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Monday 07:30 - 12:00 13:00 - 17:00 Tuesday 07:30 - 12:00 13:00 - 17:00 Wednesday 07:30 - 12:00 13:00 - 17:00 Thursday 07:30 - 12:00 13:00 - 17:00 Friday 07:30 - 13:30

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Community Initiative for Self Reliance - CISER

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Community Initiative for Self Reliance - CISER

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Community Initiative for Self Reliance (CISER) is a Malawian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)

28/08/2026

EGREY HAS GRADUATED! 🎓

Many of you who have been following us for a long time may remember that on 2 August 2022, we made a call for support for Egrey Mpembedza, who had just been selected to study for a Bachelor of Arts in Theology at UNIMA.

By 22 August 2022, thanks to the incredible generosity of you, our followers, we had raised almost K500,000 in individual contributions. Many of you chose to remain anonymous, but your support made a real difference at a critical moment in Egrey’s journey.

Then came a major breakthrough. Chris Earls, through The Orbis Foundation , committed to sponsoring Egrey’s full programme, giving her the opportunity to pursue her studies without the financial burden that had initially threatened her education.

Today, we are incredibly proud to announce that Egrey has graduated! 🎓👏🏽

What a journey it has been! We wish Egrey all the very best in her future endeavours.

To everyone who was part of her journey, thank you. ❤️

Congratulations, Egrey! 🎉🎓

17/12/2025

For many years now, CISER has been implementing a community-based ecotourism model that blends tourism with conservation, education, and sustainable community development.

Through partnerships with travel and tourism companies, visiting clients engage in responsible tourism experiences that include interaction with students at Rainbow Hope Secondary School through drama, poetry, traditional dances and mentorship activities; cultural immersion through traditional meal preparation at local homes and attendance of local weddings; lakeshore conservation experiences through beach walks and engagement with Beach Village Committees; and interaction with children at Nana’s ECD Centre. These experiences generate financial and in-kind support that is reinvested into nationally aligned development outcomes.

Using this model, CISER has supported over 100 vulnerable students, strengthened schools such as Rainbow Hope Secondary School with learning infrastructure and ICT, and promoted environmental conservation and community health initiatives.

One of the major outcomes has been improved access to safe and treated water through the installation of approximately 3 kilometres of water pipelines, in collaboration with Koche Water Users’ Association, alongside the construction of community water kiosks in strategic locations across Makokola, Makawa, and Mpemba villages in Mangochi District. Prior to this intervention, communities relied on boreholes or water fetched directly from Lake Malawi.

This initiative was inspired by the construction of an Under-Five Clinic, with the goal of ensuring safe water access around the health facility for children and caregivers.

Recently, with support from GIZ Malawi under the MIERA Project, CISER facilitated the construction of eco-friendly ecotourism infrastructure at Nkhudzi Hill Site — including trail maintenance, a resting shelter, picnic benches, and an Eco-San toilet — now handed over to Government through Lake Malawi National Park.

Watch the video below as we share more about CISER’s ecotourism journey, achievements, and the impact of our partnership with Orbis DMC.

23/09/2024

As we gear up for the launch of the Ecotourism facilities at Nkhudzi Hill, let’s take a moment to appreciate this work of art.

From the designs to the finished product.

19/09/2024

Appreciation Post: The Local Artisans and Labourers of Nkhudzi Hill Project

Here’s to the amazing team of local artisans and laborers who have been the backbone of the Nkhudzi Hill Ecotourism Facilities construction project!

These hardworking individuals have been pushing through every single day, showcasing incredible coordination, teamwork, and dedication. Together, they’ve made the seemingly impossible happen, moving construction materials up a 200-meter hill to bring this vision to life. We’ve come such a long way, and now we’re almost there! 💪

This project is more than just building facilities—it’s about building opportunities. A big thank you to everyone involved for their effort and perseverance.

This initiative is being facilitated by CISER in partnership with Lake Malawi National Park, with funding from GIZ Malawi through the MIERA Project

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17/09/2024

Introducing Ecotourism Facilities at Nkhudzi Hill!

