I participated in a medical mission to Malawi. In three days we were able to see over 4,000 patients in the medical and dental clinics. Amazing organization and comradery.
Villages in Partnership has profoundly impacted the lives of villagers in Malawi by providing hope where it was scarce. Through collaborative efforts with the community to identify areas of need, and offering financial and logistical support, lives have undergone remarkable transformations. Access to clean water has been made possible through the drilling of wells, while quality education has been enhanced with the construction of schools. A newly built health clinic now offers medical care where none existed before. Improved farming methods have ensured food stability, enabling small businesses to emerge as people's lives become more stable. Furthermore, the rebuilding of washed-out bridges and infrastructure upgrades have paved the way for a better life.
I've had the privilege of volunteering with Villages in Partnership for several years, witnessing firsthand the transformative impact they have on Malawians' lives, empowering them to break free from poverty with vital tools and unwavering support. It's inspiring to see every employee and volunteer dedicated to enhancing the well-being of our Malawian brothers and sisters.
As a donor to VIP, I'm deeply impressed by their holistic approach. They don't just give handouts, they empower communities through sustainable projects. Seeing the tangible impact of my support is incredibly rewarding. VIP truly lives out their mission to partner with Malawians and help them build a brighter future.
I am deeply impressed by the thoughtful and sustainable approach this organization takes in its work with villages in Malawi. Their commitment to working alongside village leaders and involving the community in every step of the process sets them apart. By educating villagers on the infrastructure they build, including how to maintain and repair it, they ensure that their impact is not only immediate but lasting.
For me, their focused dedication to Malawi is another standout feature. By concentrating their work in only one country, they build meaningful relationships with local communities and leaders, tailoring their efforts to the specific cultural and regional needs. The fact that they have staff both in Malawi and stateside demonstrates their commitment to understanding local realities while maintaining robust operational support.
The passion of the VIP team shines through in everything they do. It’s clear that they are not just building wells and infrastructure—they are building hope, independence, and resilience. Their work exemplifies what true partnership and sustainability in nonprofit work should look like. I highly recommend supporting this organization and its mission to create real, lasting change.
I have never worked with more noble people who work tirelessly to ensure that the people of Malawi are getting better opportunities and care every day. I am in awe of what I have seen VIP accomplish in the past 10 years and can only imagine what can happen next!
I have been following, supporting and volunteering with Villages in Partnership (VIP) for over 6 years now. I am so impressed by the variety of developmental projects they help to facilitate in Malawi. Their focuses range from water wells to education, from a medical facility to an agricultural training farm, from beekeeping to goat shares. Poverty is a broad beast and so our methods for addressing it have to also be broad. VIP does a really great job of documenting where funds have been utilized both through reports and through videos and photos. I feel very confident in supporting this non-profit. And I hope to get put my feet in Malawi someday soon, by participating in a friendship trip, and meet many in those villages we partner with.
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I have been connected to Villages in Partnership for 5 years now. In this time I have gotten to witness out front and behind the scenes how this organization not only strives to but actually does listen first to the needs and desires of the communities it partners with. The developmental goals far exceed basic relief aid, by focusing on 6 basic needs of development: water, food security, education, health care, economic development and infrastructure. The organization also hosts Friendship trips to Malawi visiting with several of the communities in partnership. My husband was able to go this last summer, he learned so much both from the VIP staff there in Malawi and the villagers themselves. I hope to make the trip some time soon. It has been so amazing to see the specific project the Khanda Health clinic come to fruition this year! We share this planet with so many beautiful people and have a responsibility to one another to also share our resources. I am so proud to be apart of this community and thankful to VIP for helping connect me to my neighbors in Malawi.
VIP is an amazing organization lifting families from poverty to economic sustainability in Malawi Africa through multiple initiatives including access to healthcare. Honored to have served on the medical team providing care to individuals who would have otherwise not received treatment for medical conditions such as scabies malaria and infection. We are monthly donors ourselves and will continue to serve as God calls us to our brothers and sisters in Malawi. Humans helping humans.
