Mudzi Connect
Fostering sustainable development in Malawi by co-investing in the ideas and aspirations of local communities.
Mudzi Connect
Overview
Mudzi Connect is a national grant-making organization that co-invests directly in the ideas of local Malawian communities to create thriving and sustainable living spaces where everyone can prosper.
By placing our communities at the core of our initiatives, valuing their perspectives, needs, and aspirations, Mudzi Connect contributes to poverty reduction in Malawi and aligns with the Government of Malawi’s vision for 2063.
Our approach is centered on three key strategies:
- Grant Making: We co-invest directly in the ideas of local leaders and communities, scaling our efforts through approved, local decentralized structures such as Village Development Committees and community-based organizations.
- Community Foundations: We support communities by unlocking the capacity for people to contribute toward their own development initiatives.
- Capacity Strengthening: We strengthen capacities in community-led development principles, participatory development, proposal writing, project management, and monitoring and evaluation.
By The Numbers
We work with our community partners to track 400+ indicators across our 1,800+ investments using a custom built database.
620
By The Numbers
We work with our community partners to track 400+ indicators across our 1,800+ investments using a custom built database.
620
Project Co-Investments
Mudzi Connect's co-investments in community projects reduce poverty through improved access to social services and enable communities to use their own resources and assets to address priorities-while increasing local leadership capacity to champion community-based development.
Construction of girl’s changeroom and boys urinals for improved sanitation and hygiene at Engcongolweni Primary School
In addressing the current sanitation and hygiene challenges that learners at Engcongolweni Primary School in Ekwendeni, Mzimba district are facing, Extra Mile Development Foundation together with Towe...
With a $7,500 World Connect grant, Luckia Emment, a YALI RLC alumnus, in collaboration with Namaliwe Community Based Child Care Centre Committee will refurbish Namalimwe Community Based Child Care Cen...
Chikonde Youth Organisation will use the $811.78 grant to establish three schoolyard gardens planted with vegetables and fruit trees in three Community Based Care Centres located in Jiya Village, in T...
Chikwina Chipayika Village Development Committee will facilitate the production of 50 desks for Chikwina Primary School in Chikwina village, T/A Mnyaluwanga Nkhata Bay district. Increasing the number ...
The project will maintain and refurbish 50 desks at Ntchesa Primary School in GVH Kadyalunda, Balaka district. Maintained desks will improve the learning conditions and motivate students&n...
Mudzi Connect Board
The Board of Mudzi Connect is composed of six highly qualified individuals with expertise in areas of management, programming, monitoring, evaluation, learning, law, and financial management. Our board is robust and full of energy that drives the organization forward.
Tamala is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) credentialed Professional Certified Coach (PCC), ICF registered Mentor Coach, Coach Trainer, and a member of the ICF Foundation Board of Trustees. Tamala runs the Professional Coaching Institute, a coaching organization that provides coaching services and leadership development programmes. Amongst her credentials include an MBA, ACCA Diploma in Financial Management, Associate in Management, LEIPA (Leadership Emotional Intelligence Performance Accelerator) Facilitator, certified DiSC® Practitioner, and certified 360 Benchmarks Facilitator.
T. Arthur Chibwana is an experienced economist and impact-focused development leader who drives multi-sectoral international partnerships for social change. Currently working as Associate Director and Global Strategic Partnerships Lead for IDinsight, he has demonstrated a history of improving the quality of delivery, measurement. and designing fundable programs in various sectors, including social protection, agriculture, women empowerment, public governance, health, and climate change. Arthur is skilled in strategic partnerships, leadership, resource mobilization, thought leadership, evaluations, quantitative research, and data systems. He advises policy and decision-makers in Africa, including governments, parliaments, funders, and development actors, to increase the social impact potential through data and evidence. He was the runner-up for the 2023 Africa Evidence Leadership Awards and has received national and international recognition. Arthur serves on the Board of World Connect (Mudzi Connect), Global Health Corps (GHC), and Tumaini Letu. He holds a Master of Science in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
Dr. Anna Msowoya-Keys is a Malawian social entrepreneur. She has founded and led four organizations: 1) Maloto, a U.S.-based non-profit that raises funds and finds technical support for local organizations in Malawi; 2) Mzuzu International Academy, the first internationally accredited primary and secondary school in northern Malawi; 3) Kwithu Community-Based Organization, which provides a range of social, educational, and health programs in Mzuzu; and 4) Kwithu Kitchen, a women-owned food processing cooperative. In addition to supporting these local organizations, she is actively involved in many civic initiatives to further develop her country, Malawi.
A chartered accountant and co-founder of David Hastings Associates (DHA), a firm that provides industry-focused tax accounting, financial management consulting, advisory, grant management, and procurement services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. Tokha is a fellow of ACCA, Higher Education Academy of the UK, and a Doctoral Scholar at the University of Durham in the UK.
Mr. Elwin Chiwembu Sichiola who currently works as the Executive Director for TEVETA (Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority) Malawi. He is a business executive with over 15 years experience working in roles ranging from Executive Management, Finance, Internal Audit and Risk Management and External Audit.
A Fellow of the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (FCCA), Elwin also holds an MBA from University of Derby and a BSc in Accountancy from Oxford Brookes University.
A well-known conference speaker, Elwin served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Habitat Humanity Malawi until July 2023 and still serves on the Board of Directors of Corps Africa, an International NGO which operates in Malawi, Senegal, Rwanda and Morocco, amongst other countries.
Peter is a World Bank development economist, an author, and a Senior Vice President for Moja Marketplace. Peter holds a bachelor's degree in Christian Community Leadership from African Bible College, a master's degree in International Development Management from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom, a second master's degree in Applied Economics from Texas Tech University, and is currently pursuing a PhD. Peter has worked with various local and international organizations including the Centre For Free Market Enterprise, National Youth Council of Malawi, Free Market Institute, the Starbucks Foundation, and the World Bank. He is also a consultant for various organizations in Malawi and abroad including Graca Machel Trust, the Olupona foundation, and Longevity Development just to mention a few. Through his experience in development financing, he has gained a comprehensive understanding of global funding mechanisms, frameworks, and systems. Determined to share this knowledge for the benefit of his country, he authored a book titled Funding Handbook: Navigating Resources with Purpose. Peter is a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow for the Young African leaders Initiative, and a fellow under the Emerging Leaders Program.