With a network of around 775+ Fellows from 96 countries specializing in a diverse array of professional fields, many Atlas Corps Alumni and current Fellows are making inspiring progress with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is time to celebrate the achievements of our amazing network and share advice on how we can all do our part to protect and support each other.
Today we want to talk with our current Fellow Chewe Fredrick Mulenga (Class 36, Zambia) who is engaging men in promoting gender equality while serving at his Host Organization and beyond. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 3 women has experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner, highlighting the importance of Chewe’s work with combatting gender-based violence.
Thank you Chewe for everything that you do to ensure gender equality across the globe and create a better future. We wish you all the best with this impactful work!
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Name: Chewe Fredrick Mulenga Home Country: Zambia Host Organization: Promundo-US Role at Host Organization: Research and Programs Fellow Social Issues that you have worked with: Gender equality |
Tell us about your current projects?
At my Host Organization, Promundo-US, I support a wide range of research, programs, and advocacy activities related to gender and masculinities across sectors such as health, violence prevention, and economic empowerment at Promundo-US in the Washington DC office.
During my Fellowship, I have participated in the development and implementation of gender-transformative programming. For instance in Malawi, I led the training of facilitators in the “Very Young Adolescents” program. In Nigeria, I developed research tools and conducted research with Islamic religious leaders and subsequently co-authored a brief titled “Engaging Religious Leaders in Reducing Maternal and Child Mortality” and “Gender Equality: Field Experiences from the SHOW Project” in Sokoto Nigeria.
Furthermore, I have participated in the development of curricula such as the “Act With Her” adolescent empowerment curricula and suite of materials for adolescent boys, girls, and parents of adolescents for Ethiopia and will be adapted to other countries around the world. I have also done several presentations in the US showcasing Promundo’s work.
Why is it important for you to work with that social issue?
I am passionate about gender equality because primarily, it prevents violence against women and girls. Furthermore, gender equality promotes quality of life producing citizens that are happy, healthy, safe and have equal access to resources and opportunities.
Additionally, another social issue that I am passionate about is mental health because I feel that young people cannot be economically stable unless we secure their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. If left untreated, mental illness has serious consequences that could lead to poor educational outcomes in young people making them less likely to get out of the cycle of poverty.
How has Atlas Corps contributed to your professional/ personal accomplishments?
Atlas Corps gave me a platform to learn and share my experiences. It offered me a unique opportunity to sit on the other side of the table and understand how programs are developed and the process that go through to design projects and programs. Atlas Corps effectively trained me to the social change and thought leader that I have become.
What message would you like to send to individuals who are thinking of supporting Atlas Corps?
Atlas Corps is without doubt the best organization because it offers such a unique opportunity for young people, particularly from the global south, to go to the United States and share their experiences whilst undergoing proper learning. The invaluable experience gained from being an Atlas Corps Fellow cannot be traded for anything. So, please volunteer, serve, and most importantly, support this amazing organization!
#BecomeaSuperhero! Support Future Global Change Leaders.
Atlas Corps Fellows continue to serve in the U.S. and remote, and we reaffirm our commitment to building a network of global leaders, even- and especially- in these times. We need your help to overcome the operational challenges that Atlas Corps faces so we can continue our critical work of training the social change leaders that this world urgently needs. As a special initiative of Bonus Day on July 15th, donations of $100+ will be matched! Will you support our Fellows?
