New Malawian partner: Fount for Nations

Fount for Nations logo

Operating in Malawi since 2015, Fount for Nations (FFN) is a local organization committed to ensuring that every child thrives, particularly those with disabilities.

Founder Patience Musiwa Mkandawire, an Obama Foundation Scholar with a degree in Nutrition and Food Science, is deeply passionate about creating inclusive learning environments for all children. Her vision is rooted in the belief that every child regardless of ability deserves the opportunity to grow, learn and thrive.

Fount for Nations uses a multidisciplinary support process to educate, advocate, treat and inspire communities to accept and support differently-abled children. They collaborate with hospitals, schools and entire communities, working hand in hand with community and government leaders to build local capacity to serve children with disabilities more effectively.

They focus on 3 main areas:

Early Intervention: training local health workers to ensure children are screened for developmental delays within the first 1,000 days of life through targeted assessments at under-five clinics.

Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) in Lilongwe

Family Centre: recently opened with the goal of providing multidisciplinary care for children with disabilities.

They are working in Lilongwe, which is in central Malawi. Their vision is to expand what they are doing throughout Malawi and through partnering with them we hope to increase the collaboration with local health services in Zomba (where Heart of Mercy operate) and increase the awareness and screening for disabilities in early childhood.

In many African countries there are a limited number of trained professionals, many are recently qualified. We have been supporting them by providing regular supervision to their therapists. We are also supporting them with equipment.

To find out more, please visit our website.