Our Story      
Transformative Praxis: Malawi (TPM) is a not-for-profit based community action research project aimed at collectively meeting the challenges of Education, Health and Development in Chilanga, Malawi.

Developed through years of consultation between international and local community, with the objectives of revealing and acknowledging old destructive habits of Global North and Global South interactions and working towards new strategies of solidarity, we are committed to local agency and sustainability.

Therefore, although we recognize the importance of volunteering and aspects of exposure to new ideas when people cross borders, we reject forms of “exposure-tourism” or “voluntourism” that have become a part of top-down encounters in countries like Malawi.

The project itself began in 2008 by asking the simple question as to whether or not critical theories connected to ethics of care, emancipation, liberation, social justice, solidarity and decolonization could move beyond words and be put into action.

Although we began as a university initiative, we have grown into recognizing the immense value in knowledge sharing from a wide variety of people and sources. We are influenced by Freire’s writing that no one can engage in true dialogue without humility, and in recognition that no one is a perfect sage, or utterly ignorant.

Challenges at hand

Malawi, known as the Warm Heart of Africa, is a small landlocked country, sharing its borders with Mozambique, Zambia, and Tanzania.

It remains one of the poorest countries, having the fourth highest percentage of people living in extreme poverty in the world. Over half the population lives in poverty, and one-fifth in extreme poverty. The internationally comparable poverty headcount ratio— $1.90 a day —stands at 73.5%, one of the highest globally.

The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, with almost two-thirds of the population relying on small-scale farming for their livelihoods. With such a high percent of the population dependent on agriculture, the economy is extremely vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters.
Only 35% of children in Malawi complete primary school. Many children drop out due to employment responsibilities at home, illnesses, and the overcrowding of classrooms.

Teacher to student ratios are extremely unbalanced, as Malawi faces one of the world’s worst teacher shortages. A fact mostly due to the expense associated with hiring new teachers. To be able to attract qualified teachers, rural communities must provide housing, which is a significant cost.

The influx of students in recent years has led to a national shortage of basic teaching materials. As well, a lack of available and safe transportation to and from schools further deter students from continuing their education.
Malawi holds a heavy burden of disease through high levels of child and adulthood mortality rates and high prevalence of diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS and other tropical diseases. Due to this, Malawi has one of the youngest populations in the world, with 43% of people under the age of 15.

Access to clean water, sanitation, and health care remain significant challenges for many, especially in rural areas. As well, delays in seeking care, poor referral system, and lack of appropriate drugs, equipment and staff capacity add to health problems.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a significant impact on economic growth, increasing poverty rates among an already-vulnerable population.

Our Response

TPM is committed to action research. Our physical campus space in Chilanga, Malawi is representative of the combined efforts of TPM members to build sustainable projects to further the health, education and development of the community. The campus provides a space for projects to be developed without fear of failure.

Ultimately, the goal is to engage collaboratively with local community, supported with resources and expertise as needed, to build a model that can support both the running of the TPM Campus and Ahmad Jahan School. To achieve this, the community engages in a cycle of planning, acting, observing and reflecting. No project, no matter the outcome, is considered a failure, but is rather a stepping stone towards sustainability and an opportunity to learn and grow.

This is done through...

RESEARCH

We are a participatory research action project which seeks to develop evidence-based, sustainable resources in areas of education, health, and community development in the Kasungu Region of Malawi.

SITUATED LEARNING AND PRAXIS

Students, professors, organic intellectuals, and professionals from Canada, Malawi, and around the world come together to build community and engage in situated learning, putting theory into practice on the Transformative Praxis Campus.
KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

We are dedicated to fostering the co-development of critical thinking, social entrepreneurship, and creativity as a way to support sustainable independence. We believe in dialogue, action, and collaboration. NOT in top-down direction and passive reception.

AGENCY OF RESOURCES

Working as a community, we develop resources in keeping with our values of partnership and solidarity. Projects and existing assets are subject to local co-operative profit sharing and reinvestment into the Campus. Foreign donations are 100% put into the campus’ efforts. No donations fund non-Malawians.

Transformative Praxis

transformative praxis: malawi
Transformative Praxis (TP) is the Malawian registered not-for-profit that is owned by Malawians. TP are the stewards of the Campus, and the Campus is ultimately owned by Malawians via the Malawian Government. The Honourable Ambassador to the USA and His Excellency, High Commissioner to Canada, Mr. Edward Yakobe Sawerengera, clarified this in 2021.

Transformative Praxis: Malawi (TPM) is the international not-for-profit that assists TP in matters, such as fundraising and professional development. They are colleagues and not owners or investors.