Thriving Through Trials

Inspiring Resilience and Building Hope

  • The Ripple That Refuses to Die

    In my line of work as a humanitarian and human rights defender, impact is often reduced to numbers. How many people were reached, how many programs delivered, how many lives changed within a given timeframe. Donors understandably rely on projections and measurable outcomes to decide where resources should go. Numbers offer comfort. They suggest certainty. Continue reading

  • Reflections from Banjul, The Gambia

    There is a place and time that rekindles my hope, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in The Gambia. I first came here last year, and returning this time feels like stepping once more onto sacred ground. To be surrounded by advocates, survivors, and reformers who share the same longing that justice should Continue reading

  • Malawians: The Most Dangerous People in the World                                                                       

    My beloved Malawi, once again your democracy has spoken and this time, it has shaken the continent. In an election where the current president lost and a former leader, now 85 years old, returned to power, the world is tempted to focus only on personalities. But the true story lies deeper in the soil of Continue reading

  • Malawi, May Your Voice Be Honoured

    My beloved Malawi, the past five years have tested us in ways words can barely hold. When we last went to the polls, our hearts were filled with hope, determination, and the belief that change was within reach. We longed for leadership that would carry us toward dignity, prosperity, and unity. But along the way, Continue reading

  • Love Until It Hurts

    I just finished reading Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, and though my eyes are tired, my heart is full. This book opened my eyes to a woman who gave everything for love, quietly, humbly, and with great faith. Mother Teresa came from an ordinary family, inspired by a mother whose faith ran deep. She Continue reading

  • When Justice Escapes Us

    Every day, I wake up with a fire in my heart to defend the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. It is more than a job, It’s a calling. But some days, like today, I feel like I’m screaming into the void. Last week, I escalated a case involving asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic Continue reading

  • Democracy in a Family of Five

    Yesterday, we returned from a road trip through France. When my nephew Deo and his wife Sonnia invited us to Paris for a ceremony introducing their newborn, my wife Flo and I knew we wanted to be there. After weighing our options, the most affordable solution was to drive the 800+ kilometers from Milan as Continue reading

  • Fighting the Battle Away from the Frontline

    One year ago, my family and I were forced to leave Malawi, not because of wrongdoing, but because I dared to speak out for the rights of refugees, those whom society often prefers to forget. After calling Malawi home for 21 years, walking away felt like tearing a piece of my soul. It was a Continue reading

  • Learning to Stop, Learning to Start Again

    On April 30th, 2024, I started my first driving class in Italy. It was a big step, not because I didn’t know how to drive, but because I had to begin from zero. Despite having driven for over 15 years in Malawi and holding a license there, the Italian government didn’t recognize it. A friend Continue reading

  • The Power Dynamics of Giving and Receiving

    Watching the conversation last week between Donald Trump, his Vice President, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, I couldn’t help but reflect on the unequal power dynamics between those who give and those who receive. The world often expects recipients of aid to remain silent, humble to the point of invisibility. A donor’s generosity is rarely Continue reading