Our Story
It all began in Malawi in 2009 when Peter and Emma Maseko, along with their daughter Anne Alaniz, created an NGO called Pothawira (Safe Haven) Christian Mission Organisation. Their objective was simple: they wanted to help alleviate the poverty and suffering that afflicts so much of Malawi through a holistic approach that provides individuals, especially women and children, with the opportunity to live, dream, and achieve their full potential. As a result, they worked with multiple non-profit organizations to help create a community village that includes an orphanage, a medical clinic, a primary school, and a church.
​
Today Pothawira (Safe Haven) is thriving. So much so that it now needs a lead organization to help support and coordinate its expansion and movement toward self-sufficiency. That's where we enter the story.
mission
We empower individuals in developing countries to achieve their full potential by providing access to quality healthcare, education and economic opportunity.
emphasis
-
Provide comprehensive, accessible and affordable healthcare with a focus on women and children
-
Provide education and training to break the cycle of poverty
-
Provide economic sustainability programs to support communities, organizations and individuals
vision
Impacting lives to change the world.
About Malawi
​
-
Capital: Lilongwe
-
Population: 18 million
-
Life expectancy at birth: 62 years
-
Maternal mortality rate: 807 per 100, 000 (highest in the world)
-
Under 5 morality rate: 112 per 1000
-
HIV prevalence: 12%, 91,000 children are infected and close to half of the estimated 2 million orphans being orphaned due to this disease
-
Malaria: Number one killer of children under the age of 5 years old
-
Education: Only 32% of children complete primary school, 8% complete secondary school and less than 5,000 students are admitted into the four public universities each year
-
74% of the population lives below the international poverty line of $1.25/day