculate disclosed that Validus is a Latin word that means strength.

So, the initiative means “strong circle” referring to a supportive and reliable network of friends, family or colleagues.

The director said they later decided to expand it into a youth organisation.

She said VC supports Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3,4 and 8.

It also supports the Malawi Vision 2063 (MW2063) whose main objective is to transform into a youth-centric inclusive wealthy and self-reliant industrialised upper middle-income country.

‘’We have three projects; one of which is to send youths back to school. This is an education drive that focuses on helping children and the youth, mostly girls, get back on track with education.

‘’We believe that education is the backbone of socio-economic development. It also has a strong impact on literacy, reproductive, maternal, child health, HIV and Aids,” she said.

Immaculate said, according to Unesco, Malawi has 4.5 million pupils enrolled in primary and secondary education.

Validus Circle wants to contribute to the percentage of school goers in Malawi.

They believe everyone has the right to education.

The organisation has encouraged 200 pupils to return to school at Nkukula Primary School in Lumbadzi.

‘’Self-help is another programme we do. Its objective is to grow the economy by teaching skills to guardians at the Kamuzu Central Hospital Paediatric Haematology Oncology Centre using recycled resources to make jewelry and sandals that can generate money.

Through this project, VC has certified 20 mothers for completing the training and has worked with 50 guardians.

Youth Clubs are another dimension to their objectives.

These clubs receive transformative awareness training on social issues, guidance and mentorship from the organisation.

Immaculate said she helps the youth because they contribute towards national development and are future leaders.

As of now, the organisation has no funding, yet, but it has fundraising activities.

The young activist is dedicated to fostering positive change, believing that her involvement will pave the way for youth responsive projects.

Her role model is Michelle Obama, because of her inspiring leadership, grace, dignity and dedication to public service.

She has made significant contributions to education, health, and wellness, launching the ‘Let’s Move!’ campaign to combat childhood obesity.

Immaculate advises her fellow women to upgrade in education and keep updated on current affairs.

She further encouraged women to build resilience in handling difficulties.

“Acknowledge that obstacles are inevitable in life and that resilience will make your recovery more robust,” she said.

Immaculate was born on May 23 1998 in Zomba. She is the eldest of two girls in her family.

She went to Kamuzu Academy and St Patrick’s Academy schools.

Later, she studied her bachelor’s degree in International Economic Relations at Poltava University of Economics and Trade in Ukraine.

“I resided in Ukraine from 2018 to 2022, just as the war broke out, but I managed to return to Malawi before the situation escalated.

“I always envision myself as an elephant because they are incredibly strong and resilient creatures. Additionally, elephants often exhibit leadership qualities, with older individuals guiding and protecting the herd,” she said.