Livingstonia Synod AIDS Programme

22/07/2026

A New Start for Chimwemwe Through Her Mother’s Determination

Chimwemwe is a five-year-old girl in Mwansambo, Nkhotakota District. She is the youngest of five children one sibling is in secondary school, three are in primary, and Chimwemwe herself is now enrolled at a Community-Based Childcare Centre (CBCC).

Until recently, none of the children were in school. The family had been severely affected by prolonged drought, which left them without food, income, or hope. Chimwemwe stayed at home, and her future looked uncertain.

“We had nothing to offer the children because we had no source of income and the famine hit us hard. Even just sending the children to school was impossible. I could not afford to prepare any meals for them to take to school.” Chimwemwe's mother explained,

Everything began to change when Chimwemwe’s mother joined a self-help group (SHG) initiative in 2024. Through the SHG, she borrowed MWK 6,000 to start a small business frying and selling banana fritters (zitumbuwa) in the village.

“From MWK 6,000, I made MWK 30,000, With the profit, I looked for more ways to grow the business and started selling tomatoes. That did very well I made MWK 90,000. But because tomatoes are seasonal, I returned to banana fritters. I now invest MWK 8,000 and make MWK 56,000 a month. The business is doing so well because the demand for banana fritters is high, I prepare them more than twice a day.” She added

Thanks to her growing business, Chimwemwe’s mother has managed to send all her children back to school, including Chimwemwe, who now attends the CBCC where she receives early learning and nutritious meals every day.

Today, little Chimwemwe learns through play, sings songs, interacts with other children, and comes home well-fed and happy she is no longer left behind.

Looking ahead, Chimwemwe’s mother plans to invest in goats to generate future income and dreams of building a proper house with iron sheets and cement for her family.

21/07/2026

A Brighter Future Through His Grandmother’s Hard Work

Petilosi is an 11-year-old primary school learner in Mwansambo, Nkhotakota, who lives with his grandmother and 15 other grandchildren. Following the death of her husband, Petilosi’s grandmother became the sole provider for the household. She depended on farming to feed the family and buy school supplies, but frequent droughts resulted in poor harvests and food shortages.

“I used to farm, but the land gave me nothing. We could not eat well, and I couldn’t afford school supplies for Petilosi,” she said.

In 2023, she joined the Participatory Integrated Farm Plan (PIP) programme introduced to her by LISAP where she learned how to make organic manure and practices irrigation farming. From the same 1.5 acres she had farmed for years, she harvested two full oxcarts of maize.

“After learning through the PIP program, I have harvested two full oxcarts of maize from the same land I have farmed for years. The harvest has made me so happy,” she said.

The improved harvest has enabled the family to have enough food and allowed her to sell part of the maize to buy school supplies for Petilosi. She is also teaching her daughters-in-law the same farming methods so more families can benefit. She hopes to use future harvests to buy cement and iron sheets to build a stronger and safer home for her grandchildren.

Petilosi’s story shows how targeted support for sustainable farming can lift entire families out of food insecurity and poverty, improve children’s access to education, and empower communities to thrive.

17/07/2026

FACING THE FUTURE WITH HOPE, COURTESY OF NYENJE YOUTH CLUB; A CASE OF RUTH

Empowering youths with technical abilities to support community development is paying dividends as evident in the case of Ruth, an eight-year-old learner under Help A Child Mwansambo Project in Nkhotakota district.

Ruth, is the fourth born in a family of four, she was at the verge of dropping out of school due to frequent absenteeism caused by lack of school necessities. Having lost her father at the age of five, she has been under the care of her mother, who has a deformed. The mother could hardly source school materials and other necessities for her children, leading Ruth to repeat Standard One.

The plight of Ruth reached Nyenje Youth Club leaders, who have been trained by the Child-Centered Community Development (CCCD) project in leadership and community participation in development activities. After assessing the situation, they observed that Ruth lacked payment of school funds, a school uniform, books and other writing materials. The youth group, which is into farming as an income generating activity, decided to provide the much-needed assistance.

