Lilongwe Archdiocese Launches Tiwale Limodzi: A Unified Front for Social Good
The Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe has on Saturday, 05 July 2025, launched the Tiwale Limodzi Foundation, a new initiative aimed at bolstering the Church’s social development efforts and fostering sustainable community empowerment across the region.
The foundation’s inauguration took place during a special Mass presided over by Archbishop George Desmond Tambala at Maula Cathedral this morning.
Archbishop Tambala has emphasized that the Tiwale Limodzi Foundation is a “continuation of what we have been doing over the years,” serving as the “social arm of the church.”
His Grace has explained that the foundation will streamline and enhance the Church’s existing social work by “channeling, putting together, harnessing the activities in the area of fundraising, [and] in the area of implementing the projects.”
Archbishop Tambala addresses the faithful during the launch, stating Tiwale Limodzi will complement existing commissions and improve social services across the archdiocese
While acknowledging the significant contributions of existing bodies like the Catholic Development Commission (CADECOM) and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), Archbishop Tambala has stated that the Tiwale Limodzi Foundation will “complement and also improve the services of these commissions.”
His Grace has assured the faithful that the foundation’s “very clear goals” would be “evaluated constantly from the side of the archdiocese” to ensure it remains focused on its mission.
“The public, that is the church itself also, will have a say in how they are performing,” he added, expressing his confidence that the foundation will “remain faithful to the mission.”
Archbishop George Desmond Tambala presides over the inaugural Mass at Maula Cathedral, officially launching the Tiwale Limodzi Foundation
Chairperson of the Tiwale Limodzi Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Lisubiro Chakaniza, elaborated on the foundation’s ambitious scope saying that it is coming in as a social arm of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe to complement the work that the archdiocese is already doing in promoting the common social good.
Chakaniza highlighted a broad range of initiatives, including uplifting the lives of the poor, curbing environmental degradation, and combating climate change in alignment with Malawi’s national goals and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Chairperson Lisubiro Chakaniza at the launch, urging continued support to ensure the Foundation can fulfill its mission and become sustainable over time
A key focus, she stressed, is to empower communities and promote self-sustainability, shifting away from over-reliance on donor funding.
“We want to come in with a concept that empowers the people,” Chakaniza said, emphasizing a “shared value approach rather than just the tendency to give out handouts to the poor.”
This will involve promoting social enterprises to help communities generate their own funds and become self-sufficient.
Specific areas of intervention outlined by Chakaniza include:
Education: Promoting quality education, providing scholarships, and improving educational infrastructure.
Health: Continuing and enhancing the work of archdiocese’s Health, focusing on robust health infrastructure.
Rural Livelihoods: Ensuring access to clean water, teaching climate change adaptation technologies for sustainable agriculture, and implementing reforestation and other environmental protection activities.
The Laity Vice Chairperson, Clement Sitambuli, underscored the crucial role of the Christian faithful in the success of the new foundation.
“As the laity and the Christians within the Catholic faith and church, our duty is to ensure that we sensitize one another, we make all the people understand, we make all the people appreciate the need of having a foundation,” Sitambuli stated.
He acknowledged that the concept might be new to some and emphasized the need to “bridge that gap” and explain the foundation’s purpose.
Laity Vice Chairperson Clement Sitambuli stresses the duty of all Christians to sensitize one another and ensure everyone appreciates the need and purpose of the new Tiwale Limodzi Foundation
Sitambuli reiterated that a core essence of the foundation is to “mobilize resources, invest in them, and then use the proceeds in assisting others,” with a strong emphasis on “sustainability, ensuring that the foundation is able to be sustainable over a period of time.”
The launch of the Tiwale Limodzi Foundation marks a significant step for the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, signaling a renewed commitment to comprehensive social development and community empowerment through a structured and sustainable approach.
: Eric Norman Mkwaira