This is the third in a series that profiles the work and thought leadership of Watipa scholars in their local response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despina Gwaza is a Watipa scholar in Malawi, who recently finished secondary school and is starting at College in 2020. She has been actively supporting families in her local areas, Kalowa, Liuzi, Mukwachi and Kasuza, to know about COVID-19, have more regular access to soap and clean water.

“Our aim is to improve good sanitation… people need help.”

We have done some of activities like providing the poorest people soaps so that they should be able to wash their hands frequently. We have also provided buckets in some areas where more people meet, like in the market.

We are doing project concerning sanitation and due to corona virus most people didn’t have information about it and because the county is poor. It is impossible to reach all houses with information.

So we have taken it on ourselves to ‘feed’ others with information about the disease and how they can prevent the disease. We are also imparting the importance for everyone to hold social distance as well as avoiding handshakes.

Our aim is to improve good sanitation. We have done some of activities like providing the poorest people soaps so that they should be able to wash their hands frequently. We have also provided buckets in some areas where more people meet, like in the market.

We have done what we could, but due to insufficient of funds we are unable to reach more people. But people need help.

~ Despina Gwaza, Watipa scholar, Malawi