Malawi student Kawonga wins K67.5m fellowship

October 17, 2014 Thom Chiumia -Nyasa Times 72 Comments

Malawian PhD student at the University of Kentucky, Bettie Sindi Kawonga, 30 was on Thursday October 16 – World Food Day – formally honoured as  one of the four young entrepreneurs under the age of 40 as recipients of the $150 000 (about K67.5 million) fellowships to launch innovative social enterprise projects addressing hunger and poverty in Africa.

Kawonga was named on Wednesday as winner of the award together with Liberian Mahmud Johnson, Lilian Uwintwali from Rwanda and Emiliano Mroue from Sierra Leone at the World Food Prize international symposium organised the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (AGI), and the World Food Prize Foundation.

Kawonga (Right) wins K67,5m fellowship
Kawonga (Right) wins K67,5m fellowship

The ceremony was held at World Food Prize international symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.

Kawonga, a lecturer in dairy science and technology at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar), said she will use her 40 Chances Award to establish a network of community business incubation centres, which will enable underemployed Malawian youth to become successful entrepreneurs in the dairy sector.

The Community Business Incubation Centers will equip youth with leadership and technical skills in dairy husbandry and value addition, agribusiness management, loans and savings, and business proposal writing. Youth will be matched with business mentors and provided with start-up funds from an endowment to be created using a portion of the 40 Chances award money.

“The project aims at tapping into the current ‘sleeping giant’ of Malawi – the youth – who make up over 60% of the Malawian population but most of whom are either not employed or are un-employable due to lack of technical skills,” she said.

In his statement, Howard W. Buffett, trustee of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and co-author of 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World, hailed the recipients, saying they have demonstrated that a single individual has potential to change the world.

“We are proud to partner with the World Food Prize Foundation and The Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative in recognizing these four extraordinary people. Each of the 40 Chances Fellows is living proof that a single individual has the potential to change the world, and we anticipate that their work will serve as a model for others hoping to do the same,” he said.

An extremely impressive array of leaders served as judges for this fellowship. They were Dr. Pedro Sanchez – World Food Prize Laureate, Dr. Ruth Oniang’o – Chair of the Board, Sasakawa Africa Association, Dr. Daniel Karanja – Executive Director, Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, David Strelneck – Senior Advisor, Ashoka and Ms. Rachael Wilson – Staff member, World Food Programme Malawi.

Motivated by the conviction that investing in youth is essential to securing a positive future for Malawi, Kawonga has worked in the country to encourage entrepreneurship in the dairy industry.

Fact File

  • Kawonga  graduated from the University of Malawi (Bunda Collage of Agriculture) with BSc and MSc in Animal Science.
  • She worked in the Ministry of Agriculture as an Extension Officer before joining the University of Malawi as a Lecturer.
  • She is now pursuing a PhD
  • Her goal is to contribute to the development of Dairy Industry in Malawi through teaching, research and consultancy.

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72 replies on “Malawi student Kawonga wins K67.5m fellowship”

  1. @ 7.1 cheating at Nkhatabay Secondary School, oh yea? Check Nkhatabay secondary school is full of southerners and this causes cheating. True northerners do not cheat, kape iwe

  4. IF IT WAS PETER MUTHALIKA CHOOSING THE WHO TO BE AMONGST THIS YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS AWARD, OBVIOUSLY THE BENEFICIARY COULD HAVE COME FROM EITHER THYOLO, MULANJE, PHALOMBE OR CHIRADZULU.KAONGA COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ON THE LIST JUST BECAUASE SHE COMES FROM CHITIPA

  8. u r the one hu z not aware of wat u r writing. i doubt if u wen to the same xul all pipo go or sukulu ya ufiti, tchito yako i think ndi yokolopa zimbuzi za mu depoti . masamu ndi awa $150,000 x k 436.00 = k67,500,000.00 . timakuwuzani zilimbikani sukulu mungazachitise manyazi Alomwe anzanu sumumamva matama ndikuzikonda thoo makani opanda ntchito. Basi ntchito kunyoza atumbuka koma chonsencho mukumazabisala njara ku ma esiteti a fodya kumpoto kuno ndikumadyesedwa gaga ngath nkhumba. mbava inu eti. Mbuzi izi wati makongono tuu waka nge vya munkhwele vya mu chiweta ake.

