Anjimile Mtila-Oponyo is a

Malawian Demographic features of the population of Malawi include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Region distribution Northern regio ...

development worker and education administrator. She has worked in education administration for the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Development Program where she built schools in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. She received international attention when she was selected as CEO and head of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

. She is currently a principal secretary in the Ministry of Education in Malawi.

Career

They are a graduate of

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

, where she received her Master's in Education and took her sabbatical at

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

. Oponyo was the CEO of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls until the project was cancelled due to lack of progress and mismanagement of funds. She are currently a civil servant working with the Malawi government.

Raising Malawi Academy for Girls

Once the

Raising Malawi Raising Malawi is a charity non-profit organization that was founded by Madonna and Michael Berg in 2006. It is dedicated to helping with the extreme poverty and hardship endured by Malawi's one million orphans, primarily through health and educa ...

Academy for Girls (RMAG) project was terminated, a report was published that placed blame on Oponyo and Philippe Van Den Bossch, the boyfriend of Madonna's former trainer. The report was created by philanthropic consulting firm Global Philanthropy Group, hired by the board of directors of Raising Malawi in November 2010 to help the organization restructure its strategy and approach. The report implied that Oponyo and Van Den Bossch had acted outside their contracted roles. The report accused her of “outlandish expenditures”, including getting a "high salary, a car, housing, and a golf club membership", all of which were included in her contract by Madonna's aides.

Legal suit

Eight staff members of RMAG, including Oponyo, lodged the action with lawyer Charles Mpaka at the end of March 2011, claiming they were let go without proper termination procedures. The staff claims that they were being forced to sign a discriminatory termination agreement which was "unfair and unconstitutional" and included a 'confidentiality agreement' which prevents them from defending themselves against defamation and libel.

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

's lawyer, Davis Njobvu, argued to the court that RMI was a registered trust in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and only provided funds for the construction and that there were no contracts signed between Raising Malawi, Inc. (RMI) and the former staff members. A Malawi court dismissed a legal action by Madonna to prevent their charity project from being sued by former employees for unfair dismissal and non-payment of benefits. All of the former RMAG staff members, except for Oponyo, have since settled with RMI. Raising Malawi now supports education projects in Malawi through constructing community-based schools in the Kasungu District and by supporting scholarships for girls in secondary school. Madonna's visit to Malawi in April 2013 to see these schools was soured by a war of words. While Madonna stated publicly that they remained committed to the children of Malawi The government of Malawi, headed by President Joyce Banda, sister of Anjimile Mtila-Oponyo accused Madonna of lying and blackmail. Trevor Neilson, whose Global Philanthropy Group is managing Madonna's projects in Malawi, asserted that "The President of Malawi appears to be using their office to pursue the financial interests of their family."Maravi Post 11 April 2013
Malawi accuses Madonna of blackmail; Pres. Banda's sister Anjimile comments
Archived 29 June 2013. A year earlier in April 2012, at the

Macy's Herald Square Macy's Herald Square (originally named the R. H. Macy and Company Store) is a department store building on West 34th Street (Manhattan), 34th Street at Herald Square in New York City, New York (state), New York, United States. It was designed b ...

launch of her new fragrance Truth or Dare by Madonnain New York, Madonna said they're happy that Malawi's former vice president is now leading the country.

Personal life

Oponyo has six children. She is married to Patrick Oponyo. She is sister to the former president of

Joyce Banda Joyce Hilda Banda (née Ntila; born 12 April 1950) is a Malawi, Malawian politician, who served as List of heads of state of Malawi, President of Malawi, from 7 April 2012 to 31 May 2014. Banda took office as President following the sudden deat ...

, who is the founder of the development and education Joyce Banda Foundation. She is sister-in-law to the barrister, judge, and former Malawi Chief Justice Richard Banda.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oponyo, Anjimile Year of birth missing (living people) Living people International Monetary Fund people Malawian educators United Nations Development Programme officials George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development alumni Women chief executives World Bank people