A brilliant organization led by passionate, dedicated and love-filled partners in Malawi and in the US. I’ve had the opportunity to visit Malawi with Villages in Partnership to see the work of VIP firsthand.
VIP is changing lives in Malawi and I feel so fortunate to bear witness to the life changing education and empowerment that VIP provides.
I've been volunteering with VIP for over four years, and can recommend the organization highly for the great work they do to eradicate extreme poverty in the villages of the Sakata region of Malawi. By simultaneously providing clean water, food security, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and economic opportunity, they are helping over 21,000 villagers to rise from scarcity to sustainability. Examples of some accomplishments in recent years include the building, furnishing, and opening of the Khanda Health Center, which features out-patient, eye, dental, and maternal care units, the building, furnishing, and opening of the One Heart Secondary School, and the purchase and development of a 55-acre demonstration and training farm, where climate-smart agricultural strategies are taught. All VIP projects are planned and executed in partnership with local villagers and village leaders, and include training components to assure sustainability long after VIP has moved on to other needs.
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I have been volunteering with Villages in Partnership (VIP), a mission partner of my church, since January 2020. VIP's mission - fighting extreme poverty in the rural villages of Malawi, Africa - is important, and the needs they serve are staggering. Since VIP incorporated in 2012 as a nonprofit, they have made a real difference in the lives of the over 19,000 residents in their 26 partner villages: for example, they have drilled 43 boreholes (for clean water for the villages), built a secondary school, taught conservation agriculture practices to farmers, introduced beekeeping and other trades to provide new revenue streams, lead biannual medical mission trips to treat thousands of villagers, and completed many other initiatives, working side-by-side with villagers.
My part in their work is small: I help with their annual report and other donor-focused communication, and participate in planning for various fund-raising events, but from my vantage point I see not only what they've accomplished, but also the respectful way they partner with the villages to identify and prioritize needs and determine how best to work together to address them. VIP also works with villages and Malawi government to assure sustainability of their projects, long after the nonprofit has moved on to other initiatives: for example, villagers are trained to maintain and repair borehole wells, and the government hires teaching staff for the school.
I can highly recommend this organization as a deeply committed team of professionals who are saving and changing lives in one of the most impoverished corners of the world.
This amazing organization has completely changed the trajectory of people’s lives in the villages of Malawi where they focus! They have provided Hope for people where there was little Hope. By working with the villagers to see where the needs are, and providing funding and support, lives have remarkably improved. Wells have been drilled, and there is clean water where there was none. Schools have been built, and there is quality education where there was very little. Health clinic built provides care for people where there was none. Farming methods have improved, which provides food stability. Small businesses open as people’s lives stabilize. Washed out bridges are rebuilt to stand in future flooding, infrastructure improvements allow a better life. I have watched VIP from its early beginning 15 years ago, visited Malawi to see first-hand the work being done, and served on their board because of the difference they make in lives, witnessing firsthand the amazing changes over the years. I heartily endorse this life-changing organization!
Over 15 years, Villages in Partnership has drilled 140 clean water points, funded 1,000 students’ educations, treated 34,683 clients at the Khanda Health Center, & delivered 116 healthy babies in Malawi. To get to school, students walk 9 miles one way. VIP just announced a new plan to provide dormitories for students and housing for medical staff. An amazing impact & example! Congratulations Liz Heinzel-Nelson & team! “All should be given a chance to thrive no matter where they were born!”
I have been a supporter of Villages in Partnership for 15 years! In that time, I have seen the organization grow in many ways and their impact in the most vulnerable villages in Malawi have been been exponential. I also appreciate the transparency they provide, with readily available information on their website regarding finances, board members, and program outcomes. This level of openness fosters trust and encourages donor confidence.
