In the midst of a cyclone crisis in Malawi, HIV counselor Bainatu found a way to continue her important work.

Our partnership with Manor Academy has enabled us to provide essential services to the local community in Malawi and we're thrilled to have a group of their students joining us on an upcoming trip to see our work in action and explore the country.

“During the holiday it was very hard for me to access books which made it very challenging.”

There was joyous dancing as our Hope Ambassadors made Mbedza proud at an end of year sports tournament organised by The Sparkle Foundation

As the year is coming to an end, our Hope Ambassadors were thrilled to take part in an end of year event.

Whilst the prevalence of HIV in Malawi is falling it still has one of the the highest in the world, with 8.1% of the adult population (aged 15-49) living with HIV.

“After a lovely evening I welcomed a good nights sleep and consequently, learnt my first lesson in Malawian culture.”

Raising the funds amongst themselves, our youth group set out to provide basic necessities to the elderly families surrounding our Songani Hope and Wellness Centre.

Every week our counselors, Bainatu and Fyson, visit communities as far away as 50km from our Songani center, allowing community members to access HIV testing and counseling services within their villages.

This was an exciting opportunity for the youth who were given time with the faciliator to address their fears and expectations regarding sex and relationships.

They performed music, drama and dance at the event which aimed at disseminating messages of HIV prevention and the promotion of ART (antiretroviral therapy) medication uptake by those people who are HIV positive.

“When a girl who was being abused by her parents approached me, I was keen to help, I confronted them with kindness and love and in the end the girl reported some positive changes [at home].”

Our HIV Testing Centre is so much more than it seems…

Songani Workshops for Girls