July’s woman of the month is none other than the former president of Malawi, Joyce Banda.
Banda, who made history as Malawi’s first female president was named as the 40th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes and the most powerful woman in Africa.
At Nelson Mandela’s funeral she spoke of the meaning of leadership saying: “I learned that leadership is about falling in love with the people and the people falling in love with you. It is about serving the people with selflessness, with sacrifice and with the need to put the common good ahead of personal interests.”
Prior to joining the world of politics, Banda was involved in activism, particularly in the area of education & women’s rights. She founded the Joyce Banda Foundation for Better Education, the Young Women Leaders Network, National Association of Business Women and the Hunger Project in Malawi.
Despite just losing Malawi’s general election she has stated that she will not be leaving frontline politics in her home country, but she has been heavily linked to the newly formed The UN Women, a United Nations organisation dedicated to gender equality and female empowerment.
