Courageous Musasa:  Founded Courageous Kids Foundation

In the busy streets of Blantyre where the daily struggle for survival is a harsh reality for street children, one woman stands out as a ray of hope.

Driven by her unwavering desire to transform the lives of disadvantaged children, Courageous Musasa took a bold step to establish the Courageous Kids Foundation in 2013.

Through her tireless efforts, she not only provides a safe shelter for vulnerable children, but also offers a platform for them to reach their goal by supporting their education.

Musasa says her passion for children in difficult circumstances emanates from her own background as a street child.

She says: “My parents passed away when l was 11 years old. With no one to help me and my siblings, we had no other choice, but to make the streets our home. Life became hard.

“To be frank, the street is a dangerous place for one to call home. As a young girl, l faced a lot of abuses, including rape. I was raped countless times. l wasn’t aware that it was an offence worth reporting as l thought it was normal.”

Musasa recalls that in some instances, she was assigned to carry out criminal activities such as stealing.

She narrates: “We stayed on the streets of Blantyre for two years up until Friends of Mulanje Orphans took us to their orphanage. That is where we learnt that life is not about enduring abuses or engaging in bad behaviour.

“We were enrolled in a certain school in Mulanje. After staying there for some time, we thought about coming back to Blantyre. By then, l was 18 years old.”

Her experience on the streets and the kindness encountered at the orphanage made her take the courageous step of taking street connected children to her house in Chilobwe Township in Blantyre.

“All l wanted was to create a good environment for children to learn some quality behaviour that can make them responsible citizens,” she says.

Musasa believes that by giving the children a home, she save them from abuses and bad behaviour that bedevils the streets.

“I believe that staying with them will prevent them from experiencing what l went through,” she says.

Musasa interacts with the children to understand circumstances that led to their homelessness. She also ignites a desire for them to go back to school.

“My goal is not just to offer them shelter, but education to become reliable citizens,” she says.

Her journey was driven by love and passion to make a difference.

Musasa did not know the laws governing orphanages.

She says her actions bought fear in the community because of the negative perceptions people have with the street connected children.

“People feared that the children would wreak havoc in the community. Village Head Chilobwe advised me to get registered so that l should get the authorisation to keep street kids,” she says.

Chilobwe and some church leaders helped her to register the organisation.

So, the Courageous Kids Foundation was born with 13 children under its care.

In 2019, the orphanage moved from Chilobwe to Mpemba with 70 children.

The organisation then benefitted from FDH Bank’s benevolence when it bought a house for the children.

Musasa notes that the number of children who need care keeps rising.

“After Cyclone Freddy hit the city, the number increased to 97 because some children lost their parents in the disaster and they sought shelter from me,” said.

Looking at the progress so far, the 30-year-old courageous caregiver says she is happy to see the children getting education as well as shelter.

“Now l have seven children who are at university, 41 are in secondary school, six are at nursery level and 43 are in primary,” she says.

Musasa says she raises school fees for the children from various businesses that she runs.

“For instance, we have an arts and gallery shop here at Courageous Kids Foundation where we sell bracelets and key holders,” says Musasa.

The foundation also rented a farm where they cultivate various crops whose proceeds are used to boost the institution’s fund.

It is also supported by Gift of the Givers who provide food. Musasa, however, calls for more support.

Courageous Kids also runs a clinic where the children get medical care.

“Since we already have a clinic with a full-time nurse and part-time doctors, we are asking well wishers to help us with medical equipment and medicine,” says Musasa.

She says children need love and motivation for them to be moulded into responsible citizens.

Says Musasa: “At Courageous Kids Foundation, we have a programme called Tsogolo Focus where we give the children an opportunity to think about what they want to become in future.

“I teach them based on their areas of interest. For instance, if one is interested in business or art, I ensure they are knowledgeable about their career.”

The organisation also runs the Leaving No Girl Behind programme aimed at motivating the girls to be focused on their ambitions.

Looking forward, Musasa plans to organise a fundraising activity to raise K7.5 million which will be used to purchase farmland.

She says: “In our long term plans, we would also like to construct a school because school fees is always a challenge.

“It is my wish to see all the street connected children to learn and their lives changing,” she says.

Musasa has embarked on this mission with courage. Are you courageous enough to join her in transforming the street-connected children?