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I have been a supporter of VIP for 10+ years. I am also a volunteer and have been witness to the great work that has been planned and implemented by this great organization to the many communities they work with through their numerous sustainable programs. They are true advocates for the people whom they serve wholeheartedly. It is a joy & privilege to watch VIP grow it's outreach, I am happy to be along for this ride!
Great organization. Love working with this talented team. The collaboration between the US and Malawi staff is strong and meaningful. VIP is making a difference in our partner villages!
This was the most amazing experience! It was overwhelming seeing firsthand how VIP is making such an impactful difference in people's lives by helping them learn how to lift themselves up from the most extreme poverty by taking advantage of all that VIP has to offer. They do this with extreme caring, intentional consideration of culture and available resources, and thoughtful plans for sustainability in the future. VIP is an incredible organization and the people of Malawi will forever be in my heart!
I have traveled to Malawi on two Friendship Trips with VIP. I am on the Board and I've participated on various committees. In all my time with VIP, I have always been amazed at the dedication and focus of the staff and volunteers. VIP has changed lives on a generational scale in the poorest region of the world. It has based its practices on methods that allow the people it impacts to have ownership and value in their environment. It is a blessing to be associated with VIP.
VIP is different than other nonprofits in the way it builds relationships and communities -- donors can get to know on a personal level the people whose lives they are impacting, and can see for themselves how the funds they contribute are transforming lives.
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The impact that VIP has been able to have is nothing short of amazing. With the construction of a medical clinic and new secondary school, we have achieved more than we ever dreamed possible when we first began our work. We are very different because we have developed personal relationships with the people in the villages we serve, and you can see exactly where the money goes.
I have been involved with this organization for over a decade now. I have seen countless lives changed in Malawi by Villages in Partnership. Additionally, I have seen countless lives changed in the U.S. by those providing financial support and providing their time and their professional expertise. Truly an amazing organization!
I have been supporting the work of Villages in Partnership for several years. I had an opportunity this year to visit Malawi and see what is being done first hand. I am convinced that VIP is a role model in its areas of focus and in the way it partners with both government and local leadership to "help without hurting". I am very impressed by the long term sustainable change that is taking place in the Malawi villages where they focus. I am confident that my contributions will be used wisely and will absolutely make a difference in people's lives.
I have been a donor to VIP for a number of years. They do important work in Malawi -- empowering the people there to lift themselves out of poverty by working with them to develop the tools they need. They work with in-country staff to make sure they are doing the best work they can on the ground. They are always good and careful stewards of the money they raise, ensuring it does the maximum good. Transparency is a touchstone and I have never had reason to question their financial operations or management.
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I like that nearly 100% of every dollar I give is spent on the work in Malawi. The staff, in the US and in Malawi is completely committed to the mission, which is empowering the people in the villages to lift themselves out of extreme poverty and enabling them to do the same for their neighbors.
We have seen several non-profits up close over the years and have never seen one that is so well organized and managed and makes every dollar count in multiple ways.
I have been in Malawi with Villages in Partnership several times and have seen the incredible impact of their programs. I believe that the reason for VIP's effectiveness is that they have a local Malawian staff team that has built relationships with village elders. Projects are selected based on the need of the community after extensive listening sessions. Once a project starts, the people in the village participate and when it is completed they take ownership and ensure sustainability. VIP's work, whether it is drilling wells for safe water, building a bridge to allow kids to get to school, facilitating Savings & Loans group that provide individuals to get the resources to start a small business, building a high school and most recently a health clinic in the remote village of Khanda, all these projects help people to lift themselves out of poverty.
I started by supporting their "Water Walk" event. I was asked by someone I trusted. However, I was not just giving some time and money to an organization. I was actually a part of transforming lives. Literally, helping to save lives. Villages in Partnership partners with the people of the remote villages in Malawi by listening to their needs then walking alongside them to help them initial and sustain lasting change. VIP partners with the people in the villages to help address the 6 critical needs of human development. Clean water, food security, healthcare, education, infrastructure and economic development.
