Temwa is a UK-based organisation that raises funds to implement community-based projects in Malawi.

Temwa operates in an area called Nkhata Bay North, on the shores of Lake Malawi. This remote region of 30,000 people has no electricity, no running water and is severely affected by the HIV & AIDS epidemic. There are no other NGOs (non-governmental organisations) working in the region and the local government strongly encouraged Temwa to work in this area due to its desperate need for basic development.

Temwa’s initial projects were in Usisya, which is made up of 56 villages. The first project undertaken was to build a community centre in Usisya, which is where Temwa's headquarters are. Temwa has recently expanded to cover the whole of Nkhata Bay North, which incorporates 89 villages.  

Overseen by a project manager in Malawi, Temwa consists of a series of programmes that are aimed at providing sustainable community-driven development in four key areas:

• Health Education
• Skills Development
• Agriculture and Irrigation
• Schools Support

We have 23 full-time employees in Malawi including an extremely experienced Programme Manager and Project Manager, who manage and ensure the safe keeping of the projects in Malawi. The UK team is based in Bristol and consists of a part-time UK Manager and Development Manager, and a full-time Fundraising Co-ordinator. We also have a dedicated group of volunteers, part-time interns and an experienced board of trustees.

This means minimal costs in the UK, with the majority of funds raised going directly to the programmes in Malawi. 

The Temwa mission is to create hope for the future among the people of Malawi by:

The idea behind Temwa began in the year 2000 when Jo Hook and Sophie Elson were running a backpacker's lodge in Malawi.

Whilst there, they came face to face with the many hardships that the people of Malawi deal with on a daily basis. Particularly close to them was the plight of Lotti, a member of staff at the lodge. The girls watched Lotti lose his fight against AIDS. Sadly this had already claimed the lives of his wife and many of his close family. After Lotti's death, his sister became responsible for all six of his children, plus her other siblings' offspring, who had all been orphaned by either AIDS, cholera, malaria or typhoid.

Sophie and Jo were so moved by the desperate situation that, on their return to England, they decided to send out the equivalent of Lotti's monthly income to support his family. It was apparent that this story was not unusual in this part of the world and the girls felt empowered to do more. They spent time researching the specific problems that Malawians were facing and how to best tackle them. They then began a three year fundraising programme that would not only raise awareness, but also the targeted amount in order to start their planned projects.