By Mike Mataka:
At Chamba Health Centre in Machinga District, the cries of newborns now echo with new meaning—relief, dignity and victory. For years, the women of Chamba risked their lives to bring children into the world.
Today, thanks to a determined community and support from World Vision Malawi, a once-dormant maternity wing has become an ideal of safe motherhood.
At the centre of this transformation is Citizen Voice and Action (CVA), a community-led initiative that turned advocacy into tangible change.
A hidden crisis
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Chamba is surrounded by natural beauty; the Shire River, the Malape Pillars and the Chikala Hills. Yet for years, this scenic landscape concealed a painful truth. The local health centre had no maternity wing.
Pregnant women were forced to travel over 15 kilometres to St Luke’s Hospital in Malosa, Zomba, a journey that demanded not just strength but money most did not have.
“Transport alone costs about K20,000. Many women could not afford it and some gave birth at home, on the road or in strangers’ houses. Maternal deaths were high in this area,” Dr Jones Chise, Machinga District Director of Health Services, says.
For Lukia Saniledi of Matipa Village, TA Chamba, that absence turned tragic.
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In 2022, while seven months pregnant with twins, she went into early labour. Her mother called a motorcycle taxi to rush her to Malosa, but heavy rains forced them to stop at Chamba Health Centre.
There was no maternity unit or bed. Lukia gave birth to one of the twins on the veranda.
“We waited over two hours. By the time the nurse arrived, I had already given birth. He died before we could get help,” Lukia recalls, her voice heavy with grief.
Her loss was one of many that galvanised the community.
Building with purpose
In 2019, local leaders and residents started constructing a maternity wing, moulding bricks with the support of their Member of Parliament.
World Vision Malawi later provided medical equipment and helped with finishing touches.
But the wing remained closed.
Council officials cited technical concerns; wrong paint, poor septic tank placement and an unreliable water source. The building stood unused for nearly four years as women continued to suffer.
Undeterred, the community turned to CVA. In February 2024, they met with council officials.
“We used government standards, real stories and data. We did our research and demanded answers,” CVA Chairperson for Chamba, Kadzuwa Kang’oma, states.
It worked. The District Health Manager and District Commissioner committed to action. Within weeks, repairs kicked off.
By March 2025, the wing was ready. In April, it opened.
A new beginning
On April 2, 2025, Hawa Shang’i of Kawanula Village became the first woman to deliver at the new facility. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
“Compared to my first three deliveries, this was a blessing. Before, I had to find money for transport to Malosa. This time, I just walked to the clinic,” Shang’i says.
She waxes lyrical about the cleanliness, care and equipment.
“The dignity is back. We are treated like humans, not burdens,” the mother-of-four says.
Between April and 25 June, 67 babies were delivered safely at the centre.
Chamba’s story shows what happens when communities demand their rights and are empowered to navigate a system that once excluded them.
It also proves that global promises matter only when they reach real people in real places.
Under Sustainable Development Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being, the world committed to reducing maternal deaths to fewer than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Chamba is not just aiming for that goal. It is pursuing it, one safe delivery at a time.
Reshaping the future
For World Vision Malawi, Chamba Maternity Wing is a clear example of how empowered communities can transform their future.
“We are incredibly proud of what CVA helped achieve here. This is a testament to the strength and voice of local people. They did not wait for change. They made it,” Lizzie Lombe, Advocacy and Campaigns Manager for World Vision Malawi, says.
World Vision Malawi is using the CVA model across several districts, including Phalombe, Machinga, Mwanza, Ntcheu and Chitipa.
In these areas, communities are being empowered to demand better health, education and social services.
CVA is helping ordinary citizens challenge broken systems and turn local governance into a tool for accountability.
In a world full of stalled promises, this rural corner of Machinga raised its voice. They did not wait to be rescued; they became their own rescue.
A roof. A bed. A midwife. A heartbeat. That is what they fought for. That is what they won.
