Environment – Phunzira

Nyumba ya Masambiro was delighted to welcome back Thom and Maxwell from the EARTH Workshops programme at Butterfly Space in Nkhata Bay. While they had primarily been invited by local farmers and gardeners to visit Kwenthu, in the mountains behind Ruarwe and within the NYM catchment area, they came via Nyumba ya Masambiro to maximise the impact of their visit to this remote community.

The EARTH Workshops team first ran a refresher training session at NYM for staff and interested community stakeholders. The session focused on water preservation and sustainable land management. As part of the training, they brought 50 seedlings of indigenous trees and fruit vines to be planted on and around NYM’s land.

Several of the indigenous tree species were specifically selected for their deep tunnelling root systems, which play a vital role in water management. Together, the group planted some of these trees around the natural spring just above NYM’s land. This spring provides year-round water to both Nyumba ya Masambiro and the health centre next door. The trees’ deep roots help create channels down to the water table, drawing water upwards and helping to ensure the spring continues to flow even during the dry season. In addition, their roots stabilise the soil on the hillside, while their branches and broad leaves provide shade to reduce water loss through evaporation.

Following the session at NYM, Thom and Maxwell travelled uphill to Kwenthu to lead a two-day follow-up workshop with local farmers. The farmers had attended training last year and specifically requested this return visit to reinforce lessons learned and to discuss challenges they had encountered while implementing new techniques. It was encouraging to see such commitment to sustainable farming practices within the community.

The remaining seedlings will be planted around the spring and across NYM’s land once protective fencing has been secured to guard against goats and pigs. We look forward to many more years of clean, clear water flowing from the spring as a result of this important work.

A huge thank you to the team from EARTH Workshops for making the journey to Ruarwe and for so generously sharing your knowledge and expertise with our community.

Community, Donations, Fundraising, Malawi

Repairs to buildings in the aftermath of tropical cyclone

February 14, 2025March 27, 2025 Phunzira

On the night of 10^th to 11^th January a tropical cyclone ripped through Ruarwe Village and its surroundings. Whilst many buildings in the village received mild damage, they were largely protected by the valley they sit in. Sadly extensive damage occurred at the Nyumba Ya Masambiro and clinic sites as they sit up the hill from the main village. The roof was ripped off the Life-skills Room at NYM, half the roof was ripped off the new Midwifes house and the whole roof ripped off the Medical Assistants House. We are hugely grateful to our donors who reached out to assist with the repairs needed to the properties as well as the replacement of items damaged and destroyed by the water ingress as a result of the missing roofs. Repairs at the two clinic residences were a matter of replacing the damaged roofing beams and roofing iron sheets. At NYM these steps were needed as well as some repairs to the damaged walls and re-limewashing of all the Life-skills room walls. We were delighted to see how quickly the community members and contractors and carpenters came together to make the repairs as soon as the supplies had been purchased in Nkhata Bay. A true demonstration of community spirit, and once again a huge Yewo! (thank you!) to our donors who made this rapid response to crisis possible.

Community, Education, Healthcare, Malawi, Youth

E.A.R.T.H Workshops take place at NYM

November 1, 2024March 27, 2025 Phunzira

Nyumba Ya Masambiro was delighted to host The E.A.R.T.H Workshops team from Butterfly Space in Nkhata Bay who came to share their knowledge and expertise on all things environmental. Standing for Environment, Agriculture, Reforestation, Topsoil and Health, the workshops provide a bottom-up approach to empower communities to be resilient, independent and find solutions to protect our soil, improve farming methods, reduce damaging activities, as well as improving nutrition through better, more environmentally friendly cooking methods.

The workshops were attended by a variety of community members from Ruarwe, and surrounding villages as far away as Kwenthu Village as well as staff from Nyumba Ya Masambiro and the clinic. On one day a primary school class was invited to join the session to start to inspire positive environmental thoughts and practices in the younger generations. This has been continued by one particularly proactive primary teacher, who has continued to bring his class to NYM to have lessons under the guava tree and discuss and analyse the positive impacts of the E.A.R.T.H workshop principles as put into practice at NYM.

A huge thank you to the team from Nkhata Bay for sharing your knowledge with the community in Ruarwe and your ongoing support as farmers, community members and NYM and clinic staff put the principles of your program into practice.