My congregation was one of the many organizations and individuals to participate in the Villages in Partnership annual water walk. The Water Walk, held in Allentown, NJ, helps raise money to transform lives and bring awareness to the adverse poverty in Malawi, Africa. There is a saying, "You don't know my struggle until you've walked a mile in my shoes." Well, walking a mile that day, while carrying water, does not come close to what the Malawians endure daily. Having traveled to Malawi with Villages in Partnership, I can attest that the work they do to help bring individuals and families out of adverse poverty is significant.
Rev. Crystal E. James
I have taken many trips to Malawi to witness first-hand the work of VIP. VIP has a talented staff of Malawians who lead projects across all 6 areas - water, food security, health, education, infrastructure, and economic development. They are so committed to their work. They truly live their mission, partnering with villagers to help them lift themselves up out of poverty. It's truly amazing to witness.
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It's hard to know when you donate money to a group, how well they will spend it. Five years ago I traveled to Malawi for the first time in order to gauge for myself how well VIP delivers on its promises. I've taken the trip three times now. Every dollar I spend with VIP is most assuredly my best investment. What our brothers and sisters in Malawi need is basic and essential. They receive these things as full partners with their American cohort. Major, major work has been done before my eyes in the past 14 years with VIP. Seemingly insurmountable challenges can be overcome with an organization this strong and committed.
This non profit offers solutions for the people in Malawi to help themselves live a better life. They continue to develop programs for our brothers and sisters, while allowing the villages to develop independently, they offer friendship trips throughout the year and have a staff of Malawians that will feel like family when you meet them!
VIP is a wonderful charity serving villages in a remote area in Malawi. It provides clean water, solar irrigation, schools, teachers, a recently opened health clinic and much more. The villagers work side by side with VIP to learn how to care for each sustainable project thereby insuring continuation. The villagers themselves are joyful people whose lives have been changed significantly, a most wonderful and gratifying charity.
VIP is making a huge impact on thousands of lives in one of the most poverty-stricken areas of the world. They are an incredible organization!
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I’ve volunteered with VIP for several years and even had an opportunity to see the great work they’re doing on a trip to Malawi. The approach they have for working in direct partnership with the villagers is incredibly effective. Their work involves expanding access to clean water, education, medical and dental care, and agricultural training. All initiatives are undertaken with input and assistance from the local villages. This is one organization where you can be sure that any donation that you give is being used directly to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the world!
Villages In Partnership is a life changing nonprofit that has a generational impact on their supporters and the Malawians they serve. As a board member, I’ve seen villages suffering from extreme poverty raise themselves up and tackle issues of food security and water with stable, long-term, and effective solutions. The supporters of VIP have story after story describing how their trip to Malawi with VIP rejuvenated outlook on the world and directly impacted their daily life in a good way.
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My first interaction with VIP was when I attended a Friendship Trip to Malawi in 2017. It was a life changing experience for me. VIP staff in the United States and Malawi were professional, competent and caring. VIP has subject matter experts on the ground in Malawi to guide trip members in the rural villages to better understand issues of food security, water quality, economics, and education in a process that respects the Malawians that we visited. I highly recommend VIP.
This is a gras roots organization . The founders saw a need and decided to do something about it. They saw people living in extreme poverty and started an organization to try to resolve that need. Villages in Partnership changes lives for the better in 28 villages in southern Malawi.
VIP is an organization that truly loves and serves the people in the villages in Malawi. They work hard to empower the villagers by working beside them finding ways out of extreme poverty. They have dug wells to provide clean accessible water, have taught irrigation, composting, and kitchen gardens.
They have built a school for education opportunities and a medical center to provide health care(previously women had to walk up to 8 hours to deliver their baby).
I witnessed one villager say “Before VIP I lived day to day but now I have hope and a future.”
VIP is deeply committed to Jesus Christ’s command to love and serve the poor, the hungry, the widowed and the orphaned.
