Wilkes University

« Back to Recent News

Charles Bahati Bitakwate to Discuss Sustainability in East Africa at Wilkes University Lecture on March 19

Wilkes-Barre, PA (03/14/2018) — Contact for this release: Gabrielle D'Amico, Director of Communications; gabrielle.damico@wilkes.edu (570) 408-4510

Charles Bahati Bitakwate will speak on a sustainable vision for rural east Africa in a lecture at Wilkes University from 5 to 6 p.m. on Monday, March 19. The lecture is in Breiseth Hall, Room 209. Bitakwate is the director of MAVUNO, a nonprofit organization has several initiatives to end extreme poverty. Much of his work centers on water, development, providing education, and community health.

Bitakwate is a development specialist with 24 years of experience in rural East Africa, primarily Tanzania. MAVUNO organizes communities and builds businesses at the grassroots level. His work with MAVUNO involves business plan design and administration. Recently, he has been working with groups of small-scale farmers, women and children, addressing the needs of individuals and communities in line with government policies, goals and commitments.

His projects include water tank construction, water supply construction, education and support for sustainable agriculture, biogas development, sustainable development and construction of a school to support education for young women.

Bitakwate has a bachelor's degree in business administration and is obtaining his master's in project sustainability design at Open University in Uganda. Earlier in his career, he was an information assistant officer for the United Nations High Commissions for Refugees, a United Nations program with the mandate to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people, and assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third world county. He also worked as a food monitoring assistant officer with CARE International, an international humanitarian agency that delivers emergency relief and long-term international development projects.

About Wilkes University:

Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence through mentoring in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. Founded in 1933, the university is on a mission to create one of the great small universities, offering all of the programs, activities and opportunities of a large, research university in the intimate, caring and mentoring environment of a small, liberal arts college, at a cost that is increasingly competitive with public universities. The Economist named Wilkes 25th in the nation for the value of its education for graduates. In addition to 43 bachelor's degree programs, Wilkes offers 25 master's degree programs and five doctoral/terminal degree programs, including the doctor of philosophy in nursing, doctor of nursing practice, doctor of education, doctor of pharmacy, and master of fine arts in creative writing. Learn more at www.wilkes.edu.

#####

Media Attachments

Copyright © 2025 Merit Pages, Inc. • All Rights Reserved. • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy • Opt Out