Ellen Chilemba ’17: Founder of Tiwale

The Innovator

Like many of her fellow students, Ellen Chilemba found that her sense of purpose aligned with Mount Holyoke’s mission of preparing women for “purposeful engagement in the world.” When she arrived at MHC, she had already founded Tiwale and was providing a small group of Malawian women with micro-loans and business education that might help them avoid cycles of under-education and severe poverty. Before she graduated Forbes named her to its “30 Under 30” list as one of Africa’s most promising social entrepreneurs. Today Tiwale has helped 40 women start businesses and offers a suite of training programs in their very own Women's Center for Education and Entrepreneurship. 

The Project

Tiwale’s mission is “empower women to develop sustainable ventures that transform our communities from poverty-stricken to entrepreneur-vital.”

Engagement in MHC-supported social innovation programming

Social Innovation Lab 2014-2015; Project Management Workshop 2015; CGI U 2015; Entrepreneurship Learning Lunch 2016