T E A M Malawi at Virginia Tech

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T E A M Malawi at Virginia Tech

TEAM Malawi is a multidisciplinary group at VT focused on health, education, and research in Malawi.

08/15/2026

These last days of our trip have been full to the brim. We had a second day with Othakarhaka Foundation doing home visits and saw an almost completed home for a woman in Mulanje, as well as a hospice patient suffering from cervical cancer. We visited a local art market and have enjoyed the regional food of Malawi. We were lucky to meet the new Vice Chancellor at MUST and continue our long standing partnership with fresh opportunities. It was hard to say goodbye to our friends at MicroMek, but we know we will see them again. On our way to Lilongwe we stopped for a leg stretch in Mozambique, as the road is the border between the two countries. Once in Lilongwe, we did one day of service with Ntchentche CBCC (a rural village preschool) which has been renovated by one of our partners from MUST, Victor Kamwendo. The students contributed to the new educational space by painting letters, numbers, and animals for the children. One our final full day, we met the US Embassy health team and Charge D’Affaires assigned to Malawi. In the afternoon we split, one group visited the African Bible College to discuss new born hearing screening with the countries leading audiology team and the other visiting Dr. Joyce Banda, the first female president of Malawi.

We would like to take this time to thank all of our partners, especially Africap LLC and their amazing team that made a significant investment in our trip. It was wildly successful and surely memorable for the students. May good things come from the passion and talent these students share.

08/14/2026

A wonderful visit to the US Embassy today!

08/13/2026

Our last day in the south of Malawi. We did a home visit with a OTK care patient who was suffering from advanced cervical cancer. May she be well. Our team was humbled to learn from someone who lives with the ailment we seek to end for Malawians. We wish continued success to OTK as they serve the Mulanje community for many years to come. Thank you, we are grateful for the partnership.

08/10/2026

Day 8: Today we visited Othakharaka Foundation and founder, Ida Puliwa Mwango. We discussed our opportunities for partnership. We visited their community health clinic, skills training facility, and a tree nursery. Thank you for hosting us, Ida and Teddy!

08/09/2026

Day 6 & 7: This weekend we gave our research partners a break and we took time to explore the natural wonders of Malawi. We had our first team visit to Majete National Park on Saturday and spotted some of Africa’s beautiful wildlife along the Shire River. On Sunday, we hiked to Dziwe La Nkhalamba Falls at Mulanje Mountain Reserve. Thank you to our guide, Gift Voight! We finished the day with a visit to Henry’s boyhood home, thank you for hosting us!

08/07/2026

Day 4 & 5: Yesterday we had the honor of attending the graduation ceremony at Malawi University of Science and Technology. We wish the very best to all of the students of MUST and especially to Professor Address Malata as her final year as VC comes to a close. Thank you for inviting our entire team to the farewell gala. Today we visited Unipod, an amazing maker space on the MUBAS campus. We visited with Soche Hill Secondary School at the invitation of MicroMek. We shared student success stories in STEM fields with some very bright girls taking a workshop on building and flying drones. More power to you! Thanks to MicroMek again for taking us to various supply shops to source our project components. And no trip would be complete without a visit to the Mtuwa’s for a delicious dinner! Thank you for the hospitality!

08/05/2026

Day 3: Visiting long time partners at Thyolo District Hospital. We are so grateful to the medical team at Thyolo for welcoming us for a discussion of ongoing projects and a facility visit. Contextual research is a core activity in co-designing healthcare solutions. It was a beautiful day in the warm heart of Africa, from the tea fields to the mountain tops. Enjoy the view of Malawi!

08/04/2026

Day 2: Today was an excellent day for connecting the dots of community wellness. TEAM Malawi started at the offices of AGE Africa to discuss their amazing work “advancing girls’ education in Africa.” Bella’s networking skills are unmatched and she gained us access to IBCC, the recently launched International Blantyre Cancer Center. Filled with state of the art equipment and specialized staff, this is a space capable of handling hundreds of diagnostics tests a day with a number of cutting edge treatment options. The day closed shoulder to shoulder with MicroMek. More adventures to come with our long standing allies in tech advocacy and entrepreneurship. Thank you to new friends and old!

08/03/2026

Day 1: TEAM Malawi had a great day thanks to Villages in Partnership working in the Zomba District of southern Malawi. This multifaceted program focused on a single Traditional Authority region, but had many different programs to help people move themselves out of extreme poverty through water, sanitation, hygiene, healthcare, education, community savings and loans, agriculture, and more. We visited their clinic, secondary school, farm facility, and a home that had adopted many of the agricultural and home wellness practices. Thank you to Liz and the entire team at VIP for hosting us. May it be the beginning of a meaningful partnership! Inspired!

08/01/2026

TEAM Malawi 2026 launches today! 🚀🇲🇼🙏

Address

Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
24061

Website

https://team.cired.vt.edu/

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