CFJ was established with the aim of filling the gap that existed at the time, of organizations advocating for the rights of communities affected by environmental issues emanating from mining activities in Malawi. In the mid 2000s, Malawi shifted its economic focus from agriculture towards large scale mining in order to boost its GDP. CFJ's initial interventions were geared at raising awareness of
the impacts of the mining industry towards environmental and economic justice. This was later broadened to incorporate threats to environmental justice in general and a range of related issues affecting local communities countrywide including poverty, corporate abuse, climate change, food sovereignty, HIV/AIDS, and gender inequality, among others. But realizing that these challenges cannot be effectively addressed if government systems are dysfunctional, and with worsening governance indicators, CFJ had to integrate good governance interventions into its programs. We believe that Malawi as a country endowed with abundant Natural Resources, if well managed can transform and meaningfully change the lives of its people if local communities actually benefit from them.
