At 25, Temwani Chilenga, a teacher mortified by agonies of her poor learners in Lilongwe, has won the Commonwealth Points of Light Award in recogniton of her passion for children’s wellbeing.
The gong presented by Queen Elizabeth II shines a light on people making a difference in their community.
And the youthful teacher has earned the glow for selflessly taking 245 orphaned and poor children under her care, giving them not just shoes but better chances in life.
Judith Dzonzi, 14, personifies the situation of many children Chilenga embraces as her own.
After losing her parents when she was in Standard Two, Judith lives with her ailing grandmother who struggled to provide food and her educational needs.
“I repeated Standard Two because I often went to school hungry and usually missed class as my granny couldn’t afford school fund, uniform, notebooks and pens. Besides, it was hard to concentrate on lessons because I was going to class hungry,” she narrates.
The stuttering hand-to-mouth livelihood pushed the barefoot girl to the edge. One day, a youthful teacher, who had just joined Chambu Primary School in Area 25, approached her and sounded interested to hear her story.
Judith, clad in a tattered uniform, shared her heartaches and aspirations.
That day, Chilenga, who had just arrived from Dowa Teachers Training College, asked the girl, now in Standard Five, to be under her care at a children’s home within the densely populated township in the capital city.
Just like that, the girl found a new home and lease of life just when she had no place to go to following the death of her grandmother.
Chilenga says it breaks her heart to see bright futures fade into nothingness due to widespread poverty.
She narrates: “When I first arrived at Chambu in 2018, I was touched by the sad sight of barefoot children without uniforms. I had to do something about it, so I started by sewing school uniforms for orphans and those being raised by single parents.”
This inspired her to found Zoe Foundation which now looks after 285 children in a safe home constructed with the help of local leaders and school authorities.
“We constructed a hostel and well-wishers gave us beds, mattresses and blankets. Currently, about 55 girls and 40 boys, mostly double orphans, reside here. The rest live in their homes,” she explains.
Recently, rainstorms destroyed the boys’ dormitory and the occupants sleep in classrooms for preschool children.
Chilenga urges people and organisations of goodwill to help her rehabilitate the damaged dormitory and roof a new block under construction.
“We also need beds, mattresses and blankets for the boys, who now sleep in a nursery school which enrols children from surrounding communities free of charge,” the volunteer implores.
Zoe Foundation relies on volunteer caregivers and her fellow teachers.
“They have tirelessly provided services for free. These are the people I call family. Together, we work hard to ensure these children grow up and fulfil their dreams,” Chilenga states.
Nyuma Banda, a teacher at Chambu, helps Chilenga run the charity due to her passion for children and rags-to-riches stories.
“As her colleagues, we are proud and happy to help whenever necessary. These are our learners and their welfare and futures matter the most,” she says.
However, there are various challenges. The foundation struggles to provide adequate nutritious food, clothes and beddings for the children.
Chilenga, who has sacrificed her nascent career to uplift children from poverty, mostly uses her salary to keep the charity running.
“Sadly, it is not enough to cater for all the needs. Sometimes, the children only eat two meals a day,” says Banda.
The teachers commend the community for their unwavering support.
“During harvesting season, the community contributes maize and other foodstuffs. Besides, we have a vegetable garden in the backyard to reduce the food budget,” Banda explains.
On March 8 2022, Chilenga recieved the Queen’s Award through the British High Commissioner David Beer for her contribution to change her community.
This makes her the third person in five years to be so recognised by the Queen, who previously decorated Corled Nkosi, the boy who electrified his rural setting in Mzimba using hydropower from turbines made of scrapyard metals.
Chilenga is currently upgrading at DMI St John the Baptist University.
In February 2022, she was among the 27 recipients of the Women of Substance Awards from the Pan African Learning and Growth Network and Plan International Malawi.
