Ellen Chilemba is a 20-year-old student of art and international relations at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. But in the Republic of Malawi in southeastern Africa, where she was born and raised, Ellen has already been a teacher and a mentor to young women who live in fear of being swallowed up by cultural and societal traditions that prevent them from realizing their own dreams.
When Ellen was 16, she met another girl her age who already had been married to a much, much older man for several years, who already had borne this man several children, and who lived in absolute poverty with zero hope of ever escaping it.

Many 12- and 13-year-old girls are so terrified of being doomed to this cycle that they run away from home and try to set out on their own. But, unable to fend for themselves, they quickly fall into prostitution which in turn leads to death, disease, or sexual slavery.  

Ellen knew she had to do something. She wanted to create an organization that could tackle this issue head on.  At age 17, Ellen secured a series of grants from various international entities to found the Tiwale Organization in the Malawi capital city of Lilongwe.  In the Chichewa language, "Tiwale" means "We should enlighten" or "We should be empowered."

They sponsor young women who want to go back to school. They're putting together graphic design and sewing workshops to encourage young women who dream of being being fashion designers. They're building a poultry farm that will be maintained by young women who have attended their programs. They work with groups of young women to teach them entrepreneurial skills and self-development ideals like confidence and leadership. So far, Tiwale has helped more than 40 women establish and sustain their own businesses in Malawi. And things are growing so quickly that Ellen believes that number will reach 300 within five years.