Meet our local team in Malawi
Operational Manager
Welding & Fabrication Instructor
Welding & Fabrication Instructor
Tailoring & Fashion Design Instructor
Tailoring & Fashion Design Instructor
Head Guard
Guard
Guard
Cook & Cleaner
Chief Construction Worker
Rita Kandapo
Operational Manager
My name is Rita Kandapo, I am 25 years of age. I am a single mother of a beautiful, amazing daughter Peace. I am my mother’s only child, but I have 5 other stepsisters and stepbrothers. I grew up with my uncles since my mother left to South Africa in search of a greener pasture, as it wasn’t easy for her to raise me by herself. I was lucky that my uncles were bold enough to educate me up until I finished my tertiary education. I am a secondary school teacher by profession. I did my bachelor’s degree in education at Domasi College where I studied mathematics and computer sciences. I have worked with a few private secondary schools after graduating and I also worked with UBR where we were collecting data for social beneficiary programs for the government. I like to read books sometimes, shopping and listening to music.
A very good friend of mine sent me a vacancy in September 2024. I was still working at that time, but it wasn’t satisfying so I applied for the role. Later I was called for interviews in November and luckily enough I was successful. I am currently working as the project manager. For the past months, being able to lead and direct the people working at OneHeartMalawi and managing the operations are some of my greatest milestones so far. Inputing my ideas on how we can sustain the project is one of my achievements.
The courses are very good in such a way that they are very marketable, and people can easily find a job. These are services that are needed every day in our communities. For example, tailoring is a more profitable business here in Africa, people love to wear African print clothes (Ankara clothes), as such there is a need for more tailors in town. The courses will definitely help the students to find jobs or start their own businesses, and they will obviously be able to provide for themselves and their families.
What people in the Netherlands are doing is such a great thing to the lives of the youth in Malawi. Your support is greatly appreciated, and we cannot repay you with anything. But feel it in your hearts that everyone here is so proud of your support. May you continue with what you are doing, and we would love you to visit us one day.
Enock Pelusi
Welding & Fabrication Instructor
My name is Enock Pelusi. I am 36 years old. I am a welder. I studied at Comboni Technical College in Blantyre. I did my apprenticeship as a welder at Industrial Steel engineering in 2011 for six months. Then I got a job at Cement Products Limited in 2012, where I worked for nine months. After leaving there, I got a job at Comboni Technical College as a production foreman, where I worked for 5 months. I left in May 2013 when I got another job at DAPP Mikolongwe Vocational School where I worked for two years as an instructor for fabrication and welding. In July 2015, I got a new job at Green Malata and now I work for the government at Mangochi Community Technical College. Next to that, I work as a welding and fabrications instructor at OneHeartMalawi. I knew about OneHeartMalawi through Aaron Mangawa.
My greatest milestone so far is that I managed to finish the house I was building in Mangochi with the salary I received. I think the courses offered are very good. Being a welder myself, I know the game out there; with hard work and dedication one always breaks through, a good example is myself. If the students have a strong passion for themselves, they will have a very good future. These courses require someone who is dedicated and eager to learn more. OneHeartMalawi is doing a very good job changing the lives of the youth here in Monkey Bay. I would like to send my gratitude to our donors for what they are doing to the lives of the youth, and may they continue to give their support until this project is stable to operate on its own.
Anthony Mwenemulupa
Welding & Fabrication Instructor
My name is Anthony Mwenemulupa, a Malawian and I am 28 years old. I am from a family of 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls and I am the first born. My father died in the year 2015. I was raised by my grandmother up to 2014. I did my primary school at Monkey Bay primary school from standard 1 up to standard 8. In 2013 I wrote my PSLCE and passed. Later I attended my secondary school at Monkey Bay community day secondary school. In 2016 I wrote my JCE exams and passed with flying colors. In 2018 I wrote my MSCE and got 35 points.
Soon after that, life became difficult because my parents could not afford to pay for my tertiary education, so I was just wandering around doing some piecework to make a living. In 2019 I moved to Blantyre to find green pastures but to no avail and later that same year I came back to Monkey Bay to learn a welding skill at a workshop Centre, called Chikwawa welding shop.
