Biography

Bertha Sitolo is a passionate social worker from Malawi with a Bachelor of Social Work from DMI-St. John the Baptist University. Her academic background and research on child labour and its effects on school attendance and performance strengthened her interest in child protection, youth empowerment, gender equality, and community development.

Bertha gained professional experience as a Government Intern at Thyolo District Council, supporting the Social Welfare and Gender Departments in child protection, gender-based violence, psychosocial support, women’s empowerment, and community awareness. She also worked as a Data Entry Intern with the Blantyre Synod, supporting a Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) programme using KoboCollect. These roles strengthened her skills in community engagement, data collection, reporting, and stakeholder collaboration.

As a CorpsAfrica/Malawi Cohort 9 alumna, Bertha supported community-led development initiatives, including the “Empowering Nkhuna Youth Through Goat Farming and Value Addition” project in Machinga. Using Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) and Human-Centred Design (HCD), she worked with community members and local leaders to promote youth entrepreneurship through goat farming, meat sales, and shoe production using goat skin. She also supported the renovation of classrooms at Mbenjere Primary School through the Friends of Malawi Association (FOMA), helping improve the learning environment through community participation and resource mobilisation.

These experiences strengthened Bertha’s commitment to community ownership, teamwork, and sustainable solutions. She is excited to continue her journey with CorpsAfrica as a Cohort 10 Volunteer, building on the knowledge and experience she gained during Cohort 9.