Bernadettah Zimba

My name is Bernadettah, a Student Relations Coordinator (SRC) working in the Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI) division. I was born and raised in Malawi, “The Warm Heart of Africa.” Back in Malawi, After attaining my Bachelor’s degree in Education Social Studies at the University of Malawi: Chancellor College, I had the privilege of working with various communities on development projects both in the planning and implementation stages for three years. This experience gave me an in-depth understanding of the critical factors challenging development in Malawi and Sub-Saharan Africa, which shaped my passion and life goal: finding sustainable solutions and strategies for Malawi’s and international development.

In pursuit of this goal, in 2020, I moved to Japan to study for my master’s degree in Sustainability Science at the United Nations University Institute for Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), where I graduated in July 2022. My motivation to study in Japan was rooted in my appreciation of Japan’s prominent level of development and the exacting standards of education in Japan. My studies gave me the much-needed knowledge, exposure, and expertise required to contribute towards sustainable development in Africa and globally.

Central to my professional and academic motivation is the understanding that relevant and impactful education is the backbone of development at the individual and community levels. As such, part of my goal is to empower fellow youth to be effective development players in their contexts through relevant education initiatives. This desire attracted me to work at Ashinaga, particularly the AAI.

Joining Ashinaga thus far has been a dream come true, as it gives me the rare opportunity of working and learning from the various teams that are selflessly, tirelessly, and actively empowering and equipping the Scholars with both the academic and leadership experiences that will enable them to effectively solve the various developmental needs in their home countries and beyond. Additionally, working in Ashinaga is very satisfying for me. I get to utilize my expertise and experience in development planning to support and mentor young African leaders. Furthermore, in my role as an SRC, I have the rare opportunity of supporting AAI Scholars in their journey of becoming effective agents of development through the AAI’s emphasis on leadership development.