Women

Published on January 12th, 2016 | by lawilink

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Inspiration Ellena Chirwa

THE INSPIRATIONAL STORY OF THE MRA DEPUTY COMMISSIONER

Mrs Ellena Chirwa is one of the few talented educated women in Malawi that has broken into the upper ranks of the male dominated world of the MRA, pathing the way and setting the standards for Malawian women.

Ellena Chirwa is a deputy commissioner for Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) and is responsible for exporting. Mrs Chirwa is a proud mother of three children who followed their mothers lead and are all graduates. Ellena Chirwa comes from Panje village, Traditional Authority T/A Chikowi in Zomba.  Mrs Chirwa   studied   secondary school at Malosa in the same district then went to Malawi Polytechnic where she read her first degree.

In every journey there are some challenges.   Ellena has overcome the many barriers to achieve her goals. When the   deputy commissioner was at primary school her father was detained by the government as he was a politician. This was a very tough time for her family since the government smashed all her father’s property and they had to start all over again.

However, Ellena and her siblings worked hard despite of the discouragement. “I and my siblings worked hard even though we were experiencing a lot of challenges, we wanted to make our mother proud. We used to help our mother in selling of tomatoes and mangoes for our school fees”, said Chirwa.

The deputy commissioner for MRA, Ellena Chirwa is also a Master’s degree holder which she got at University of Derby UK  MSC in Strategic management. She is experienced and has worked for MRA since it was established in 2000.

It’s not easy for a woman to be a leader in a male dominated environment as the system appears to favour men also male colleagues can undermine women. However, Ellena Chirwa says that she manages and is comfortable due to the confidence she has. “It’s not about who you are but what you are capable of doing so I believe in myself and I don’t fear challenges because they just help to strengthen you, said Mrs Chirwa.”

Ellena Chirwa calls for all Malawian women to be focused in their career and never be destructed with negative comments they get from people. She also encouraged girls that they should work hard   in education for them to excel in life, and they should not be destructed when they are from a poor family because she was once poor but she endured and worked hard. That is why today she is the deputy commissioner for MRA.

In her free time, Ellena Chirwa spends time with her children and grandchildren. As well as she likes going to church to worship the Lord and chill with friends. This helps her to refresh her mind.

By Fatsileni Asamu

Tags: COMMISSIONER, Ellena Chirwa, MRA

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