Tusaiwe Munkhondiya is making sure other children do not experience abandonment as she did. With her YANA Foundation, which means “You Are Not Alone”, Munkhondiya, who is only in her twenties, takes on the roles of mother, parent, and guardian for abandoned newborns (infants), street children, orphans, disabled children, and young moms who became pregnant while teenagers.
Everyone who lives in her community benefits from her charity. She recounted her tale to Africa Brief, saying, “When I was 9 months old, my mother abandoned me. Today, I foster abandoned children and care for them as if they were my own. I don’t want other children to grow up without their mother, which is why I’m here loving on these kids.”
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Munkhondiya’s childhood was filled with hardships. She was sexually abused and grew up in the absence of a mother and a father who denied responsibility.
At the age of sixteen, she became pregnant. According to her, her people rejected her and she lost a lot of friends. She eventually left school to deal with the challenges of being a single parent.
Later on, Munkhondiya learned that her son had autism. With her child growing, the young mother found it difficult to locate a school that could accept her special needs son, who was frequently mistreated by his teachers because “they never understood him.”
She therefore resolved to open a school that would accept and recognize other children in similar, if not more, difficult circumstances to her son.
She set up the facility in a small rear room of her family’s property. Even though that facility is currently closed due to unresolved family land conflicts, she went on to start another school, which eventually led to her taking in numerous needy children as a foster parent.
Since its inception in 2020, YANA has provided housing, food, education, and empowerment to its over 40 children, including the young moms who share the home. YANA, which is in Mzuzu, Malawi’s northernmost city, operates not only a foster home but also a special needs school, pre-schools, and support groups for women and the elderly.
“When I could no longer afford to live in town, I moved to the village and eventually opened a nursery school (pre-school). Over time, I noticed that some of the students who attended my school were struggling to bring food and even pay their small school fees,” Munkhondiya said of her journey with YANA.
“Some of the children were orphans, and knowing that I had room in my house, I decided to take in two kids from my school and then continued to foster more children.”
She eventually went on to foster children from 6 to 17 years old after talking with the government and social services about the two youngsters.
Munkhondiya, who occasionally experiences PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), said that although she manages to draw strength from her past and continue with her duties, there are moments when things get difficult.
“I’m glad that every time I see my son, I’m inspired to do better because I’m doing it for him. This is for the benefit of my community. If I give up now, it will be difficult for others to stand up and create something similar,” she remarked.
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