The Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe has called on communities to strengthen self-reliance and take greater responsibility for their development amid changing trends in international donor support.

Director of Social Services for the Archdiocese, Brian Odiambo, made the call at Msamba Conference Centre in Lilongwe during the opening of a week-long training on local fundraising for Wilde Ganzen Foundation partners.

The training has brought together participants from various parts of the country and Mozambique, alongside facilitators from change the Game Academy, Tanzania, to share experiences and best practices.

Odiambo said under the Eco-Star School project implemented by the Archdiocesan Education Commission, the archdiocese has been promoting environmental protection in selected schools, with learners, parents and traditional leaders actively participating in initiatives aimed at protecting the environment.

He said the success of the project in the archdiocese will provide an opportunity for participants of the training to learn from one another through what he described as peer sharing, particularly as communities across the region face similar development challenges.

“We are going to share our skills, best practices and ideas so that the outcome of the meeting can be extended to places where these good practices are not already being implemented,” Odiambo said.

He said the archdiocese’s approach to promoting self-reliance, which involves Christians working through Small Christian Communities, parishes and the wider Archdiocese, can be adapted by other community structures to promote environmental protection and sustainable development.

Odiambo urged communities to take a leading role in identifying and using locally available resources to sustain development initiatives.

He observed that changes in the donor community and international development assistance make it increasingly important for communities to prepare themselves to continue implementing their development priorities even when external funding is disrupted.

“If external assistance comes, it should still find that the communities are ready, they have their priorities set, and they have a method of how they want to develop themselves,” he said.

He encouraged participants to make good use of the gathering by acquiring new skills and sharing their own experiences to strengthen communities in a reliable and sustainable manner.

Odiambo also expressed gratitude to Wilde Ganzen Foundation for supporting the initiative and providing resources that have enabled participants to come together and share experiences.

In her remarks Edna Chilimo, a Local Fundraising (LFR) trainer and consultant from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, who is facilitating the training, said the training, being conducted together with her colleague Elias, is aimed at equipping CSOs with skills to mobilise resources within their communities and reduce their dependence on traditional international donors.

Chilimo said the decline in donor funding is a global challenge affecting civil society organisations, making local resource mobilization more important for sustaining development initiatives.

“The purpose of this training is to build the capacity of CSOs so that they will be able to mobilise resources from their communities,” Chilimo said.

She said Tanzania has already recorded positive results from implementing the programme, which has been running since 2018 under the Change the Game initiative.

She said some Tanzanian CSOs have successfully partnered with telecommunications companies such as Airtel, Vodacom and Yas, as well as mining companies, securing both financial and in-kind support.

“They have added more funders, especially from local sources. Some of them have been able to engage the business community and the private sector and have also got support, either in-kind or cash contributions,” she said.

Chilimo encouraged Malawian CSOs to embrace local fundraising, saying the approach is already producing results in Tanzania and other countries where the programme is being implemented.

“We are here to tell our fellow CSOs here in Malawi that it is possible to mobilize resources locally,” Chilimo said.

Margaret Gondwe, who is representing Youth Enterprises at the training, said the organization is looking forward to gain practical knowledge on how to mobilize resources locally and engage potential donors.

“From this training, I am expecting to gain more knowledge and expertise in local fundraising, how best to approach local donors, and also to learn from other organisations who have similar interests as us,” she said.

The training, organised by the Wilde Ganzen Foundation, has brought together CSOs to build their capacity in local resource mobilisation and encourage them to reduce dependence on international donors.

By Lester Mhone

The Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe has called on its departments and social entities to focus more on the impact of their activities rather than simply reporting completed tasks.

Chairperson of the Archdiocese’s Special Planning Taskforce, Jacob Mapemba, made the remarks after a mid-year review meeting held on Monday 10 August 2026 at Msamba Conference Centre in Lilongwe to assess progress made during the first half of the year.

Mapemba said one of the major resolutions from the meeting was the need for departments to move beyond reporting outputs and begin evaluating outcomes.

According to Mapemba, the ultimate goal of pastoral work is the growth of faith and spiritual transformation among the people.

“It is not enough to say we have done this or we have done that; we must ask what positive impact have taken place.”

He added that participants at the meeting also agreed that departments should begin documenting best practices and success stories, including providing photographs and other evidence of activities carried out.

Mapemba further said the meeting emphasized the importance of making planning and review a continuous process within departments.

He noted that departmental heads should hold regular internal review meetings throughout the year instead of waiting until the annual or mid-year review sessions.

“Between January and June, departments should meet regularly to review how they are progressing with their work plans. Planning and review should not be an event; it should become part of the culture of the archdiocese.”

The Pastoral Coordinator of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Fr Frank Phiri, says the Pastoral Department has made remarkable progress during the first half of the year and remains committed to improving its work in the remaining months.

“From our side, we think we have done the best we could, and we believe the results speak for themselves.”

According to Fr Phiri, the Pastoral Department works closely with many other departments within the archdiocese, making collaboration an important part of its ministry.

He attributed the department’s achievements not only to the efforts of its staff but also to God’s guidance throughout the process.

At the meeting, Bishop Vincent Mwakhwawa, Auxiliary of the Archdiocese stressed that bringing all departments together allows members to understand how each office is performing and creates room for better cooperation.

“Close coordination reduces the time and resources spent and increases the impact of our work.”

The mid-year review meeting brought together heads of departments, commissions, and social entities of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe to assess progress made during the first half of 2026 and plan for the remaining months of the year.

Reported by Lester Mhone

Catholic women in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe have been challenged to take the lead in the mission of the Church, as God has gifted them with compassion, responsibility and the ability to nurture life.

The call has been made by the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese, Vincent Mwakhwawa, during the official opening of the Archdiocesan Catholic Women Association (CWA) Annual General Meeting at St Peter’s Girls Secondary School in Dowa Deanery.

Bishop Mwakhwawa said women have a unique calling from God, just like Mother Mary, to be a mission of hope.

“A Catholic woman, by her nature, is called by God with a unique calling, just like Mother Mary, to be a mission of hope,” said Bishop Mwakhwawa.

The Auxiliary Bishop also called on the women to deepen their prayer life and become proclaimers of the Gospel by providing proper formation to children and young people.

“The first mission obligation of a Catholic woman is at home, in the community and in the family. So I call upon CWA to deepen their life of prayer, commit themselves to praying to Jesus Christ and ask Mother Mary to intercede for them, their families and the whole world,” he said.

In her remarks, CWA Chairlady in the Archdiocese, Louisa Kamwaza, thanked Bishop Mwakhwawa for the message and said the meeting would focus on ways of strengthening women, their homes and their spiritual lives.

“Our programme includes almost everything that is needed for women to be strong in faith and also be okay mentally. We will try our best to learn and share with our families so that we can be true leaders,” Kamwaza said.

One of the women attending the AGM, Patricia Banda from Mponera Parish, said she is looking forward to gaining experience and ideas that would help her grow spiritually and learn proper ways of raising her family.

The theme of the 2026 CWA Annual General Meeting is: “A Catholic Woman: A Mission of Hope in Her Family.”

Reported by Tiyamike Paul Chisale