Journey of Life

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Journey of Life (JoL) is all about communities taking responsibility for themselves, rather than relying on government and/or donors. It is a simple tool that can be used to mobilize the community to work as a team towards meeting children’s needs holistically. Together with government, we have trained interested community members across Malawi, to facilitate JoL workshops.

JoL transforms communities. Two important messages that communities learn is that they can:

  • take part in caring for their children without external support
  • provide care and support to children when they are sensitized, motivated and provided with skills

Regular monitoring visits are conducted by us, the facilitators, or District Social Welfare Offices, to ensure that JoL principles are put in place.

Here are just a few of our success stories

  • After a JoL workshop, 40 members from Dalitsani CBO opened a bank account together. Within 6 months, they had managed to raise a total amount of K257,170 ($US1840). From the dividends, members were able to buy things like fertilizer, animals for rearing, bicycles and other household materials. Since then, the group has doubled with 80 members and has now a total of K576,252 ($US4120). They hope to reach K1,300,000 ($US9290) by year end. The community has been linked to the Ministry of Agriculture, who have given them free seeds and fertiliser and helped them establish communal tobacco nursery beds. In addition, students from Bunda College of Agriculture have linked themselves to this community as a study field.
  • Community members’ lifestyles have changed – they have stopped giving their children negative names like ‘dog’, or ‘fool’, recognising the impact of these names on the children.
  • Mzamu community has reintroduced communal eating to make sure that OVC are taken care of by the whole community
  • Communal gardens are being reinforced to assist needy households in many communities.
    • Children’s corners and child care centres have been established in areas where they did not exist.
  • Parents and guardians understand the importance of attending these centres to provide psychosocial and emotional assistance to the children.
  • Parents are doing everything possible to make sure their children are in school because they have realized its importance.
  • There is more awareness around children’s rights. Parents/guardians who were abusing children were visited and some households have changed. For example:
    • Mussa and Pilirani from different households at Sukasuka village) were not going to school because they were looking after goats. Both kids are back at school as a result of the visits.
    • One child was being called by a nasty name yet his real name was ok. This was affecting the child so much that even people around him felt sorry for him. Now, the child is being called by his real name.
    • Children’s chores are now more appropriate to their age.
    • Ndiuzayani Joseph is a double orphan from Mkomeko. She was being forced to get married although she had passed her Primary School leaving Exams. The Chongoni youth Group assisted her to find a school bursary – she is now in secondary school.
    • Odina Foziyala (12 yo) stopped school in 2007, in standard 3. An orphan, he lives with his uncle who used to send him to work in a garden, while sending his own children to school. Now, Odina is back at school. Even the behaviour of the other children has changed – they are now friendly towards their cousin.
    • At Kamphoni, Mphatso Kapolo (8yo) and Elisa Mangani (10yo) have been withdrawn from child labor. They were grazing cattle in Mozambique but now are attending Magomero Primary School.
    • At Madalitso, a disabled child’s mother was not allowing him to play with friends. The mother was locking the boy inside their house. Now, the mother takes her child to the children’s corner so that he can play with friends.
  • The Sendeza family at Kasusu has noticed changes in their children. Now there is more love towards each other – after the workshop the parents stopped favoring their children over the orphans in the household.
  • A child was born with crippled legs -people thought she will never do anything. When she started attending Chitungu CBCC, one of the caregivers started helping the child by tying her legs to a stick. Now her legs are firm enough for her to stand up – we hope that one day this little girl will walk.
  • Parents have noticed changes in their children’s behaviours, who are now helping more with household chores.
    • One boy tells that every morning he used to go and watch videos at the local trading center and never helped at home. Now, he has realized that the shows will not assist him. He has started helping with work at home and is now cultivating a vegetable garden.