“Currently, I am attending classes regularly as I have all school necessities thanks to the youth club in my area who are supporting my vision of becoming a teacher in future.” Ruth explained

The mother commended the youth club for helping her daughter. Saying “It’s a sigh of relief as I already take care of my other three children my husband left behind, coupled with my disability it has never been easy and it is my desire and hope that they should all get educated and be independent in future,” she added.

Nyenje Youth Club is one of the 15 youth clubs that has embraced the project’s vision by supporting needy students in their area. During 2024, the club supported 15 needy students with notebooks, pens and school uniforms, while also motivating best performing students with school materials as incentives.

A Child

16/07/2026

Timazge Nkhaza project in Kafukule has successfully brought together the church, the community and stakeholders in the area to collaborate in the fight against Gender Based violence through the Church and Community Transformation (CCT) approach. Various stakeholders in the area are taking a proactive role in addressing GBV issues. Recently, we have seen the police being given a platform in churches during Sunday gathering to raise awareness on the negative effects of GBV on the social economic development of families, community and the nation.

Through the CCT approach, Churches in the project area have been encouraged to work together with various stakeholders like the police, health, education and traditional leaders among others in addressing GBV Issues after noting the growing knowledge gap on GBV among church members, such that most of the GBV cases in the area, either the perpetrator or the victim or both belong to a church.

During the May 2026 awareness campaign on GBV, we have seen several churches accepting the police during Sunday service, giving them a platform to raise awareness to the congregants a thing which would be considered very unusual in the church setup.

This transformational story is a living testimony that there is positive mindset change among the community because previously there was no good relationship between the community and police as they used to see each other as enemies. Through collaboration with churches, we managed to reach out to 500 people from various churches with GBV awareness messages.

16/07/2026

Empowered and elevated, From Peer Educator to University Student

Mercy Is a Girl aged 20 from Zukuma area, village headman Robert Thupa in T/A Mtwalo. She got involved with LISAP Timazge Nkhaza Project as peer educator in 2023 when she was in form 3 at Thtimila CDSS.

“I was privileged to participate in one of the trainings that LISAP conducted in my area and changed my story”.

The training brought together youths from 11 primary schools in Kafukule educational Zone and it was designed to equip adolescents and in school youth with knowledge and skills on GBV management and prevention. As a peer educator for her school and her village, she was entrusted with the duty and responsibility of teaching and mentoring her fellow adolescents and young women and girls in the area to stay away from behaviors that would lead them into early marriages and pregnancies but to stay focused on their education.

This responsibility shaped her life and positively impacted her performance in school because each time she was engaging with the peers, she wanted to lead by example. Mercy’s social life changed positively so that she never entertained any behavior which would jeopardize her education. She worked hard in her studies despite the challenges she was passing through considering that she was coming from a poor background where she used to struggle to get school Fees.

“My Father is just a man without any way of supporting the family due to his long-time illness and my mother is just a house wife”. Mercy narrates.

In 2025, Mercy sat for her form four exams, and passed with very good grades which allowed her to apply for admission into public universities during the 2026/2027 intake and she was successful and is about to start her tertiary education at University of Malawi (UNIMA)

Her story is a living testimony to the power of the Timazge Nkhaza Project. By empowering one girl the project has created a role model who will continue to inspire hundreds of other girls in the Kafukule Zone.


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14/07/2026

Community Support Restores Prisca's Hope for Education

Thirteen-year-old Prisca from Nkhotakota Traditional Authority Mwansambo, is now attending school consistently after her family's livelihood improved through Self-Help Group (SHG) supported by the Child-Centred Community Development (CCCD)project implemented by LISAP.

Growing up in a family of four children, Prisca's education was affected by poverty as her parents struggled to meet basic household needs. Her father, a peasant farmer, said poor harvests made it difficult to provide food and school materials.

