Like Christians everywhere around the world, many Malawians are celebrating Easter this month.  Malawi has a population of over 13 million people of which more than 80% are Christians. In the district of Kasungu, where the Join My Village program is working to support women and girls, most people in the village are Christians so this is an important time of year for the communities we work with.     Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays across Malawi and the long weekend is celebrated...
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There was happiness everywhere recently in Kaisi when the village and its surrounding communities celebrated  Join My Village handing over a female teacher’s house at Chalowa primary school. The guest of honor on this colorful ceremony was the Deputy Minister of Education responsible for higher education honorable, Mrs. Otria Moyo Jere, who also happens to be the Member of Parliament for the area. Also in attendance were Traditional Authorities, Village Headmen, teachers from the surrounding schools, primary education advisors, school management committees and representatives from...
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The first year of Join My Village witnessed the formation of more than 120 Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs). The concept of VSLAs was a new one for most communities and some were skeptical about handing over their little savings to a group.  “I was at first reluctant to join one of the savings group here in our village, but felt sorry for myself after seeing the successes of some women in this community who have just shared their money and were able to...
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It is both a blessing and a burden – but the rains have well and truly arrived in Malawi as part of the hot summer season.Malawi has two seasons, the cool dry winter and the hot wet summer. The summer rainfall is influenced by the escarpments of the Rift Valley and so it varies between districts. Kasungu district started receiving rains from mid December in 2010. It is one of the districts that receives moderate rainfall that ranges from 900-1000 mm (35-39 inches) annually, which...
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She joined the teaching profession in 1994. A divorcee originally from Dzoole village near the capital Lilongwe, she has relocated 2 hours north to Kasungu District to be the first female teacher to be allocated one of the houses that Join My Village has built. Her name is Ida Chikweza.Ida has four children, two girls and two boys and used to teach at an urban primary school. She has been transferred to Chalowa Primary School in Kasungu where Join My Village has built a house...
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