Pempho Chinkondenji

Pempho Chinkondenji is a first-year doctoral student from Lilongwe, Malawi. Her research interests focus on gender, education, and international development in the “Global South,” especially in the context of Africa. 

Pempho’s experiences growing up in Malawi motivated her to be the co-founder of a nonprofit organization called Loving Arms Malawi (LAM) that provides educational support for young people, especially girls.  LAM provides Malawian youth access to educated and professional role models to encourage them to stay in school and mentors them in their academic and career journeys.  Also, LAM raises awareness about sexual violence (which is a taboo topic in most Malawian communities), and provides young girls access to free counseling services. 

In 2017, Pempho completed a Master of Arts degree in Cross-cultural and International Education at Bowling Green State University, and her area of specialization was in Educational Development and Marginalized Populations.  She currently serves as a Youth Delegate to the United Nations for the Pan-Pacific and South-East Asian Women’s Association and is interested in collaboration with various professionals in promoting women’s empowerment across the world.

"With these practical and personal experiences, I was motivated to apply for the PhD in Educational Policy and Leadership with a concentration in International Education.  As I study, I desire to understand the centrality of gender relations and how they connect to education and the development process in Sub-Saharan Africa.  I am very excited to be part of the CIE community at UMass Amherst, and I am looking forward to learning from the faculty, staff and students here!"