About CHICOSUDO

Chitani Community Sustainable Development Organization (CHICOSUDO) is a Malawian non-governmental organization founded in 2005 and officially registered under the Malawi Government's Trustees Incorporation Act, Certificate Number TR/INC 2324.

CHICOSUDO was established by Mr. Samson W. Mulole and Mr. Lesley Kapile, two passionate community leaders who recognized the difficult realities faced by women and youth in Malawi — including high rates of HIV and AIDS, gender-based violence, illiteracy, and food insecurity. Mr. Mulole, a retired professional, and Mr. Kapile, a teacher and entrepreneur, shared a vision to create lasting, community-led solutions that would empower marginalized groups to build better futures.

Our Journey

Since its founding, CHICOSUDO has grown steadily from grassroots initiatives to district-wide programs. By 2012, the organization had reached 120 villages, providing life-changing support to over 5,000 women and youth, focusing on human rights, education, health, and food security.

In 2017, CHICOSUDO expanded its work from its home district of Blantyre into Mulanje District, launching a clean water project in 50 villages under Traditional Authority Nkanda. The initiative introduced a gravity-fed water system from Chole Hills, significantly improving community health and sanitation.

Between 2019 and 2024, the organization diversified its programs to address pressing social and economic challenges. These included campaigns to end child marriages, vocational skills training for women, healthcare initiatives, environmental conservation through tree planting, and sustainable livelihoods projects. By March 2024, CHICOSUDO had positively impacted the lives of over 24,000 women and youth across Mulanje and Blantyre districts.

Who We Serve

Today, CHICOSUDO works directly with more than 25,000 marginalized women, youth, and children in rural southern Malawi. In areas where poverty rates reach 54.8% in Mulanje and 43.9% in Blantyre, our target communities face challenges such as:

• Youth unemployment
• Early school dropouts
• Gender-based violence (GBV)
• Limited access to healthcare
• Financial exclusion
• Stigma and marginalization for persons with disabilities

Many girls are forced to leave school due to early pregnancies, child marriages, and poverty, while women and youth with disabilities often experience exclusion from mainstream social and economic life.

Our Approach

Despite these challenges, our communities are rich in social connections, indigenous knowledge, and traditional leadership structures. CHICOSUDO leverages these existing community strengths, working alongside local leaders, women's groups, youth clubs, and solidarity structures such as Area and Village Development Committees.

We believe in community-driven, inclusive development. Through participatory project design, implementation, and monitoring, we ensure that our interventions are responsive, sustainable, and rooted in the priorities of the people we serve.

Our Focus Areas

Our work addresses critical challenges in the Social Protection and Community Development sector, with cross-cutting interventions in:

• Education
• Health and Wellbeing
• Gender and Child Protection
• Economic Empowerment

By integrating these focus areas, CHICOSUDO delivers holistic, sustainable solutions that empower women, youth, and marginalized groups to break the cycle of poverty and build resilient communities.