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Keep the Spark Alive 2026: TIH Staff Find Space to Pause, Reflect and Recharge

For a few hours, the deadlines could wait.

At Lakeside Resort, on the shores of Lake Malawi in Salima, the usual rhythm of meetings, reports, programme activities and competing demands gave way to laughter, swimming, games and long moments by the water as staff from There is Hope took a break from work and simply enjoyed being together.

The retreat, dubbed “Keep the Spark Alive,” was more than a day away from the office. It came after a difficult period for the organisation, following major changes on June 30 that reduced TIH’s workforce, brought programme adjustments and increased responsibilities for those who remained.

Against that backdrop, the retreat created space for staff to pause and consider something that can easily get lost in demanding work: their own wellbeing.

The annual retreat, supported by Imagi Dei, whose contribution helped provide TIH staff with an opportunity to step away from their daily responsibilities, reconnect and recharge.

The day’s spiritual wellbeing session was led by Pastor Jimmy Phiri, Associate Pastor at Capital City Baptist Church. Anchored in Romans 12:11-12, the session encouraged staff to reflect on their relationship with God, emotional health, purpose, boundaries and the importance of rest.

The discussion also acknowledged that organisational change does not end with budgets and structures. It affects people, relationships and emotions.

For an organisation whose work centres on bringing hope to refugees, host communities, young people, women and entrepreneurs, that message carried particular weight.

“Those who spend their lives bringing hope to others also need to have their own hope continually renewed,” was one of the central reflections from the session.

Staff were encouraged to recognise signs of prolonged stress, process difficult emotions rather than suppress them, seek support when needed and distinguish between commitment and overcommitment. The message was simple: people cannot sustainably keep giving when they have no opportunity to recover.

But recovery did not have to look serious all day.

Staff took advantage of the lake to cool off from the summer heat. They swam, played games, relaxed, laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. For a while, professional titles and responsibilities took a back seat as colleagues simply had fun together, almost like children again.

That balance was important.

In a world where organisations are dealing with funding pressures, restructuring, uncertainty and growing demands, worker wellbeing can easily become an afterthought. Yet prolonged stress without recovery can drain energy, motivation, patience and effectiveness.

Rest should not be treated as a luxury that comes after everything else is done. It is part of sustaining the people responsible for doing the work.

For TIH staff, the retreat provided an opportunity to step away from those pressures without ignoring them. It offered time to pray, reflect, reconnect and have fun.

The message from the day was not that everything is fine. It was that difficult seasons can be faced more sustainably when people make room to care for themselves and one another.

As the team returned to its work, the hope was simple: keep serving others, but do not forget the people doing the serving.

Sometimes, keeping the spark alive means knowing when to stop, take a breath, jump into the lake and remember how to have fun.

TIH extends its appreciation to Imagi Dei for supporting the annual retreat and investing in the wellbeing of the people behind the work.