It is with deep sadness that UCLouvain learned of the death of 2024 UCLouvain Honorary Doctor Theresa Kachindamoto on 13 August 2025 in Lilongwe, Malawi. Her death was confirmed by Malawi’s Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture.

Born into a family of 12 children on 23 November 1958, Chief Kachindamoto was enthroned as traditional chief of the Dedza District in 2003. She then established herself as an international figure in the fight against early and forced marriages of young girls. Her persistent dedication to the cause contributed to the annulment of hundreds of early marriages and the reintegration into school of as many young girls.

For her courage and determination, she received numerous international awards, including the Leadership in Public Life Award (2017, Vital Voices Global Partnership, Washington D.C., USA).
In March 2024, she received a joint honorary doctorate from UCLouvain and KU Leuven in recognition of her outstanding commitment to girls’ rights and equality. In October of the same year, she was honoured at the African Genius Awards.

UCLouvain remembers her as a woman of powerful charisma, with a soft voice but unwavering determination, whose words at the honorary doctorate award ceremony left a deep impression on the university community.

The university extends its deepest condolences to her family, loved ones, and all those who will continue her fight for a more just and equal world.

Watch the 2024 honorary doctorate ceremony