Who We Are
We are a beautiful collision created by the crash of the western and eastern cultures. We are a generation of young dreamers and visionaries who realize that throughout human history generations have been blessed to be a blessing to others. We are always curious, always imagining, always searching and always asking questions.
We are a beautiful collision created by the crash of the western and eastern cultures. We are a generation of young dreamers and visionaries who realize that throughout human history generations have been blessed to be a blessing to others. We are always curious, always imagining, always searching and always asking questions.
We are risk takers, thrill seekers, and explorers. We are always open to new possibilities. We are firm believers in the idea that the world is more malleable than we give it credit for. We believe we can make a dent in human history when we open up our lives for others, especially the less fortunate.
MISSION STATEMENT
We are a group of ordinary friends from around the world devoted to carrying one anothers burdens and using our gifts, talents, and resources to make a sustainable difference in impoverished African communities.
VALUES
Integrity: Personal and corporate honesty that results in freedom from corruption in the operation of our programs.
Generosity: Wise giving of our time, talent and money to influence change in our lives and the lives of others.
Creativity: The use of imaginative thinking to generate new and dynamic ideas and solutions within our programs.
PROJECTS
We have three distinct projects of focus; all of which uniquely communicate the idea of Chisomo (grace).
Children Centers: We have after-school learning centers for children who live in the villages. Objectives: General education, health and hygiene education, sports and recreation, and spiritual development [discipleship].
Theater of Dreams: We run sports clinics in strategic locations around Lilongwe, Malawi, with the goal of opening a sports academy. Objectives: Sport-specific skill development, community development, general education, and spiritual development [discipleship].
Leadership Development: We run age and gender-specific seminars and conferences for youth. Objectives: Practical leadership training, community development, general education, and spiritual development [discipleship].
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
We live in a broken world. A world dominated by poverty, disease, wars and issues of social injustice. However, with those problems also comes an opportunity. A chance to stand against the wind of apathy and to live out the belief that all people are created equal. As volunteers we are driven by the radical love and grace of Jesus Christ, who continues to transform our hearts to understand His passion for people and see His beauty in culture. His love compels us to care and serve the people He has created regardless of their race, gender, or religion. It is our desire that those who encounter The Chisomo Idea may experience the freedom of truly knowing their creator as He pulls them into the turbulence of His story. Living lives of impact to know Him and make Him known is the primal essence of our movement.
Our Story
From the Ground Up: Inspiring Change Through Creative Activism
“Young people want to live lives that are marked by purpose. Their search for significance is not only wrapped up in the desire to do well for themselves; it is wrapped up in the innate belief that their lives can and should matter. We have to capture that desire and with it, create a brand, an African-inspired brand of social responsibility through which caring and helping the less privileged can become cool again. We have to inspire young people to unleash their creativity and imagination to find and redefine their dreams in serving others.” These were the words uttered by a then 27-year-old Malawian visionary and social activist, Noel Musicha, at a friends’ hangout time that has now become a Malawian movement called The Chisomo Idea. A year earlier, Noel had visited with his wife Melissa, and had been moved by the dreams, hope, and resilience of kids in a Malawian village called Kwanjana in the southern district of Thyolo.
Kwanjana was all too familiar of a village to Noel as he had spent time in the village goat-herding during his primary and secondary school years; however, as he hanged out with the kids during this particular visit, his eyes were opened to the reality of the tough life that the kids were enduring just make it day by day. Many of the kids had been orphaned by Malaria and AIDS, were left destitute, unable to attend school, and essentially vulnerable to treatable diseases. Noel and Melissa decided that they would create a simple after-school program for kids that would help educate the kids on everyday life issues, including health and hygiene, education, sports and recreation, as well as help the kids develop spiritually through biblical discipleship.
It is the dreams of those kids and their subsequent care-takers that helped inspire the beginning of The Chisomo Idea. Their ability to produce a lot out of very little (and run the program very effectively) inspired Noel and Melissa to dream and imagine more as they pursued the recreation of what happened in Kwanjana in other communities around Malawi. Eventually Noel inspired and recruited a group of young friends in from Malawi, the United States (Melissa’s home country), and other parts of the World, and teamed up with them on a mission to further the impact that this grassroots movement had created. With the help of the young and inspired global leaders, The Chisomo Idea has found roots in the Northern, Central and Southern parts of Malawi conducting youth leadership development seminars, creating a soccer program called THEATER OF DREAMS, and creating after-school learning centers in the style of the simple but effective Kwanjana prototype.
The Chisomo Idea is by mission a global grassroots movement that connects the young and young at heart to issues of poverty in Africa and provides them with a framework for action. Noel who serves as a volunteer President and CEO of the movement desires to make Chisomo an African model of asset-based community development. While he acknowledges that he has a long way to go, Noel and his team are inspired by what they have been able to accomplish with mere creativity in a short period of time and holds that as a beacon of hope for what could happen in the future.
Chisomo is a Malawian word for Grace.