In 2014, I started staying with Aaron Mangawa’s mother and that’s how I knew Aaron. As I was pursuing my career in welding, he saw the potential in me up until now that I am working for him here at OneHeartMalawi. I am now working as an assistant teacher for welding, more specifically on the practical side.
It has been a long journey since the project started. I was there from the beginning up until now that this place is looking like this. I have taught the pilot phase students and now we are in the second phase. This project has helped me to improve my skills and my daily life as I am able to provide for my family. I am also proud of myself that I am able to share my skills with others.
The courses are good in a way that they are marketable. After the students graduate, I expect them to be self-reliant. Because with what they are learning here they cannot just go without finding something to do for themselves. A good example is myself; I can provide for my family and make a living just from a workshop area, not a well-articulated organization like OneHeartMalawi. So, for me I am expecting the best out of them.
I am planning to pursue more with my studies soon this year because I want to be a fulltime teacher at OneHeartMalawi. I am more of an expert in the practical part so I would like to have a proper certificate in my field.
I would like to deeply appreciate our donors for what they are doing, more especially to us, the youth. It’s not only the material thing that matters, but rather that they thought it is wise to help impart us with the skills which will be helpful to us for the rest of our lives.
Josophine Mombasa
Tailoring & Fashion Design Instructor
My name is Josophine Mombasa, a female Malawian citizen, I am 29 years old and single. I received my advanced certificate in textile and fashion design from TEVET in 2024. We are with 7 children in my family. But both of our parents died in 1996, so we grew up with our aunt. Life wasn’t easy since the passing of our parents but to the grace of God we survived until now. In my free time I like to play football and listening to gospel music.
My position at OneHeartMalawi is instructor tailoring and fashion design. I joined the team through the vacancy I applied for, and I got the chance of being the instructor here. So far joining the team is my greatest milestone since I never imagined that I could be part of the OneHeartMalawi team. I would like to expand my skills and showcase my talents to the development of this project. The impact of the OneHeartMalawi Vocational Training Centre is that it is changing the lives of vulnerable young adults to become self reliant and important citizens of Malawi.
My plan for the coming 5 years is to focus on developing skills that contribute to the organization’s mission and aligning growth with their specific programs and it’s my desire after some years to have more students that graduate at OneHeartMalawi. Lastly, my message to the people in Netherland is that we are so grateful for all the things they provided for us here.
Misheck Lackson
Tailoring & Fashion Design Instructor
My name is Misheck Lackson, and I am 27 years of age. I was born and raised in a family of 5 children, and I am the third born. I did my school from primary to college being funded by my parents. I did not meet many challenges as compared to many other people. Not because I am lucky, but by the grace of God my parents helped me. I like listening to music and having a good time with friends. This is my first job, I am a tailoring and fashion design instructor. I knew about OneHeartMalawi through Biswick Kabambe. He was my teacher at Mangochi Community Technical College so when he started working here, he called me to be his assistant. I am able to get some basic needs and somehow help my parents and siblings from my earnings at OneHeartMalawi.
The courses offered at OneHeartMalawi are marketable but I hope OneHeartMalawi will include more and more courses to help more people. The courses are really helping the youth here. An example is Hawa, a student from the first group. She graduated here and now she owns a shop and is having her own business, which is an impact from OneHeartMalawi. So, for me OneHeartMalawi is changing lives and makes an impact to the lives of the graduates and also a community as a whole. Our donors should continue helping us so that OneHeartMalawi can employ more people and build Malawi as a whole.
Damiano Kaute
Head Security Guard
My name is Damiano Kaute and I am 50 years old. I was born in a family of four and I am the third born. One of my brothers just died recently this year and we remain the three of us. I grew up in complete poverty. I left school when I was in standard 7 because I impregnated my first wife. So I was not allowed to be in school those years. Later we got married and I started doing some piecework to make a living. Years later I joined a certain church where I began preaching for some years. Later I stopped and started working as a guard for PLC Malawi. I have 11 kids in total with four different wives. I like to keep myself busy with something productive as a business, like farming or repairing shoes for people. I have worked in 13 different companies as a guard. I moved from one company to the other. Not because I messed up but because I was not happy with the working conditions.
