Bwalya Magawa Chomba, who joined Fistula Foundation as program manager in 2017, now serves as the program director for Southern Africa. She is responsible for providing strategic, technical, and operational leadership for Fistula Foundation programs across Southern Africa, overseeing partner performance, clinical capacity strengthening, monitoring and evaluation, and regional expansion.
Bwalya has more than 20 years of experience as a social worker and community development officer. Prior to joining Fistula Foundation, she worked with the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare in Nakonde District, and with Caritas / Catholic Relief Services Mpika Diocese. During her tenure as district development facilitator with the NGO Africare Zambia, she learned about obstetric fistula and took up an active role in mobilizing fistula patients, successfully referring 200 women for life-transforming surgery.
In 2025, Bwalya’s contributions to women’s health were recognized when she received the Zee Woman Catalyst for Change Award—part of Zanaco Bank’s “Zee Women’s Banking” initiative that celebrates influential women leaders.
Bwalya holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Mulungushi University in Kabwe, Zambia, and a master’s in public health from the University of Lusaka. She also holds a prestigious Certificate in Leadership from the UONGOZI Institute, a six-month executive program developed in collaboration with Aalto University Executive Education to equip senior African leaders with strategies for driving sustainable development. Bwalya is an active member of Women in Global Health, a global movement of more than 6,000 members advocating for gender equity in health leadership.
Bwalya has always believed that “just because the rivers are calm, it doesn’t mean that there are no crocodiles.” In other words, just because we do not see women with childbirth injuries in our daily lives, it doesn’t mean that they are not there! She believes in going the extra mile to find them and offer them free, life-transforming surgery.