Our Mission
We4Malawi’s mission is to lift up bright, rural Malawian students to save them from premature marriages by providing secondary, university and other educational scholarships. In 2016, 45.9 percent of women aged 18-22 were married before they were 18.
Our Vision
To empower deserving youths with an elite education and unlock their potential for a brighter future.
History
We4Malawi began while Lowell and Jackie Combs Nelson were on a five-country trip to Africa in September 2018. During a visit to Liphava village in Malawi’s Ntcheu District, they toured the rural school and were introduced to Olivia Banda, 14. She was the only child in Manjawira Primary School to test into the elite Ntcheu Secondary School. Jackie and Lowell felt compelled to help Olivia, the daughter of a single mother living in a village without running water or electricity, receive the education she deserved.
While paying her school tuition, Jackie and Lowell witnessed girls being taken away in taxis because their parents could not pay the tuition. It broke their hearts. They resolved to help as many gifted girls as possible attain a high school education. We4Malawi’s 501 c3 nonprofit status was granted in October 2023 and is a registered nonprofit in both the United States and Malawi.
We4Malawi Co-Founder Jackie Combs Nelson
and Olivia Banda in 2018
We4Malawi 