In 2003, I returned home to Mzuzu, Malawi, for my sister’s funeral. Like so many others of her generation, she had died of HIV/AIDS.
What I saw that day changed the course of my life.
There were children everywhere. Growing up in Malawi, I had rarely seen children at funerals, so I asked why so many were there. I was told that many had come hoping they might receive something to eat.
HIV/AIDS had devastated our community. A generation of parents, caregivers, teachers and community leaders was disappearing, leaving children without the families and support systems that had traditionally cared for them.
I knew we had to do something.
But this was never something I could—or wanted to—do alone. I began working with a small group of women in my community. We started simply: 20 women helping to feed 20 vulnerable children.
That small beginning became Maloto.
More than 20 years later, those first acts of compassion have grown into something none of us could have imagined. With the commitment of our community and the extraordinary generosity of friends and supporters, Maloto has helped build lasting Malawian institutions that feed, educate and create economic opportunity.
Together, we have helped build a thriving community organization providing nutrition, education and economic programs to children and families. We established Mzuzu International Academy, northern Malawi’s first internationally accredited primary and secondary school, now educating nearly 500 students. And from a group of women making tomato products in a small kitchen grew Kwithu Kitchen—today a successful Malawian food-processing company, the country’s largest honey processor, and an expanding source of income and opportunity for women farmers and beekeepers.
From 20 women and 20 children to thousands of lives touched, the story of Maloto has always been about what becomes possible when people are given the opportunity to build a better future for themselves and their communities.
I am enormously proud of what we have accomplished. But I am even more excited about what comes next.
There are still children who need nutritious food and an excellent education. There are still women who need access to markets, skills and economic opportunity. And there are still communities with the talent and determination to build their own futures when given the chance.
That is why our work continues.
I invite you to become part of the next chapter of Maloto’s story.
Thank you for believing in this dream—and in the people of Malawi.
Anna Msowoya-Keys
Founder, Maloto
