OUR FOUNDER

Catherine Mary Ajizinga Chipembere was born in Domasi, Nyasaland (now Malawi) on July 1, 1935. She graduated from Blantyre Secondary School at a time when girls were not encouraged　to attend school, and won a two-year scholarship to study Domestic Science in Bath, U.K. Upon her return to her native country, she married Henry B. Masauko Chipembere, perhaps the staunchest nationalist in modern Malawian political history and one of the architects of Malawi’s independence from Britain. He is now recognized as "Hero of the Nation." Following a major Cabinet Crisis in 1964, immediately after independence, Masauko organized an unsuccessful armed struggle against the soon-to-be Life President, Dr. Kamuzu Banda and was forced into exile in the United States.

 

Catherine was widowed on September 24, 1975 when Masauko succumbed　to diabetes. She endured 29 years of exile with its attendant threat of assassination, spies, and the indignity of statelessness. Self-driven and independent, refusing to wallow in self-pity, Catherine completed a B.A. in Early Childhood Education in seven years while raising seven children on a meager　income from her 24 hour home/daycare center, one of the first in Los Angeles.

 

Following Banda’s defeat in the first Democratic election in 30 years, Catherine returned to Malawi in 1994 to a rousing welcome from her people who had always appreciated her example, even during the dictatorship when they could not express their sentiments publicly. She was elected to Parliament as M.P. for Mangochi, her constituency. She served first as Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Technology (1995 –1996) and then Deputy Minister of Health and Population (1996–1998). In both capacities, Catherine oversaw the running of primary and secondary schools throughout the country, taking special personal interest in advancing girls’ education. She also paid particular attention to women and children’s issues, crisscrossing the country to visit remote schools, to meet with village women in order to understand their needs, and to ensure the children’s well-being.

 

After retiring from politics and government service, she launched WIN, her own NGO (Non-governmental organization), in order to continue her work with women and children beyond the constraints of red tape. At 80 years old, Catherine is unbowed and undaunted. Though many people have joined her in this immense cause, Catherine remains the heart and soul of WIN.