Meet the founder

Mercy Chikhosi Kafotokoza is the founder of Wandikweza. Her journey into the world of maternal and child health began with a single moment that profoundly changed her life and her perspective on health care.

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“When I grow up, I will be a nurse so that no one in our community or our family should die because of something that is treatable.” 

These were the courageous words of Mercy Kafotokoza who, as a young girl in rural Malawi, was trying to come to terms with the grief of her uncle’s passing. His simple tooth infection had spread to his brain because there was no treatment available in their remote village. The pain had increased to the point that he travelled 50 km by oxcart to the nearest medical facility, but it was too late. Mercy’s uncle’s unnecessary death was the pivotal moment when Mercy resolved to become a nurse.

 

Years later, as a trained nurse serving the communities of rural Malawi, Mercy bore witness to the tragic death of a mother and her twin newborns. The mother had endured days of severe headaches but lacked transport from her remote village to the hospital and the funds to pay a driver. Consequently, her treatable condition escalated during childbirth, endangering her babies. This heart-wrenching experience rekindled memories of her dear uncle and she understood that waiting for patients to arrive at the hospital with complications, when it was often too late, was not the solution. She recognised the need to proactively enter the community and prevent complications from occurring in the first place.

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So in 2016, Mercy did just this. She founded Wandikweza to provide quality healthcare that is accessible to the most remote Malawians. Mercy has since built up a team of 130 trained community health workers who have restored dignity and hope in communities. She built Wandikweza on the shoulders of Community Health Workers who work in their own communities on the ground.  They have an immediate impact in their communities and can deliver health services at a low cost per person without access to expensive high technology.  Not only do they provide basic health care, but their ongoing presence in the community changes attitudes towards health.

 

By engaging with communities, Wandikweza has successfully demonstrated to individuals  that a change in community attitudes can generate positive impacts for those communities.  Village chiefs are impressed by these positive impacts and look to Wandikweza for other ways their communities can be improved.  Wandikweza has been able to convince some village chiefs to change their thinking on other issues important to women such as family planning and domestic violence.  

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In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the health sector, Mercy received the prestigious 2023 Presidential Zikomo Award. This award is bestowed upon changemakers who find solutions to various social issues that Malawi faces.

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Until at the remarkable age of 97, Mercy's grandmother had the privilege of witnessing her granddaughter's steadfast pursuit of a profound dream. This dream is rooted in the preservation of her family and community, aiming to eradicate needless deaths caused by preventable or treatable ailments. 

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The Malawian woman, Mercy Kafotokoza is trained as a Nurse, Midwife and holds a Masters in Public Health. She is married and has three grown up children.