First two pages of the Nonprofit Times article

We feel honored to share this exciting news! In June, The Nonprofit Times and Yearly held an annual report contest for nonprofits across the United States, with categories for small, medium and large organizations. HealthEd Connect won the small organization category, and we have been featured in The Nonprofit Times September issue! We are thrilled that our mission, the work and stories of our colleagues, and program impacts have been recognized with such an uplifting review. And we extend a special thank you to our extraordinary volunteer graphic designer, Ruth Seagraves, who brings our articles, photos, and lists into a cohesive report that looks beautiful! You can find our article here, on pages 12-14.

Thank you to our generous supporters investing in empowerment of women and children through health and education. Your partnership uplifts lives, and we celebrate the joy of this recognition with you!

Frank Kamanga at the Mazembe Sinkhani Community Center

In Mazembe, Malawi, the second of three Sinkhani community centers stands proud, ready to host weighings for infants and children, counseling moms, and new youth programs. A garden has begun next door, serving as an outdoor classroom and providing extra nutrition to the mothers who visit. Tending to the building, garden, and plot is a man named Frank.

Frank came to help at the community center during construction. After seeing his dedication and his need for a safe place to stay, the Sinkhani invited him to become the official caretaker! Frank was born with albinism, and persons with this condition may face abandoment, discrimination, and even danger due to false beliefs. Frank faced these dangers too closely, but the Sinkhani are looking out for him and his family. Our health worker friends challenge culture regularly, educating mothers and families to sort out fact from fiction related to health and wellbeing, and their advocacy is exemplified in their empowerment of Frank. Now a valuable member of the Sinkhani team, Frank shares ideas for programs at the center, showing particular compassion for the wellbeing of children.

We had the pleasure of meeting Frank in July, and are thrilled he is there to support important community programs led by the Sinkhani. We hope you’ll join us in welcoming Frank to the Malawi Sinkhani team!

After months of waiting and several attempts, we were able to deliver some very special items to our friends in June! Thanks to a generous donation of soccer gear from World of Children, we were able to take jerseys, shorts, socks, and more to support sports programs for orphans and vulnerable children! Students, teachers, and health workers alike were THRILLED and have already put the gear into action!

Our photo above is from the girls’ soccer team in Mapalo, Zambia. We’ve also linked a couple of short videos for you to share in the excitement! One is from the orphans’ support group in Lubumbashi, D.R. Congo, facilitated by Wasaidizi health worker, Jenny. Another is from Zamtan Community School of Peace, where students were cheering with joy as they saw teachers and fellow students sporting the new gear!

We are incredibly grateful for this gift made by World of Children, and are enamored with the photos and videos being shared of the children in their new uniforms, looking so proud to show their team spirit!

Mapalo Kafwa getting a first look at their "dedication book", You've Settled in My Heart

We’ve been celebrating a lot of milestones recently: a return trip to visit our African colleagues, Boss Mirriam’s growth and new scholarship, and our last twelve years of empowering women and children, just to name a few! Have you ever wondered how it all began? Do you wish that you could learn more about the individual stories that led to the start of HealthEd Connect?

You’ve Settled in My Heart, written by our co-founder Sherri Kirkpatrick, is a great way to “meet” the little bosses and community health workers that inspired HealthEd Connect. Walk side by side through the communities that shaped our organization and share in the joy and sorrow that only deep friendships can bring. Described as the “dedication book” by our colleague Jane Chibwe, this book is dedicated to the health workers who work every day to uplift empowerment.

Visit our book purchase page to get your copy and share in the beginnings of HealthEd Connect!

P.S. This week is Sherri's birthday, another important milestone! And sharing the story of HealthEd Connect is one of her greatest gifts! *All proceeds from the sale of her book go to HealthEd Connect.

Comfort Mwape

If you’ve seen our most recent Annual Report, you’ve seen the sweet face on the cover! Comfort Mwape was a student at the Zamtan Community School of Peace when this photo was taken in 2016. After meeting with her mother in June and sharing this copy of our Annual Report, we asked if Comfort would mind sharing an updated photo with us. Look how she’s grown! Now in Grade 10 in high school thanks to our GAP (Girls Achievement Program) scholarship, Comfort is working toward her diploma and dreaming of the future.

We wish Comfort luck and happiness as she continues on her journey!

Sinkhani volunteer, Medfy, helping with weighing

A long walk outside of Mzimba, Malawi, is the small village of Champeta. At the beginning of each month, this community comes together to uplift the health of children and the empowerment of women. Mothers awaken early, ready themselves and their children under age five, and must remember to bring their “Road to Health” booklet that tracks their child’s weight and vaccinations. Some walk very long distances to be sure that their children are growing and thriving.

Medfy, a member of the Sinkhani, is the only one in her area. Like the mothers, she walks over four miles to help with the weighing, helping the children up to the scale and writing their weights on tiny hands. Medfy supports two government Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs), Eunice and Deacon, as they update booklets, counsel mothers, and provide vaccinations. This team of three will spend most of the day, weighing over 50 children, before walking home in the dusk light.

Government HSAs and Sinkhani volunteers like Medfy provide essential support to communities as they protect their children from malnutrition, stunting, and transmissible diseases. We are proud to partner with the many Sinkhani who take it upon themselves to change the world, one small village at a time!

Boss Mirriam, 2009

Boss Mirriam, 2022

When HealthEd Connect began, a sweet two-year-old girl named Mirriam captured our hearts. Every decision going forward was based on the welfare of this little one we have lovingly referred to as Boss Mirriam. She has motivated us to do our very best empowering women and children through health, education, and advocacy.

Mirriam was born with HIV, but thankfully she and her mother, Ethel, have diligently followed their treatment plan and are staying very healthy. Mirriam is now in the 9th grade and shows compassion and understanding towards those on the margins, much like our community health worker friends. We're also happy to report that Mirriam is a recipient of our GAP scholarship to support her studies through high school. Her continued education means that she is more likely to avoid early marriage, increase her future earnings, and have healthier children if she chooses to start a family.

Supporting the education and empowerment of girls is essential to building strong communities. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating the growth and unfolding opportunities of our boss!

Mapalo GAP and General Scholars with KIT Coordinator, Mr. Chipyango

The Keeping In Touch (KIT) Club is growing and developing, just like the GAP and General Scholars who are part of it! A few years ago, our sister school leaders held a roundtable meeting to discuss additional ways of ensuring that scholarship recipients would be supported academically, socially, and emotionally throughout high school. After completing grade seven, scholars go to a much larger government secondary school, without the same support system they experienced at our primary schools. As a result, some of the scholars were struggling, and we all wanted to identify ways to help them thrive.

Fast forward, and today you'll see many enhancements to the foundational support provided to scholars through the KIT Club program! A big one is the hiring of KIT Coordinators based at each of our three sister schools to lead tutoring, communicate with students' teachers and caregivers, and facilitate KIT Club meetings. Isaac Chipyango, a trained secondary teacher, is the new KIT Coordinator at Mapalo Young Peace Makers (YPM) school, monitoring each student's academic progress, ensuring 'after hours' access to the computer lab and library at YPM, and supporting extracurricular activities with fellow teachers and Kafwa volunteers. We were thrilled to meet with Isaac and some of the scholars last month, and listen to their hopes for the group and future opportunities!

Teams are working together to support students as they work hard to achieve their high school diploma. Teachers, Kafwa, KIT Coordinators, and YOU, all uplift the education and empowerment of youth!