Our story

Dzaleka is a refugee camp in Malawi that was created in response to a massive influx of refugees from Africa's Great Lakes region in 1994. Primary countries of origin represented in the camp include the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, and Somalia. The camp was meant to accommodate about 10,000 refugees but today is home to more than 50,000. A large portion of the refugee population is made of children and youth of school-going-age. Over the years, the growing population has put an increasing pressure on public services including education, resulting in public schools not being able to meet the demand.

In response to the challenges faced in access to public services, Holistic Focus for the Marginalized, a community-based organization, was founded in 2014 by refugees in Dzaleka, to empower refugees and surrounding host community by, among other services, providing educational opportunities. The organization built two schools, Integrity Academy and Farini Academy, that provide pre-school, primary, and secondary education to more than 2000 children and youths. The schools aim to provide quality education so that the students can fulfill their dreams, build their future and contribute to their communities. The schools mainly run on community resources and the contributions, but the organization has been facing challenges to run them, notably Farini Academy. Due to the rising cost of living in the camp, the school is unable to operate normally and meet the needs of its personnel. This, in turn, negatively impacts the quality of education provided to the students.

Thus, Holistic Focus for the Marginalized needs help to continue providing education to these children and youths in Dzaleka. Your contribution will help to pay the personnel, buy school supplies and possibly enrol more students.Dzaleka is a refugee camp in Malawi that was created in response to a massive influx of refugees from Africa's Great Lakes region in 1994. Primary countries of origin represented in the camp include the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, and Somalia. The camp was meant to accommodate about 10,000 refugees but today is home to more than 50,000. A large portion of the refugee population is made of children and youth of school-going-age. Over the years, the growing population has put an increasing pressure on public services including education, resulting in public schools not being able to meet the demand.

In response to the challenges faced in access to public services, Holistic Focus for the Marginalized, a community-based organization, was founded in 2014 by refugees in Dzaleka, to empower refugees and surrounding host community by, among other services, providing educational opportunities. The organization built two schools, Integrity Academy and Farini Academy, that provide pre-school, primary, and secondary education to more than 2000 children and youths. The schools aim to provide quality education so that the students can fulfill their dreams, build their future and contribute to their communities. The schools mainly run on community resources and the contributions, but the organization has been facing challenges to run them, notably Farini Academy. Due to the rising cost of living in the camp, the school is unable to operate normally and meet the needs of its personnel. This, in turn, negatively impacts the quality of education provided to the students.

Thus, Holistic Focus for the Marginalized needs help to continue providing education to these children and youths in Dzaleka. Your contribution will help to pay the personnel, buy school supplies and possibly enrol more students.