For Mellina Mwagomba and her family, the reflection of the sun on the fresh-laid roof of their new house is cause to celebrate. Bricks, timber and iron sheets are so much more than construction materials—they are a reminder of a dream achieved.
Food insecurity and poverty remain major challenges for many rural households in the Karonga District of Malawi, where Mellina, her husband and their two children live. Their area frequently experiences low and erratic rainfall due to its geographical position as a rain shadow area. Unable to produce the food they need on the parched land, many families experience hunger daily.
Before becoming involved, the Mwagombas’ harvest of maize was not sufficient to feed their family throughout the year, nor was there enough to sell in order to purchase food from local markets. They were unable to maintain a balanced diet and often ate only one or two meals per day.
Mellina’s household participated in the Lupembe Food Security Project, run by PWS&D’s partner SOLDEV, which not only assists families with their food security needs through training on climate-resilient farming techniques but encourages them to create and work towards a concrete household vision.
In 2023, the project helped Mellina and her family develop the skills to implement more productive and healthier farming techniques. During the visioning process, they also reflected on their current situation and identified their aspirations for the future. “We always dreamt of building our own better home that fulfilled all our needs,” Mellina shares. Together, the family set a goal of constructing a permanent house alongside improving their livelihood and food security by 2026.
On their plot of land, the Mwagombas steadily started adopting conservation agriculture—diversifying their crop by growing groundnuts as a commercial crop—while mobilizing resources to begin constructing their house. In the 2023-2024 growing season, they used conservation agriculture and pit planting to produce their maize and grew the new crop of groundnuts on a three acre plot of land. The income they earned selling their yields allowed them to create bricks to begin building the foundation and walls of their house. The following year, they were able to increase their acreage and add a small crop of sesame. This time, after fulfilling their food needs, Mellina and her family could also buy timber as well as 15 iron sheets for the house’s framing.
Persevering to reach their goal, the family’s hard work continued in the 2025-2026 growing season. After a profitable harvest, they will have enough to buy 25 additional iron sheets, cement and metal windows to complete the house project.
Mellina reflects, “the task of constructing a house was difficult until we came across the training organized by SOLDEV through the Lupembe Food Security Project.”
With the support of the Lupembe Food Security Project, families are transforming their lives through climate-smart agriculture, improved livestock management and household planning. You can be part of this life-changing story—support PWS&D’s food security work today.
*This project is receiving support through Canadian Foodgrains Bank. PWS&D is a member of the Foodgrains Bank, a partnership of 15 churches and church agencies working together to end global hunger.
