LocationsFrom uncertainty to opportunity: Constance’s journey to building peace and prosperity at home
July 14, 2026
From uncertainty to opportunity, Constance Phiri’s journey reflects the power of economic empowerment. Through a Village Savings and Loans group, she gained the skills and confidence to grow her business, support her children’s education and help build a more peaceful home.
In many communities across Malawi, poverty does not stand alone. It often comes with other challenges: children dropping out of school, women carrying the weight of unpaid care and unstable incomes, families living in conflict, and gender-based violence shaping the lives of women and children.
For many women, violence in the home is not only physical. It is also emotional, economic, and social. It can leave them without confidence, income, and a clear path to support structures. When families are trapped in poverty, these pressures can deepen, affecting children’s education, household wellbeing, and the safety of women.
These challenges were once familiar in Tukombo village in Traditional Authority Zilakoma in Nkhata Bay District. Domestic violence was common, husbands and wives were often in conflict, and child marriages were reported almost every year.
A mother searching for a way forward
For Constance Phiri, these were not distant community issues. They were part of her everyday life.
A mother of four, Constance, spent years trying to keep her family afloat. Her husband was not in a stable job, school fees were difficult to pay, and peace at home was not always guaranteed. For many years, her marriage was marked by hardship, conflict, and uncertainty.
“I used to cry a lot because I could not see a way out of the situation,” Constance recalls.
Her experience reflects the reality faced by many women in communities where gender-based violence, poverty, and limited access to support systems overlap. For years, Constance endured emotional and psychological abuse, as well as economic neglect, carrying the burden of caring for her family largely on her own while her husband stayed at home and offered little support. This left her struggling to provide for her children’s education and basic needs, while feeling trapped in a difficult household situation. Without income, support, or knowledge of available services, many women are forced to endure abuse and neglect while hoping for a better future for themselves and their children.
Rose Phiri, Chairperson of the Victim Support Unit in Tukombo Ward, is helping change how communities understand and respond to gender-based violence. Through counselling, mediation and referrals, she supports survivors while promoting awareness of rights and access to justice.
How the project helped open a path
Constance’s journey began when she joined a Village Savings and Loans group under the Addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence through the Social Analysis and Action Approach project, implemented by the Foundation for Children’s Rights with support from UNDP Malawi and the Governments of Iceland and Norway. Through the group, she started saving small amounts of money, learned how to manage her finances, and gained the confidence to invest in small businesses.
The project supports communities in Traditional Authority Zilakoma to transform harmful social norms, while also strengthening livelihoods and access to services. Through community dialogues, awareness sessions and group-based learning, women and men were supported to understand human rights and gender equality, the impacts of gender-based violence and child marriage, and the importance of shared decision-making and respect.
For Constance, this awareness helped her see that change was possible and that she could be part of it.
One of the most important entry points for her was joining a Village Savings and Loans group, introduced through the project’s economic empowerment activities.
Initially, she was hesitant. Saving money felt difficult when there was barely enough to meet the family’s daily needs. Through training in financial management conducted through the project, and support from her group, she began contributing small amounts. She slowly learned how to manage money, borrow responsibly and invest in small businesses.
What began as a simple act of saving became a turning point in her life.
Building independence, one small step at a time
Today, Constance sells usipa fish, beans, and potatoes. She also farms maize and other crops. Some days, she travels to Mzuzu to buy supplies and bring them back to sell in her community. During the farming season, she hires people to help in her fields.
Her days are busy, but for Constance, that carries meaning. It is a sign that she is no longer waiting for things to change. She is actively building the life she wants for her family.
“I am no longer just a housewife,” she says. “I am a businesswoman.”
Her income has given her more than money. It has given her confidence, a stronger voice in her household, and the ability to contribute to decisions affecting her family.
Keeping children in school
The change has been most visible in her children’s education. Before joining the savings group, Constance struggled to support their schooling. Today, her second child is enrolled at the University of Malawi as a student, while her third child attends Chatonda Private Secondary School.
For Constance, keeping her children in school is one of her proudest achievements.
“Before joining the group, I could never have imagined being able to support their education in this way,” she says.
Education is also one of the ways the project is helping communities break cycles of vulnerability. When families are supported to keep children, especially girls, in school, they are also helping to protect their human rights especially from early marriage, exploitation, and other forms of harm.
Constance Phiri joins hands with community leaders and members, reflecting a shared commitment to safer and more peaceful communities.
From conflict to cooperation at home
As Constance’s business grew, something else began to change: the atmosphere in her home.
Her husband saw how her work was helping the family. He saw the children going to school. He saw income coming into the household. Over time, he began to support her. Today, they work together in business and farming.
“There is peace in our home now,” Constance says.
This change is central to Constance’s story. The project did not only help her earn an income. It helped create conditions for dignity, cooperation, and reduced conflict at home. By strengthening women’s economic participation and raising awareness about rights and responsibilities, the project is contributing to safer households and more peaceful relationships.
Changing attitudes towards gender-based violence
Across Traditional Authority Zilakoma, the project has also helped shift how the community understands gender-based violence. In the past, many cases of abuse were treated as private family matters. Women often remained silent because they did not know where to seek help, or because they were unaware of their rights.
Rose Phiri, Chairperson of the Victim Support Unit in Tukombo ward, says that the project has helped change this. Through training and awareness, more people now understand that domestic violence can be reported and addressed. The Victim Support Unit provides counselling and mediation, and refers serious cases, such as severe physical abuse, to the police or the courts.
According to Rose, before the awareness and training sessions, the community recorded up to 50 gender-based violence cases in a year. That number has now dropped significantly to around 13. She says people are more aware that abuse has legal consequences, and women are more willing to come forward to seek help.
When local change is supported by national systems
Constance’s story is grounded in the everyday realities of family life: food on the table, school fees, household conflict, limited income and the quiet burden many women carry when violence is treated as a private matter. Her progress began through a Village Savings and Loans group, but the change taking place around her is also part of a broader effort to strengthen the systems that protect women’s rights and safety.
Ms. Habiba Osman, Executive Secretary of the Malawi Human Rights Commission, emphasises that survivors must be able to trust the systems meant to protect them. Reporting channels, she notes, should be accessible, confidential and responsive to the different needs and circumstances of those seeking help.
“Survivors must have confidence that when they report violations, they will be treated with dignity, protected from retaliation, and linked to appropriate support services.”
In Constance’s community, that shift is already beginning to take shape. Domestic violence is being discussed more openly, survivors are increasingly encouraged to report abuse, and women are being supported not only to find safety, but also to rebuild their confidence and strengthen their economic independence.
A future built with her own hands
For Constance, the impact of the project is seen in daily life: children going to school, food at home, a business that continues to grow, and a household where husband and wife now work together.
Her journey shows how addressing gender-based violence requires more than responding after the harm has occurred. It also means giving women access to information, economic opportunities, community support, and justice systems that work for them.
When women like Constance are supported to earn an income and understand their rights, they are better able to make choices, protect their children, and participate in shaping the future of their families.
Related
content
content