For over 10 years Villages in Partnership has worked alongside the people in rural Malawi. The relationship is built on trust, listening to the needs identified by the village elders and jointly working towards solutions that are sustainable. I have been to Malawi multiple times and am always impressed by VIP's local all Malawian staff who tirelessly work on project development and community building. We know that without project development nothing will get built and without community development nothing will last. VIP knows how to do both!
I became involved with VIP when they started One Heart. This was to be in a consultant compacity then circumstances allowed me to increase my involvement to helping collect material for the science lab. In July I got to go to Malawi on a Friendship Trip to help deliver the equipment and see firsthand the work being done. I found a very well-organized structure which kept the Malawians invested in the decision-making process. Investment leads to ownership which results in sustainability. The villagers I met were eager to participate in the projects that VIP sponsored, and VIP requires this local investment.
VIP's goals are realistic and work from the ground up, concentrating on education, health and sustainable farming practices.
The positive reaction from the villagers reenforced my commitment to continual work with VIP.
I have been a supporter of this org for a long time. They are tackling extreme poverty in Malawi, Africa. Lives are being changed and I’m honored to be able to assist in even a small way. They also run trips to the villages every summer. A great way to see the mission in action!
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I went on the medical trip this past summer and it absolutely changed my life. I highly recommend going with VIP to see the beautiful life of Malawians.
Villages in Partnership is an organization you can feel good about supporting! They are truly doing God’s work by partnering with the villages in Malawi and fulfilling the most basic and life-sustaining needs.
We visited Malawi in 2017 through a Friendship Trip sponsored by our church and our relationship with Villages in Partnership has only grown year over year. We continue to be blown away by the growth in the number of villages VIP serves and the different ways they are meeting their needs.
I have been a volunteer with VIllages In Partnership for ten years and went on a Friendship trip in 2011. The Charity was relatively new at that time and since then there have been many wonderful changes in the lives of the villagers. All sustainable projects are achieved not only by the work of VIP but by the villagers themselves as they work alongside the volunteers learning how to sustain all that is being taught. The first wells were hand dug by the villagers under guidance, to give everyone clean water. There is now clean water for all the villagers, schools have been built to provide education and scholarships awarded for students who have excelled. Better farming techniques for food stability have been taught. There is health care where there was none and small business opportunities.
The villagers are such joyful people who show such appreciation for all that is provided for them. There is still much work to be done and can be achieved by the generosity of others.
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It is difficult to put into words how visiting Malawi impacted me. It was more than four years ago and the trips are not long yet it left something in me.
For one thing I realize more than ever how unjust the world economics are. We have so, so much while far more have so little and it becomes very real when you witness it. The poverty in Malawi is extreme and is very different from what you see on the news about 'slums'. There is no garbage or homes made from cardboard.......they use bricks made from the earth and have nothing to produce garbage. I am conscious of every none essential I buy. I even feel wrong in buying food for my plants (eg. fertilizer!) I cannot bear to waste water.
My husband and I support other worthwhile charities but because I have seen Malawi first hand I know exactly how the money raised has impacted the villagers lives. I saw immense joy when we have them things as simple as flip flops or toothpaste. And they are helping themselves which is the best part, they truly are working alongside Villages in Partnership.
To anyone thinking of going there I would say, if it's in your heart, definitely make the trip. You truly will see the world in a different light and will see what a difference giving makes.
http://villagesinpartnership.org/
Review from #MyGivingStory
VIP is doing amazing work to support the people in Malawi. Even through the pandemic, we have seen the secondary school completed and construction initiated on the medical clinic. Funding comes from people and partners outside of Malawi but all of the work is prioritized and led by Malawian development experts. Sustainability and reciprocity are core values and it shows in the way the community engages and supports all activities.
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My first experience with VIP was on a medical and dental mission trip. We were so impressed with how VIP was building sustainable projects within the villages and truly partnering with the villagers to understand their needs. Seven trips later and I am still learning and growing from my friends in Malawi!