I knew about OneHeartMalawi through my former boss. Now I am a head guard at OneHeartMalawi. Because of this job I have managed to build two houses for my two children and I managed to buy a few things for my house. The courses being offered are very important courses for people and very marketable. The youth that are learning here will become self-reliant. They will have something important to do to take care of themselves and their families than joining some bad behaviors that can destroy their lives. The rate of prostitution and theft here is high. Which means that when OneHeartMalawi will teach these youth they will be responsible citizens and help in building this nation. I want to bring one of my kids here to learn a skill so that he can be self-reliant and ease the responsibility on my head. People in the Netherlands should continue funding us so that the project is here for years and years and we can still have our jobs.
Madalitso Misoya
Security Guard
My name is Madalitso Misoya, 24 years of age, born and raised in a family of 5 and I am the first born. I did not go far with my education because my father died early, and things totally changed at home financially. So I had to drop out from school and help my mother at the farm so that we could have food at the end of the day. After some time, I went to Blantyre to look for jobs where I started working at a bar and later worked at a butchery. I then moved to Monkey Bay where I started working as a house helper in 2020. I learned about OneHeartMalawi through my aunt whom I was staying with here in Monkey Bay and now I am a guard here. Because of that I have managed to move out of my guardians homes and I can feed my family without any assistance.
The courses that OneHeartMalawi offers are good courses, especially for the people who are offered it to because it is changing lives. People will be self-employed and manage to look after themselves in such a way poverty levels will decrease. My message to the people in Netherlands is that they should continue doing what they have started and even do more. Lastly, thank you very much.
Justin Mtira
Security Guard
My name is Justin mtira, I am 38 years old, born in a family of 8 children and I am the fifth born. I grew up in a very rural area where we had no schools at that time. The schools were very far away from where we stayed so I never attended any classes due to distance. I grew up herding animals and farming. I started working for builders and later learnt the skill. I have been a builder for quite some time. I knew about OneHeartMalawi through a friend whom I was working with as a builder. Now I am a guard at OneHeartMalawi. Because of working here I am able to feed my family and take care of them.
The courses offered at OneHeartMalawi are so good that I even admire joining. The courses are very markeatble. The major impact is changing the lives of popele in the community. We are in so much poverty here in Malawi and by imparting these skills to the youth it will impact the nation’s future as people will be self-reliant. I would encourage the people in the Netherlands to continue supporting us because they are changing our lives here in Malawi.
Regina Wiscot
Cook & Cleaner
My name is Regina Wiscot. I am 27 years old, born and raised in the Mangochi district. I was born in a family of five children, and I am the first born. I grew up in poverty such that I couldn’t attend school much. I stopped school when I was just in standard 4 because my parents would leave me to take care of my siblings when they were doing piecework to get money for food. I used to work as a housemaid for a certain family here in Monkey Bay before coming here. So this is my second job. I really like to have a chat with my friends during my free time.
I came across OneHeartMalawi through my husband who used to work here as a guard. We used to stay in the tailoring class before the courses started to look after the place. I am a cook and a cleaner at OneHeartMalawi. I am the breadwinner of my family, so it is difficult to manage savings or to do business out of my salary. But my life has changed because I can feed my kids much better than before.
The courses offered are good as they are helping a lot of youth here in Malawi. We can see lives transforming out of these courses offered. From my observation, from the ones that have already graduated, their lives have changed. I meet most of them in the streets doing what they learnt here, which has a great impact from OneHeartMalawi itself to the youth. Instead of these youth going to drink or smoke or maybe fishing they have something good to do. Well done to OneheartMalawi.
First and foremost, I would like to thank the people in the Netherlands for what they are doing to our lives here in Malawi. I personally am so grateful for the job opportunity I got here at OneHeartMalawi. I would not know where I would be if this project was not here. My life has changed and it’s because of each and every one of them. The lord almighty bless them a hundred forth.