  9. If nyasatimes is biased towards the north, why don’t you make something to be biased towards your region? Ndiye ku panda brains kumneko. You are used to be given things on a silver platter, quota system no matter what will still make you brainless .

    1. Idiot, can you note see northeners are the ones getting fooled by the bias reporting, thinking and believing they are the only ones who can perform and crying victim all the time as a result. Badzichindani ndi zala

  11. Those who engage themselves in tribalistic name calling are like EBOLA in our Malawian society. They need a psychological cure. We need to praise God for Blessing our land with men and women of immense talents that put the country on the World map instead of infecting our society with this tribalistic name calling virus. Let us think and talk about our country’s development.

  14. Nkhani koma iyi, osati za a lutepo ndi anzawo. Citizens should be bringing money to the country, not stealing from it.

  15. Congrants Kawonga. LUANAR’s pride. Malawi’s pride. One Malawi, one education for all. God bless.

    3. Comment 35 ( Makala Bondo) you mean $150,000 is = mk6.7M ???

      Thats the problem of quota system even mbuli like you go to secondary school and universities! Its simple…use your mobile phone and do multiplication 150,000 * 420 or 450 = ¿¿¿¿ eiiiish you suck man!!!

    5. A makata bondo munaphunzila masamu akuti….even times exchange rate of mk50 that amount is already is already MK7.5 million; more than the 6.7m u r talking about….shame on you for trying to be mathematically clever..

      .to be 6.7million it means $1=44kwacha which is not the case..

      even at 100mk exchange rate it would be already mk15 million….hope u get it now Mr Makata bondo

  17. No need to bring tribalism in this matter. She is Malawian and the whole Malawi should be proud of her achievement.

    That is why some of Us say quota system punishes Malawi by preventing its brightest stars to progress with their academic excellence. Then we complain about falling education standards, definitely quota system is contributing to the falling standards!!!!!!

    1. You are right. George Chaponda is the Most hating idiot First born daughter of the DEVIL Mudyerekezi for the Northerners.

  21. whether she is from Mars or Venus it does not matter. The most important thing is that she is an achiever who creates unnecessary regionalistic and tribalistic nonsense from teaspoonful brains.

  24. All those who have commented here are ignorant of the the factor that Bettie was trained by Bunda College of Agriculture. All of you are just praising useless things. This is a reflection of the quality of graduates from Bunda. Komanso mwati the husband works for Heifer international? Panalibe likasa apa from Heifer International? Anyway congratulations.

  25. Congrats akweni we are proud of you as you bring this institution as well as the country on the map. The bottom line is you are a Malawian regardless of tribe, district, region or religion.

  26. I have liked the award:
    1. She is a female
    2. She is from Malaw
    3. She is a mere PhD student
    4. The name sounds Tumbukashi even if she is a tumbuka it is good for Malawians

  27. If you read Nyasatimes often enough, you will note that it is biased towards reporting achievements of Northeners and downplaying failures of northeners. If this person was not from the North, Northener Chiumia would not have written about her. Northern teachers and invigilators have been nabbed for MSCE cheating in Nkhatabay, did Chiumia and his northern cohorts report on that that big issue no, but they will be the first to say all the 9 points from North are on merit. Report fairly to all otherwise you only fooled crowns, thinking only northers can achieve

    Having said that, Congratulations to this lady.

  29. PITALA MATHANYULA UKITI BWANJI PAMENEPO NDI QUOTA YAKOYO, CHITSIRU IWE WOPANDA MANYAZI.

    NORTHERNERS ARE MALAWIAN ISRAELITES, YOU OPPRESS THEM, GOD LIFTS THEM, THE MORE YOU TORCHER THEM, THE MORE BLESSED THEY REMAIN, ALWAYS WITH GOD ON THEIR SIDE. IF YOU DARE CURSE THEM, GOD CURSES YOU IN RETURN (GEN. 12: 2-3)

    REMEMBER THE FIRST GOVERNMENT IN MALAWI WAS INSTITUTED BY THE MISSIONARIES IN THE NORTH, AND THE FIRST CIVIL ORGANIZED GOVERNMENT SYSTEM WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED IN MZIMBA BY THE NGONI ASSISTED BY THE MISSIONARIES. THUS MZIMBA BECAME THE FIRST DISTRICT IN NYASALAND = BOMA.

