Meet the Team

  • Innocent K. Phiri

    Manager

    Innocent is the manager of Mayoka Youth Hub and works with both administrative and developmental tasks in the hub.
    Besides that, he is in charge of the ICT training.

    Innocent has certificate in secondary school education (MSCE), certificate in Catering Management (Union University College) and certificate in Local Journalism.

  • Aurora Chirwa

    Project manager and teacher

    Aurora is a climate activist and the project manager in charge of our Climate Justice Activism project. Besides that, she is in charge of our social media.

    Aurora has studied environmental science at the Catholic University of Malawi to learn more on ways to be an activist.

    Aurora is a rolemodel to many and aims to make the young people of Nkhata Bay aware of how to deal with climate justice, so that they may be the activists of tomorrow.

  • Elisabeth Marina Zornig

    Project manager

    Elisabeth is project manager at Mayoka Youth Hub and does development work focusing the strategy and communication. She is also a project mentor in the project Climate Justice Activism.

    Elisabeth has studied communication and is currently studying a master in Social Work. She is working at Mayoka Youth Hub as a intern as part of her education.

    Elisabeth’s core issues are inequality and youth empowerment.

Founders

We moved to Malawi from Denmark in 2021 and took the chance to take over a eco-village and open Mayoka Højskole, which today is a well acknowledged organisation. At Mayoka Højskole, we are focussing on sustainable development & climate justice, adventure and community. Our move from Denmark to Malawi opened our eyes to the harsh reality of climate change. In the vibrant communities of Nkhata Bay, Malawi, we encountered a generation of young people ready and willing to confront this global crisis. However, they face formidable barriers — lack of access to resources, education, and opportunities — that threaten to stifle their potential to drive real change.

But it's crucial to hear the voices of those most affected by climate change. In Nkhata Bay, people face its impacts daily. By empowering youth to speak out, we're shining a light on their experiences and advocating for change. And that’s why we established Mayoka Youth Hub! 

Today, we live our lives in Nkhata Bay, Malawi, where we run Mayoka Højskole, Mayoka Village (eco-lodge) and Mayoka Youth Hub (My-Hub). 

  • Maiken Kirk Andersen

    Maiken brings a wealth of experience in human rights, inequality and project management. 

    She has specialised knowledge about how to create and support youth movements & network.

  • Sune Rahbek Thuesen

    For over a decade, Sune has been dedicated to empowering youth and advancing sustainable development across african countries. 

    Sune has degrees in international development and African studies.

  • Lars Puggaard Sønderby

    Financial manager and former IT-consultant in an  international IT-concern. Lars has a degree in IT.

  • Betina Lund Sønderby

    Betina is developing our ICT courses in collaboration with trainers. Betina has a degree in Digital Design and Communication.