"The hardest part was not just failing to provide, but watching our children slowly lose confidence. You want your children to dream freely, yet there were moments we feared our circumstances were limiting their future," he said.

In 2023, Prisca's father joined the Chisomo SHG, where he developed saving and financial management skills. Through regular savings and internal lending, he accumulated MK250,000, which the family invested in a scone business managed together with Prisca's mother.

"The Self-Help Group taught me how to save and manage money. Access to the Rising Finance loan gave me the opportunity to move from planning to action. I invested in a business that is now helping me support my children and improve our household.” he said.

The increased income enabled the family to build a burnt-brick house, improve their living conditions and provide Prisca and her siblings with school uniforms, notebooks, pens and other learning materials.

"I feel happy because I can now learn without worrying about missing school. I have what I need to study,I want to work hard and become a nurse so that one day I can help other people," said Prisca, who is in Standard Six.

Prisca's father hopes to expand the tearoom into a larger retail shop while investing in improved farming inputs to secure the family's future.
A Child

09/07/2026

LISAP Delivers Food Supplies, Educational Materials and Monitors Kasasa CBCC Performance

Community-Based Childcare Centers (CBCCs) serve as a lifeline for early childhood development. Kasasa community in Rumphi District group village head Mjuma has had a CBCC running since 1999.

The Livingstonia Synod Action Programme (LISAP), visited Kasasa CBCC to deliver food supplies and educational materials that will support the center’s operations. In addition to the donations, LISAP monitored how the CBCC is being managed and assessed the performance of children who transitioned from the center to primary school.

The head caregiver of Kasasa CBCC expressed gratitude, noting that the support came at the right time.

“This help will feed the children, improve their nutrition, and create a conducive learning environment. Since the center was established, food shortages have been our biggest challenge. This timely intervention from LISAP is truly a blessing.”

LISAP’s representative, Anson Singini, encouraged the committee to use the supplies wisely to ensure the center continues running smoothly:

“Our goal is to make sure no child stops attending classes due to lack of basic needs. We also urge the committee and parents to work hand in hand in managing these resources.”

The donated items included maize, soya, exercise books, paper reams, salt, pens and flip charts. These resources are expected to support both the dietary and educational needs of the children.

03/07/2026

03/04/2026

PLAN INTERNATIONAL MALAWI HANDS OVER PROJECT ASSETS TO LISAP TO SUSTAIN COMMUNITY IMPACT

Mzimba communities continue to benefit from development interventions after Plan International Malawi officially handed over project assets to the Livingstonia Synod Action programme (LISAP).

The handover is part of efforts to ensure long-term sustainability of initiatives that improve community welfare.

The ceremony marked the formal transfer of materials used under the “Child Not Bride” project, including three laptops, two motorbikes, android phones, and office furniture. Although the project has concluded, the assets will continue to sustain gains made by LISAP in reducing effects of Child marriage and teen age pregnancies to improve positive school outcomes.

Plan International Malawi emphasized that the transfer will help LISAP monitor and implement all its projects more effectively, ensuring resources continue benefiting communities.

“ The transfer will go a long way in promoting the localisation agenda by giving LISAP capacity to monitor and support communities beyond the funded phase. The presence of LISAP on the ground is crucial is maintaining the foot print of the Child Not Bride project’’ . Said the program area manager Atusaye Nyondo

Speaking at the event, the Head of Finance at LISAP expressed deep appreciation, highlighting the long-standing partnership between the two organizations:

“These assets will greatly support our follow-up work on other projects here at LISAP. This handover means a lot to us not only because of the materials themselves, but because it reflects the strength of our partnership. Our relationship with Plan International Malawi goes back more than 20 years. In one of our earlier projects together, we were given a motorcycle at the close of the project, and now we have received two more. This gesture has truly strengthened and cemented our partnership.”

The handover reinforces the commitment of both organizations to ensuring that development efforts remain impactful long after project completion.


Not Bride
INTERNATIONAL MALAWI