  31. anzathuwa tingowasiya mtundu wawo ndiwanzeru basi…ife ANYAPAPI MAPWIYA LHOMWEZ tizingogwirapo ntchito za mnyumba basi…..olo titabweretsa quota kaya half system ataa siigwirabe!!!!….basi ndukakwatira ku mpoto ndizatulutse ana anzeru…umapwiyawu sundithandiza shupiti!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. ophunzira akugeira ntchito odaphunzira amene mukuanenawo naapanga invest nawalemba ntchito. A China Mpinganjira fdh , Kachaje, zagaf, Khondowe Dzombe

      Tikulembani ntchito zaka zake zino. Why aspire to be an employee

  34. MRS KAWONGA IS NOT A TUMBUKA PER SAY UNLESS YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN COMPLETELY THE FEATURES OF THE TUMBUKAS AND THOSE OF THE LOMWES. ISN’T SHE SISTER TO AKWENI PATIE AT MKANDO. LOOK AT HER SKIN AND THAT OF AKWENI.

    1. i thought u said atumbuka ndi anthu akuda?????? just because she has 67 million now u say she is a lomwe???????? be serious for real, this lady is dark the features u said are tumbukas, may its just a stereotype by southerners?????? do i see resemblance of kaliati and this lady here??????? a big NO

  36. If tumbukas are intelligent, why the are failing to discover drug for ebola yet mwana mulanje waapeza kale. Mukumva bwanji mtima?

    2. Angapezedi mankhwala a Ebora ndi Achewa. Ikadzafika Ebora ku Malawi kuno izayamba ku Southern Region nkuthela ku Central Region.

  38. Akazi anzeru chuma and fame chimaatsata. Osati mahule achabechabe All they get is infamy and a sure prison sentence and poverty.

  39. in this case even if they impose quota on kawonga children, she can easily send them to UK, US, GERMANY, FRANCE to do their university education,nanga 67 million MK thats lots of cash pa malawi pano!!!!!!

    1. You are kiding right? Do you realise that that could be even not enough to maintain one child in University in UK?

  40. The quota system works in Malawi only not in international arena. Shame on the Need Support policy. Inu zoona mpaka amuna nawonso kufunika Need Support? Ngati kutemera bwanji nyau kutemera? Malawians quota system is a shame on the education system ku Zambia kulibe izi zopusa koma madera ena maphunziro nditsika. Black skin black thoughts black heart black quta system. Shame on Malawi!

    1. congratulations mai a Tamira, you are a harder worker and no wonder you made it, congratulations ma dear!

  41. Guys guys chill down,

    Bettie is a Mrs Kawonga. She is not in any way a TUMBUKA. Mtsikana uyu ndi Mchawa. Mwamuna wake ndi Kondwani Kawonga wa ku Heifer International muno mu LL. Kambani nkhani ina anthu osadziwa inu. Shutup. Proud MLOMWE

    1. she can be hated on this forum because of her husband name dont u know that????????? infact if she was a tumbuka, u would have insulted her yourself and u writing this coz perhaps she is not, shammeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, u know what?????? her children wil never go to UNIMA coz of the name kawonga she carries despite her being mchawa what a stupid stereotype in this country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    3. Aah, thanks for enlighting us. Kaninso atumbuka anakwatira mitundu ina, nanga alohmwe bwanji Nawonso zimatheka kukwatirana ndi anthu ena including atumbuka?

  44. Alomwe anzanga titi bwanji, ife kwathu nkulira basi. We have tried to impose quota system on anganyawa, but there they are!!!! As Lucius Banda’s song says ” Munanditsekela khomo nkuwaka chiliza, inu posegula window lero ndi ine”, the more we try to oppress them, the more God is blessing them. Fellow Lomwians I give up nsanje yanga like some of the Egyptians who followed the Israelites as they left Egypt. Every day tikuwatukwana, it only proves that we are fearful of these people. Indeed ndi anthu anzeru.

    1. She is Mrs Kaonga you fool But NEEE ndi mchewa galu iwe. Do not be fooled that northers are smart, they cheat like no one else buzness, read nation about the cheating of MSCE in Nkhatabay, Nyondo and Nkandawire sangayankhule kathu, they know the truth.

  45. Nothing to do with being from the north or so. This can be achieved by any other person from anywhere in Malawi. A big congratulations to you young lady.

    1. daft Phoyas wife is from the north. Kasamaras wife ndi mlomwe. People crossed those silly boundaries long ago.

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