ABOUT US
We are a non-profit organisation working towards the prevention and relief of poverty in Malawi
We organise our work around these four areas:
Our work in numbers
Our Values
We have learned the importance of the following values through 20 years of experience operating in Malawi.
WE LISTEN CAREFULLY
WE RESPECT THE LOCAL
WE BUILD SLOWLY
WE GIVE ENCOURAGEMENT
WE ARE A LEARNING ORGANISATION
We work in the Zomba and Mangochi districts of Malawi, in Southeastern Africa.
Economically, Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. In the area where we work our baseline surveys indicated that an average household income is just $0.60 per household per day.
Where we work
Our History
An unexpected trip would change his life forever
Mbedza was founded by Julian Watson, a secondary school music teacher. It had never been his intention to visit Malawi. After all, he and his wife had enough on their plates raising their four daughters.
However, in 1997 when a spare place became available on a friend’s visit to the country Julian jumped at the opportunity. He didn’t know it at the time but this trip would change his life forever.
We are in a war with HIV and we are going to beat it
Unsurprisingly, Julian was hooked, and on his third trip to Malawi in 2001 he met a gentleman named Peatry Ntodwa, acting as a translator for the UK visitors. “What is the goal of your life”, asked Julian. “We are in a war with HIV and we are going to beat it!”, came the response from Peatry. This sparked a profound discussion about Peatry’s ambitions and aspirations for his fellow Malawians and so Mbedza, in its earliest guise, was established to support Peatry’s work as an HIV counsellor.
The Mbedza family has grown!
Since then Mbedza has grown to address other areas of need and the team has grown significantly. In Malawi we now employ 22 members of staff on full-time permanent contracts, with a further 18 staff employed when project funds are available. Currently all our UK roles, apart from a part time communications and media manager, are provided by a team of UK volunteers.
Annual Accounts
Read our Annual Reports, where we take the opportunity to reflect on the past year and share our achievements and challenges with you.
2021 - 2022
2022 - 2023