Impact is delighted to welcome Her Excellency, Mrs. Maureen Mwanawasa, First Lady of Zambia, as a special guest on on the Impact Conference 2008.

In 2005, Impact was invited by Mrs Maureen Mwanawasa to mobilise a global team to develop the capacity of emerging leaders fighting HIV/AIDS. In response, Impact co-designed the HIV/AIDS Leadership Forum, in a unique approach to leadership development in Zambia.

Impact and the First Lady have retained a strong relationship since the success of this programme, and we now look forward to welcoming her to Windermere during our Annual Conference .

As well as attending the conference, Mrs Mwanawasa will also host an intimate discussion group focussed on her personal passions: engaging young people in enterprise, mobilising support for the fight against HIV/AIDS and empowering young Zambian women.

Arising from her commitment to the development of women and children, Mrs Mwanawasa founded in 2002 the Maureen Mwanawasa Community Initiative (MMCI), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the empowerment of women and the poor. Mrs Mwanawasa strongly believes that the process of overcoming poverty and suffering has to first of all to involve the poor themselves in seeking solutions to their predicament.

The many other responsibilities she is  currently fulfilling include  providing leadership, as President, to the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA). In this role, she works with other First Ladies of Africa to find solutions to the problem of HIV/AIDS on the continent. As President of OAFLA, she is not only involved in the formulation and implementation of the organisational strategy, she is also responsible for lobbying leaders across the globe who can make a difference to the lives women and children in Africa.

Resulting from her tireless efforts in addressing issues of the HIV/AIDS, Mrs Mwanawasa was in December, 2006 a recipient of the World Vision’s International Hope Award in New York.  On 15th January, 2007, she also received another award, The John Thompson Legacy of a Dream Award by Georgetown University, Washington DC.  Both awards were in recognition of her personal commitment in the fight against the HIV/AIDS.  

Want to know more? 

To read more about Ideas into Action, our 11th Annual Conference, please click here

To book your place on the event, please click here 

If you have a question about the Conference, please contact Carol

If you would like to find out more about the First Lady's involvement in the Conference and networking opportunites that are available, please contact Jo