Research Areas

Social Work; Mental Health; Children, youth and Adolescents; Indigenous Systems,

Profile

Austin Ndala is a dedicated educator and researcher with a background in sociology and social work. He is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Population Studies. His current research interest is in child protection and welfare, mental health, children, youth and adolescents, community development, and indigenous systems. His work bridges academia and grassroots impact, leveraging research to inform social policy and programming in Malawi. Austin has contributed to high-impact studies and collaborations, including UNICEF-funded and commissioned Children’s Voices in Malawi and the Child & Youth-Friendly Communities Initiative. He has also been involved (and still is) in Erasmus+ and NORPART Partnerships* (EU-funded mobility and capacity-building programs), where he has collaborated with a number of European universities to strengthen social work education through exchange programs and curriculum development. He currently serves as coordinator for the social work program and research coordinator in the department of sociology and population studies. He has also previously served as postgraduate coordinator for the school of humanities and social sciences and the department of Sociology and

Publications

• Conference Papers
  Utilising Social Worker in Mental Health Care In Malawi (2023)
  

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• Conference Papers
  Chipereganyu as an indigenous community organising technique in Malawi (2023)
  

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• Conference Papers
  Exploring Malawi's Indigenous Mental health Care Systems (2023)
  

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• Conference Papers
  Food, Eating, Culture, and Identity: Understanding how ‘food and eating’ form a critical component of culture and social identity in African societies. (2023)
  

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