Leadership & Team - Tilitonse Foundation

Board of Directors

Desmond Kaunda: Board Chairperson

With close to 20 years in legal, human rights advocacy, social justice, and research fields, Desmond Kaunda is the former Director of the Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre (MHRRC) – a local grants making and capacity development institution for emerging local Non-State Actors, as well as a former Commissioner of the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC). He is a highly acclaimed social justice and human rights advocate, researcher and trainer. He has been instrumental in championing access to justice and human rights-based approaches in general and for children and women’s rights in particular through, among others capacity building of the Malawi Human Rights Commission, Judiciary, Malawi Police and NGOs, Victim Support Units and One Stop Service Centers.

Mavuto Kapypeye: Board Member

Mavuto Kapyepye is an international consultant in Organisation Development (OD), an academic at the University of Malawi, author, motivational speaker, coach, and entrepreneur. He has worked with the Wildlife and Environment Society of Malawi (WESM), the Capacity Building Unit for Non-Governmental Organisations (CABUNGO), as Country Manager in Malawi for the Media for Development (UK) and was responsible for Development Broadcasting Unit (DBU) [now Development Communication Trust – DCT], and the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC). Now, he is CEO for Mlambe Consulting Africa (MCAf) and has conducted numerous livelihood research assignments in rural communities in Malawi among other countries.

Charity Mseka: Board Member

Charity Mseka is a professional Accountant at the Reserve Bank of Malawi with 35 years of experience in central banking and of these 12 years at senior level. She has a proven track record of success in leadership, financial and management accounting and operations, capabilities in implementing process improvements, delivering solutions within budget and timelines. She is skilled in Project Management, Financial acumen, Procurement, and Strategic planning

Tom Mtenje: Board Member

Tom Mtenje is Deputy Team Leader for the Social Protection Program at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Having over 10 years of management experience as well as extensive experience in capacity building and multi-stakeholder coordination at local and national levels, within the international donor community, and various agencies of the Government of Malawi, he also worked at the Consumer’s Association of Malawi, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Ministry of Economic Planning. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated his understanding and ability to navigate government processes and regulations as well as build and nurture strong working relationships with senior officials in Government, NGOs, donors, the private sector and academia.

Alinafe Mitiyani: Board Member

Alinafe Mitiyani is the first and only female member of Standard Bank IT management team of 11 managers. Managed to set up an IT helpdesk for Standard Bank. Appointed out of 16 IT service managers in Africa to sit in South Africa (Standard Bank Group) on two occasions and acted as IT service availability manager for 4 months and 3 months, serving 16 countries. Actively researches with university students at National college of IT on IT trends. Voluntary website administrator of Ndi Moyo Palliative Care Foundation. Appointed to support IT departments of Standard Bank in Lesotho, Swaziland on special projects.

Ulemu Chiluzi: Board Member

Ulemu Chiluzi has over 18 years’ experience in programme management, fundraising/resource mobilisation and communication in different international NGO’s like Care International, Concern-Universal, Plan International Malawi, ActionAid Malawi and currently Self Help Africa. He participated in the implementation of multi-country projects. Using Human Rights-based Approach, building networks and collaborations with like-minded organisations, working in solidarity with the poor and local organisations to achieve greater impact, he designed, financed and implemented interventions in Education, Livelihood and Food Security, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Child and Maternal Health, HIV and AIDS and Governance.

Alipo Nyondo: Board Member

Alipo Nyondo is a seasoned Chartered Accountant, specialising in Internal and External Audit, Advisory and Consulting Services and General Accounting. Alipo is a Fellow of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and a holder of a Bachelor of Accountancy Degree from The University of Malawi, Polytechnic. He is also a member of ICAM. Alipo has over 20 years working experience and is currently the Head of Internal Audit for Standard Bank Malawi. Prior to joining Standard Bank, Alipo worked with PWC Ireland covering a diverse client portfolio. Other prior international experience includes secondments to Deloitte Offices in Miami USA and in Zimbabwe. Currently Alipo serves Tilitonse foundation as Director and is the Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee. Other Board experience include a representation of Standard Bank on BAM’s Finance and Audit Committee and also a member of the Membership and Publicity Committee of IIAM

Core Management Team

Robert White
Chief Executive Officer

BSoC (Economics), MA (Economics)

Robert White is an experienced Development and Governance Expert with a background in economics and a focus on Gender and Women Rights, HIV and AIDS and Rights-Based Approach. He has vast experience and skills in areas such as strategic management, organizational leadership, skills and expertise in policy analysis and dialogue, advocacy, lobbying and networking, qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, gender analysis and mainstreaming; capacity development through mentoring and coaching, and workshop and meeting facilitation. He proved his multidisciplinary skills with his work at and for ROGANA Consulting, Tilitonse Governance Fund, the Policy Project of the Futures Groups in Malawi, Oxfam GB, the Joint Oxfam Programme in Malawi, and National AIDS Control Programme (now NAC), and as an independent consultant in countries such as Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Robert White has experience in and knowledge of the civil society operations in Malawi, and a general understanding of the development discourse in southern Africa, including the ability to locate governance within this discourse.

Janet Chidothi Mphongozidana
Governance, Research and Development Manager

Bachelor of Social Science, MA (Social and Public Policy), MSc (Leadership and Change Management).

Janet Chidothi Mphongozidana has over 15 years specialized experience in managing large, complex and multi sectoral development projects. Throughout her work, she has actively been involved in establishing effective partnerships with local and international institutions, building capacities of local civil society organizations, facilitating change and supporting monitoring and evaluation of community driven development programs. My solid background in project management enables me to ensure that strategy is clearly defined and implemented based on organizational needs. Janet Chidothi Mphongozidana has served in various portfolios in UN Agencies, (ILO, UNDP & UNICEF), bilateral corporations such as the GIZ and local civil society organisations.

Gladney Mulima
Fund and Finance Manager

MBA, ACMA, CGMA, B.Com, CPA (M)

Gladney Mulima is an experienced management accountant, a member of CIMA and CGMA. He has extensive board-level experience and worked both in the private and public sectors in embedding robust financial governance across organisations to protect cash flows and profitability in ensuring sustainability, assembling and managing teams, leading change management initiatives, embedding financial ownership across management teams to drive superior budgetary performance and track record of leading major cost rationalisation programs to remove non-value adding costs (business re-engineering) from a business and drive customer satisfaction.

Tinkhani Khonje
Grants & Partnership Manager

MA – Governance and Public Policy ( University of Queensland Australia) 2013; Australian Leadership Award Scholar (ALAS) 2012; Bachelor of Social Science- University of Malawi

Tinkhani Khonje is a seasoned Governance and Human Rights Specialist with over 18 years extensive experience in the field. Before joining Tilitonse Foundation, she worked for Trocaire as a Governance and Human Rights Advisor where her primary role was to manage and supervise the implementation of various projects. Ms Khonje also worked for Malawi Human Rights Commission as Deputy Director responsible for Education, Information and Training Programmes for the Commission where she was actively involved in designing and implementing educational programmes on Human Rights and Rights Based Approaches for both right holders and duty bearers and advocate and lobby for Policy and Legal Framework that creates a conducive environment where citizens are able to participate and contribute their views without the fear of reprisal. To this end she closely worked and interacted with members of various parliamentary Committees and stakeholders from both Government and Civil society Organisations.