What’s happening

People pursue higher education for different reasons. Some do it to get a job that pays good money while others advance their studies to make a difference in the lives of others. Whatever the reasons for going further with one’s studies may be, education still remains the epitome for achieving change, whether individual or societal. When Gustave opted to upgrade his education by earning a degree, he decided to take a course that he believed would let him contribute – even a little – to make a difference in the lives of the place that he called his new home in 2003 when he became a refugee.

We love Kibebe because it renews hope to the less privileged. Thierry is one of the artisans that Kibebe employed. Initially, the only way that Thierry could take care of the needs of his wife and kids was through jobs like washing laundry at random households. When his kids got sick, he would carry them on his back and walk for 2 hours to the hospital because he could not even afford the fare for public transport. That is his past. Now he works for Kibebe.

Every story that has a ‘happily ever after’ ending starts with a cliffhanger… or a shocking beginning. The story either kicks off with the hero trapped between the proverbial rock-and-a-hard-place or a related shocking scenario which he, of course, eventually overcomes. For Pemphero, a young man living in one of the poorest communities of Dowa District in Central Malawi, his story begins with almost a related situation, albeit slightly different.

When life gives you a lemon, make a lemonade. Archaic as that saying might sound, those who apply the concept behind the adage make considerable profits from the lemonade produced. Ednas Chadzuka is one of the people at whom life chucked a lemon. From struggling with her secondary school education to enrolling at a nursing college with nothing but faith in her pockets, Ednas’ story is a tale of awe, twists and shock.

Dzaleka Health Centre is a small hospital that lies at the heart of Dzaleka Refugee Camp located roughly 50 kilometres from Malawi’s capital Lilongwe. According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the health centre caters for over 70,000 individuals within and around the refugee camp. The majority of these individuals – 62 percent […]

“Without the scholarship, my life would have been wasted”. After more than four failed attempts to find a scholarship for his university education, Jean was depressed. Jean loitered in destitution. He started applying for a scholarship soon after he had finished his secondary school education in 2018. He was unsuccessful twice. Then he tried again […]

Born and raised in Dowa district, Maligerita’s upbringing was not significantly different from that of her peers. Like most of them, she was raised in an underprivileged household. Even though that was the case, her parents underscored the importance of education and encouraged her to attend school. While she was able to finish primary school […]

“Welcome Mr. Phukaphuka,” I warmly uttered the words as I gently stood up from my seat. I was very pleased that I was finally meeting him. We had been rescheduling our appointments for quite a while now owing to his busy schedule as a policeman cum legal officer. Mr. Aulerious Phukaphuka has been in the police service for over a decade and his resume was rife with a plethora of achievements that he is so proud of – achievements in the child rights field. Among his touted accomplishments is the establishment of a special legal clinic specially dedicated to handling child-related cases ranging from child marriages to defilement and others.

Dzaleka Refugee Camp, home to over 50,000 people from various countries, is served by Dzaleka Health Centre, a small clinic that caters for a combined total of 80,000 people including Malawians from surrounding villages. And the number keeps increasing. Due to the sheer overwhelming numbers of people that the health centre accommodates, the small hospital constantly faces acute shortages of essential drugs. At one point, the health centre ran out of anaesthetics, causing alarm, especially in the maternity section where the drug is critical.

Most of the time, we think about the benefits of vocational training in terms of the monetary rewards when employed. But sometimes, the rewards reaped from going through vocational training go beyond the money and the job. Sometimes, the respect that one earns in society just by owning that vocational training qualification is enough to make someone walk tall and proud. And the high self-esteem that accompanies that confidence tells it all that vocational education is not just about the money. It is so much more. And so much more is what Sella got when she trained in bricklaying in our Vocational Training Programme.

Forditor is a 22 year old Malawian girl who was born in a family of 6 comprising 3 girls and 1 boy. After being selected to pursue secondary school education at Chinkoka CDSS in Madisi, Dowa, Forditor was caught up in the ills of adolescence, like many girls her age. About half of Malawian girls […]

Dzaleka Health Centre is a small hospital that lies at the heart of Dzaleka Refugee Camp located roughly 50 kilometres from Malawi’s capital Lilongwe. According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the health centre caters for over 70,000 individuals within and around the refugee camp. The majority of these individuals – 62 percent […]