Spotlight: From Dashboards to Mathematical Modeling
Future Chigulu presenting on M & E tips to education officials.
When Future Chigulu joined Ulalo, he was not just another Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) officer. He was the quiet force who turned numbers into narratives, and raw data into living dashboards that told the story of change.
Armed with a Bachelor’s in Mathematical Sciences, specializing in Statistics and Computing, Future quickly made his mark. At Ulalo, he built our first-ever real-time Monitoring Dashboard, a tool that gave life to program data and made impact visible at the click of a button.
With skills in Python, R, SQL, Power BI, and Excel, he transformed spreadsheets into insights and insights into action.
But Future’s story was never about numbers alone. His passion has always been about what those numbers mean: how they show children learning to read, how they trace children accessing school meals, and how they spotlight communities becoming more resilient.
This year, Future’s journey takes a bold new turn. He has been awarded a fully funded Master’s scholarship at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Cameroon, specializing in Mathematical Epidemiology.
Here, he will move from building dashboards to mastering advanced mathematical modeling and data science, tools that will allow him to contribute to Africa’s most pressing public health and development challenges.
He will join a pan-African community of scholars, learn from world-class mentors, and conduct hands-on research that shapes evidence-based policies across the continent.
“I am humbled and excited to begin this journey at AIMS Cameroon,” Future reflects. “This scholarship is not just about my personal growth, but about equipping myself to contribute to Africa’s response to development challenges. I want to acquire the tools and thinking that I would contribute to Ulalo and make its impact even stronger.”
Even as he studies, Future’s roots remain firmly in Malawi and with Ulalo. He will continue to serve as our Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Advisor, ensuring that his new learning fuels our mission in real time.
His commitment is clear: to make advanced modeling and data science not just academic pursuits, but practical tools that strengthen Ulalo’s evidence-based interventions.
Our Executive Director, James Gondwe, puts it best.
“Future embodies the spirit of innovation and commitment that Ulalo stands for. His scholarship is a recognition of his talent, but also a gift to our communities. We’re proud that even as he studies, he remains part of Ulalo’s heartbeat.” said James.
From dashboards that track learning outcomes to mathematical models that inform policy, Future’s journey shows what it means to be both a learner and a leader. His story is a reminder that when talent is nurtured and rooted in purpose, its impact.
