Henriette Kiwele
Also known as Henriette Kiwele Kiyambi
Congolese software developer profiled for building locally focused Android applications while studying at the Dzaleka AppFactory.
Learning at Dzaleka
Henriette Kiwele Kiyambi came to Malawi from the Democratic Republic of the Congo with her sisters. UNHCR profiled the sisters in 2018 as students learning software development through TakeNoLab and the Dzaleka AppFactory.
The AppFactory combined technical instruction with work on problems identified inside the camp. Kiwele studied programming languages and mobile application development in a field where women were underrepresented.
Locally focused software
Kiwele developed an Android application called Natural Beauty after observing demand in Dzaleka for practical information about skin care and make-up. The project is one example of AppFactory students using software to respond to everyday interests and information needs in their own community.
This entry records the work described in UNHCR’s 2018 profiles. It does not assume Kiwele’s current location or occupation.
References
Sources
- 1Refugees learn to code a new future in Malawi
UNHCR, 13 September 2018
- 2Learning how to code gives young refugee woman a chance for a brighter future
UNHCR Innovation Service, 2018
Related entries
Education
Dzaleka AppFactory
A software-development training programme launched in Dzaleka in 2017 through Microsoft 4Afrika and UNHCR's Connectivity for Refugees initiative.

People
Remy Gakwaya
Burundian technologist and educator who founded TakeNoLab in Dzaleka and helped expand access to coding and digital skills in the camp.

Education
Education in Dzaleka
Public, private, community, and post-secondary education in Dzaleka, including the Malawi curriculum and long-running scholarship and digital-learning programmes.

Institution
Refugee-led organisations in Dzaleka
Organisations founded or led by refugees that provide education, advocacy, technology, livelihoods, arts, protection, and mutual support within Dzaleka and beyond.

Place
Dzaleka Refugee Camp
A long-established refugee settlement in Dowa District, Malawi, opened in 1994 and now home to a large, multilingual community from the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa.
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