I first became involved with VIP in 2015. VIP works hand in hand with now 26 villages in Malawi to establish greater independence and well being in the areas of water, food security, education, health care, infrastructure and economic development. VIP conducts multiple friendship trips each year and is all about training and support so that established positive practices, infrastructure, and programs continue and gain strength over time. Through the support of people everywhere, a health clinic and a secondary school have recently been established. Basic supplies and equipment are in the process of being gathered and sent. Villages In Partnership is making a lasting and positive difference among the poorest of the poor and offering hope and a brighter future for thousands of people, among them many children. It is a wonderful non-profit that gives me much joy to support and be a small part of.
I have been to Malawi with VIP twice and have seen first-hand the impact they have had on the villagers lives. From clean drinking water to schools to medical care, every dime that VIP collects goes directly to improving the lives of the villagers. Thank you VIP for doing God's work in Malawi.
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I have been to Malawi with Villages in Partnership twice, in 2018 and 2020. The purpose of our trips was to teach beekeeping to those in the remote villages as a way to supplement their income. The villagers are mostly subsistence farmers and, due to climate change, they have been experiencing years of drought. Their is no safety net in Malawi. If their crops fail, they don't eat. I have seen first-hand the difference that VIP has made in the villagers' lives. In the last 10 years, doing God's work by providing clean water, building schools and medical clinics, and teaching conservation agriculture, VIP has made a huge impact on the villagers' lives, lifting many out of crushing poverty.
Villages in Partnership (VIP) works in partnership with the rural villages of the Sakata District, Malawi, Africa, to fight extreme poverty by providing clean water and sanitation, food security, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and economic opportunity. This faith-inspired non-profit/Non-Governmental Organization has been working wonders in Malawi since 2008. I started volunteering with VIP in January 2020, and am proud to be a tiny part of the work that this organization does.
Board has diverse and very experienced backgrounds. Staff both in the U.S. and in Malawi are top notch. VIP is truly moving the people in the communities it serves out of the lowest levels of poverty through its focus on sustainability. Farmers are being trained, businesses are being developed, and schools, clinics, bridges, and irrigation systems are being built. Incredible organization!
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I went to Malawi in 2012 with Villages in Partnership (VIP) and could not believe the impact that VIP was making on the lives of some of the poorest of the poor in our world. I became a Board member the next year and am still a Board member. I have watched the organization grow, adding a diversity of talent to the Board as well as to the staff both here in the U.S. and in Malawi. VIP's focus is all about sustainability - building schools, health clinics, wells, economic infrastructure, and knowledge - so that the villagers in Malawi can rise out of the lowest levels of poverty. It is truly an amazing organization.
Villages in Partnership is an amazing organization. They seek to make sustainable changes in one of the poorest countries in the world, Malawi. I have been volunteering with VIP since 2011 and even had the opportunity to travel to Malawi to witness the change first hand. Check out their webpage to see the approach and be sure to support their good work!
This is a beautiful organization that has committed to an area of some of the poorest people in the world in Malawi. They thoughtfully approach all the root causes of
extreme poverty together, with a long-term perspective. The best part of VIP is how they treat the villagers they serve with respect, love, and dignity. They provide expertise, education, and resources to help the villagers lift themselves out of poverty - a hand up, not a hand out. Check out VIP. You will be amazed and inspired.
I have been apart of VIP for 10 years. I have seen the impact they make on the daily lives of the villagers. Wells dug, schools built, farmer training, health care accessibility only to name some of the powerful impact it has had and continues to have.
Villages in Partnership has changed not only my life, but the life of thousands on the ground in Malawi. I have been involved with VIP for three years and have visited Malawi twice and seen so much progress in such a short time. The organization continues to grow and evolve, furthering the mission of expanding access to water, education, healthcare, food and financial security, and improved infrastructure for the villages in the catchment area.
The philosophy of VIP is different than that of so many other non-profits combatting poverty. Instead of giving the villages wells, food and money, VIP empowers people and teaches the villagers so that they can maintain their own wells and enhance their farming methods to increase production. This is what makes VIP such an amazing organization!