We’re excited to introduce the new ecotourism facilities being built at Nkhudzi Hill in Lake Malawi National Park. Facilitated by CISER in partnership with Lake Malawi National Park, and funded by GIZ Malawi through the MIERA Project, this initiative is already benefiting the surrounding communities. Over 70 households have earned wages through the involvement of local laborers and artisans. The project is set to be fully completed by the end of September 2024.

Once finished, visitors will enjoy a Resting Shelter, Ecosan Toilet with a shower room, and well-marked hiking trails with clear signage. The site will offer a perfect getaway for hiking, camping, picnics, and capturing stunning sunrise and sunset selfies with great views of Lake Malawi.

In addition to boosting local businesses and creating job opportunities, 25% of the park’s revenue will go to community projects under the Revenue Sharing Policy by Lake Malawi National Park.

The construction designs were crafted by Studio Designs team, who are also supervising the project.

Stay tuned for more updates and enjoy the progress photos!

29/08/2024

What an incredible journey it has been for this young man! Proud moment for us today seeing him graduate from UNIMA with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Cultural Studies!

We first enrolled him in our School Sponsorship Program in Form 2 at Lisumbwi Secondary School, thanks to Susan Donovan's financial support through RSC (now Orbis DMC). Since then, we've witnessed his remarkable growth - from being elected headboy in his final year at secondary school to securing a spot at UNIMA.

We're honored to have played a part in his educational journey. Wishing him continued success and achievements

P. S. Check out the heartfelt letter that Henry wrote to Sue in 2019 after being selected to CHANCO - A beautiful expression of gratitude.

24/05/2024

The Director of Fisheries, Dr. Hastings Zidana, along with Pact Malawi-REFRESH Chief of Party, Dr. Daniel Jamu and Deputy Chief of Party, Amakhosi Jere, visited Gome Farm-Based Organization to appreciate their work.

GOME FBO is a conservation enterprise dedicated to agribusiness. The organization specializes in the cultivation of various crops, including sweet potatoes, cassava, maize, soybeans, groundnuts, and vegetables. The organization operates in Mangochi, T/A Chowe, GVH Chindamba. The group initially consisted of 39 members with 11 new members who have just joined, influenced by the organization's awareness initiatives and the visible success of both the group and its individual members. Gome has 9 women representing the organisation with 3 in top position of vice chair, treasurer and secretary.

The REFRESH Project is actively engaged in enhancing capacity building and financial management, while providing grants to conservation enterprises (CEs). Among the beneficiaries of this initiative is the Gome farmers' organization, which has been awarded a substantial grant worth MK5, 100,000.00.

From this grant Gome has achieved: Refresher training on horticulture farming, purchasing of eight 100 meters HDPE pipes, two hand sprayers, a solar pump and one water tank.

GOME FBO continues to grow and thrive, promoting sustainable agricultural practices and supporting local communities through its produce distribution. The recent increase in membership underscores the effectiveness of the organization's outreach and the positive impact of its activities.

In his remarks, one of the members, Mr. Ishumael, shared his personal success story. Having transitioned from fishing to farming sweet potatoes with the help of REFRESH, he expressed his satisfaction with the support he has received. He noted that the assistance from REFRESH has enabled him to learn and grow in farming, providing a sustainable livelihood for his family. He expects this year's harvest to yield K800, 000, which will help pay his children's school fees and provide for his family.

Dr. Daniel Jamu, encouraged GOME FBO to continue their exemplary work, serving as a model for others to learn from. Dr. Hastings Zidana also commended the organization for its efforts, urging them to be ambitious by branding their produce and creating an open market to increase visibility and recognition of their work.

Amakhosi Jere urged the organization to take proactive steps to further their growth and impact. Chief Chindamba expressed pride in the changes brought by REFRESH to his area, noting that his community has greatly benefited from the project.

REFRESH is a 5-year project implemented across 8 districts along Lake Malawi. Funded by USAID through Pact Malawi, the project aims to restore biodiversity and promote sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities.

21/05/2024

Project Review Meeting for the USAID funded Restoring Fisheries for Sustainable Livelihoods in Lake Malawi (REFRESH) Project is underway at the Mapiri Country Lodge in Dedza organised by CISER.

