By Faith Chibonga
September 5, 2025

Sara Msowoya, 37, now smiles with confidence. But for many years, this mother of four children felt worthless. Sara was often left to support her children on her own while her husband sought work outside of their community in Malawi. “I relied on my husband’s financial support to ensure our family’s survival. It was challenging because my husband rarely sent money, sometimes leaving us without assistance for months, and I had to seek help from others to support myself and my four children,” says Sara.

Then, Sara had the opportunity to join a program focused on improving livelihoods, facilitated by World Renew’s local partner, Eagles. Sara’s family’s life began to transform, and so did Sara’s feelings about herself. “In 2020, my pastor asked me to represent our church at a meeting that the Eagles had organized . . . the facilitator talked about pillars, she explained about everyone being independent and also helping our communities to change, for God is not pleased seeing us facing challenges,” Sara recalls. “I was very quiet, listening attentively . . . The facilitator went on to explain that everyone possesses resources that can enhance their lives, and our only task is to uncover these resources that are all around us.”

After listening to the facilitator, Sara spent a sleepless night thinking about all the resources she possessed. The next morning, she wrote everything down. “I realized, I possessed land for farming and gardening, which I could utilize even when I lacked rain,” she says. “I planned to plant some vegetables while waiting for the rainy season.” Sara worked hard, and soon her efforts started paying off as she sold the vegetables that she grew in her kitchen garden. “This helped me pay fees for my son, who is in secondary school; feed my children; and provide all my basic needs by myself because my husband could not support me,” she says.

Sara’s work on her farm also produced results that helped her grow in confidence in her ability to provide for her children. In 2021, she used profits from the sale of her ground nuts and maize to purchase chairs for her home and three bags of cement to repair her living room flooring. During the 2022-2023 season, she purchased 10 chickens, as well as rice and Irish potatoes, which she sold to fund her son’s school fees and other household necessities. In February 2024, Sara purchased two pigs.

“I thank God for connecting me to this organization. I could have died in poverty, but thanks to Eagles Interventions, I have food on my table every day. I am not a beggar anymore. People admire me these days, and I am one of the facilitators in my community who teaches individuals to work hard,” says Sara, smiling with confidence. “Transformation comes from working hard. I am a testimony since I am no longer the same, and I am a happy mother since I can provide for my children. Wait to see how much I achieve in the future!”