Rachel Kamchacha-Kachaje became disabled at the age of three when there was an outbreak of polio in Malawi many years ago. As a disabled child, it was really a challenge to walk to and from school.
Gradually, she completed her Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE), and subsequently she secured a job with National Bank of Malawi (NBM) as a telephone operator, and then as a typist. She worked for NBM for 22 years before she was relieved of her duties in 2001, when the company was restructuring.
Current chairperson of Commonwealth Disability Forum that represents all disabled women in the Commonwealth region, Kamchacha-Kachaje has been a disability activist since 1990 when she joined the Disability Movement in Malawi.
During her activism, she has held several top positions in the disability sector, both domestically and internationally. She was the first female Chairperson of Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD), before her appointment as Deputy Chairperson for Development and underrepresented Group of Disabled People's International (DPI), a global organization promoting and protecting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Other award nominations include the Malawi Human Rights Commission awards for advocates who have contributed to the promotion of disabled people’s rights in the country.
As a disability activist, she has been to many countries in the world among them USA, Japan, UK, Canada, Malta and South Korea advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities.
Kamchacha-Kachaje believes “disability is not inability” and that “disabled people have the ability to be part of the development of Malawi.”
