Visiting Fellow Jacques Baeni Mwendabandu

Jacques Baeni Mwendabandu has five years of experience in social entrepreneurship, serving as the founder and director of Vijana Africa, a community-based organization in Malawi’s Dzaleka Refugee Camp. Vijana Africa focuses on the promotion of peaceful coexistence, gender equality, and the reduction of poverty and hunger through income-generating activities and peer education programs. Apart from his work with Vijana Africa, Mwendabandu serves as a learning facilitator at Jesuit Worldwide Learning, where he coaches online students through various university courses. He holds a Diploma in liberal studies from Regis University and is currently pursuing his BA in business from Southern New Hampshire University. Representing his home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mwendabandu participated in the 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship in Washington, DC. Mwendabandu's vision is to see a world where refugees are economically empowered, self-reliant, and educated to the highest levels.