In his opening remarks, Joseph Makwakwa, Executive Director for CISER thanked the team for the overwhelming hardworking spirit in implementing the project since 2019 and said the organisation has managed to achieve and complete a number of deliverables as per the project's work plans. He therefore congratulated the team for always being supportive and meeting targets for theproject and asked them to do the same in future projects.

He challenged the team to continue working hard in their portfolios in order to help grow the organisation which has done well in implementing the project in Mangochi district despite a number of challenges.

The team comprised of Project Technicians, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Programmes Manager, Finance and Administration Officer as well as support staff are attending the meeting.

REFRESH is a 5 year project with different interventions aimed at restoring fisheries biodiversity in the 8 districts along Lake Malawi which started in October 2019 and comes to an end in September, 2024.

14/04/2024

REFRESH PROJECT FACILITATES DISTRICT COUNCILS LEARNING VISIT

Officials from Mangochi District Council were engaged in a learning visit to Nkhotakota District Council to appreciate progress made by the district in rolling out the Local Revenue Enhancement Strategic Plan (LRESP) being implemented by the Council with support from the Department of Fisheries and the USAID funded Restoring Fisheries for Sustainable Livelihoods in Lake Malawi (REFRESH) Project.

Among the Mangochi District Council officials were the District Fisheries Officer, Director of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, Director of Finance, Director of Administration, Council Economist, Agriculture Service Commitee Representatives, Senior Chief Sultan Chowe and Senior Chief Lulanga. Leading the team was Community Initiative for Self-Reliance (CISER) Executive Director and Field Officers implementing the project in the district.

During a visit to Lozi Beach Village Committee (BVC), located some 15kms off the Nkhotakota-Dwangwa road, it was learnt that the district council in consultation with various stakeholders agreed to identify different revenue streams in the fisheries sector through which to generate revenue which will see the both the government, district council and the BVC benefiting. For example, from a licensing fee of K51,500.00 for Chilimira fishing gear, the government gets K40,000.00 which is remitted to account number one. The council gets K6,500.00 and the BVC gets K5,000.00 which is paid by the council through various development projects planned jointly by the committee, fisheries office and the council.

Speaking during the interface meeting, Lozi BVC Chairperson said they are very happy with the arrangement saying the committee and the community are benefiting a lot from the K5,000.00 they are getting from the gear licensing paid to them by the council. He said "we are currently constructing a beach toilet using such funds, a thinh we clu not afford on our own and we are happy that all members of the community including fishers understood the concept and we thank the council for being transparent to us".

Senior Chief Sultan Chowe from Mangochi thanked Group Village Headman Lozi for being supportive to the committee saying it has empowered his subjects to work hard and cooperate with the district council in making sure that the revenue collections from fisheries are done smoothly.

The learning visit programme reached to a climax when the Mangochi visiting team met the Nkhotakota Resource Mobilisation team led by the District's Director of Administration in the District Council's Chamber. During this four hour long meeting, Nkhotakota District Fisheries Officer, Symon Ngwira made a presentation on the various fisheries revenue streams earmarked by the district council. Progress on revenue collections using the Electronic Gadgets was made by the Councils Accountant which showed that the council has managed to make a 98% annual revenue collection of the target in the 2023/24 fiscal year unlike in 2022/23 when it made 88% of its target.

Mangochi District Council together with various stakeholders with support from the Department of Fisheries and REFRESH Project intend to implement the LRESP in the district in order to collect as more revenue as possible from the fisheries sector as it has more fishers, both small-scale and commercial fishers as well as more fishing gears.

Nkhotakota district plans to roll out the e-ticketing revenue collection system to all its markets in order to generate more revenue from different sectors which include fisheries, sports, health, physical planning as well as lands just to mention a few.

16/02/2024

Chambo boom excites MangochiMwnationFeb 12, 2024Read original A uthorities and fishing communities in Mangochi District are excited about chambo fish boom in Lake Malawi as hinted by recent assessments in both Malawian and Mozambican waters.Travellers along the southern shoreline of Malawi’s large...

Address

P. O. Box 95
Mangochi

Opening Hours

Monday	07:30 - 12:00
	13:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	07:30 - 12:00
	13:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	07:30 - 12:00
	13:00 - 17:00
Thursday	07:30 - 12:00
	13:00 - 17:00
Friday	07:30 - 13:30

Telephone

+265888874564

Website

facebook.com

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