Charles Kajoloweka
Malawi

Charles Kajoloweka is a human rights activist and the founder and executive director of Youth and Society (YAS), a human rights NGO in Malawi. At 29 years of age, he has enjoyed eight years’ experience in human rights advocacy, providing leadership in program designing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and in resource mobilization. He is currently project manager of two governance and human rights projects: the Malawi National Youth Policy project and the Natural Resource Justice project, that protect the rights of indigenous communities around Viphya forest. A former student union leader at university, he is the current adviser to the American Ambassador to Malawi on youth issues. After the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Kajoloweka plans to establish a Youth Civic Leadership Program aimed at empowering 300 potential young civil society leaders, the new voices to strengthen civil society in Malawi and spur sustainable development.