Promoting gender and justice is one of vital aspects of human development because it unlocks people’s potential for a prosperous and inclusive society.
We cannot talk about a safer and healthier society without gender justice which ensures people’s access to justice, health, education and economic opportunities.
It is for this reason that lawyer and human rights practitioner Sarai Chisala-Tempelhoff established Gender and Justice Unit (GJM) to champion gender and justice among women.
She says the country’s major challenge is the gap between legal protections and reality.
Sarai observes that even when laws exist, many women don’t seek justice because of fear, stigma, economic dependency, or community pressure.
For example, she says gender-based violence (GBV) survivors often lack safe spaces to report their experiences, counselling and guidance on how to move through formal structures.
Therefore, she said there was a need to ensure women have their fundamental rights and freedoms respected.
“I founded GJM in 2017 after witnessing the gap between the rights women hold in principle and the realities they face in practice. Too many women live with the consequences of laws they cannot access, do not understand, or cannot activate without guidance.
“So, I created the organisation to ensure the law becomes a practical, accessible and empowering tool for women and girls, not a distant system that excludes or intimidates them,” she says.
Sarai adds that her entire career has been shaped by the conviction that justice must be lived and felt, not merely written in statutes.
GJU is a feminist-driven organisation that pairs legal information with psychosocial support, community engagement, safe house referrals and court accompaniment.
It also tackles unequal power dynamics, violence and discrimination that disadvantage women and their participation in development.
Sarai says she grew up surrounded by strong women whose resilience and independence taught her the value of knowledge and self-advocacy.
“During the height of the HIV and Aids crisis, I saw how misinformation costs lives, including women in my own family. These experiences made it clear that legal empowerment and accessible information are central to gender justice,” she said.
One of GJU’s core activities is to provide of free legal services through mobile legal clinics.
These clinics take legal assistance directly into communities and offer legal advice, rights awareness, trauma informed support and referrals for GBV survivors.
Through this work, women who might never reach a lawyer access information about maintenance, domestic violence, protection orders, inheritance issues and many other challenges.
They also provide court accompaniment and psychosocial support, ensuring survivors do not face the justice system alone.
The organisation works across Malawi, with its primary areas of operation in Lilongwe and Dedza, where they have established long-term community partnerships.
In Lilongwe, their work is rooted in communities at Chigwirizano, Chitipi, Lumbadzi and Mtandire.
In each of these areas, they have developed strong networks of community liaisons who play a vital role in supporting women’s access to justice.
They address the structural and cultural challenges that perpetuate gender inequality by training community liaisons, partnering with leaders and engaging in public dialogues about gender justice, digital violence and human rights.
“These liaisons identify GBV survivors, guide them through available services, help with referrals, accompany them to court when necessary, offer practical and emotional support.
“They also participate in our training programmes and contribute insights that help us design interventions,” she says.
Since 2023, GJU has registered tremendous impact having reached and supported 3 993 women across Malawi.
They have conducted 33 mobile legal clinics and filed 64 cases on behalf of clients seeking justice.
“These numbers represent more than statistics. They represent women whose lives have been directly touched by legal information, protection and support that they may not otherwise have received,” Sarai says.
She says her organisation collaborates with other stakeholders such as the Women Judges Association of Malawi, the Women Lawyers Association of Malawi, the Ministry of Gender, traditional and religious leaders, and multiple community structures to empower women in the country.
“Through these alliances, we help strengthen Malawi’s justice ecosystem and expand access to legal protections. We also host MalawiLII which provides free public access to legal information and helps increase transparency and accountability within the justice sector,” she says.
Through their empowerline, which is Africa’s first toll free legal empowerment platform for survivors of GBV, they provide simplified legal information through both an interactive voice response telephone line and a smartphone application.
Since its launch in April 2025, the system has been used by about 450 women and 185 men.
“It presents legal information in English, Chichewa, Chitumbuka and Chiyao. This tool removes barriers created by geography, language, literacy and cost. It allows women and men to access critical legal information privately and safely.” adds Sarai.
She went to Zomba Private Primary School, South End Primary School in Blantyre and Groombridge Primary School in Harare.
Sarai attended Dominican Convent Secondary School in Harare and Phwezi Girls Secondary School in Rumphi District.
She was selected to attend University of Malawi in Zomba, where she initially enrolled in a humanities programme.
After her first year, she transferred to the faculty of law.
Sarai completed her law degree with honours, graduating in the top 10 of her class and as one of only three women to earn a 2:1 degree that year.
She earned a master of laws in human rights and democratisation in Africa from the University of Pretoria.
She also obtained a graduate certificate in women’s and gender studies from the University of Memphis.
She began her career at Chagwamnjira and Company and later at Mtambo and Company.
Her transition from private practice to human rights work attracted interest internationally.
In March 2004, she was selected by the British Council to participate in a three-month mini pupillage at Doughty Street Chambers in London.
GJU’s work also influences national and international understanding of women’s experiences.
Recently, their community liaisons contributed critical insights to a Human Rights Watch study on obstetric violence in Malawi.
Sarai from Madimba Village in Likoma District.
She is the firstborn daughter in a family of five siblings.
“My mother, who pursued her MBA while working full time and raising a family, showed me the power of perseverance and the importance of education for women.
My grandmother, Veronica Chisala, ran Martin’s Tasty Foods restaurant in Blantyre and I watched her run the business with confidence, precision and pride. These women showed me what women can accomplish when they claim their space fully,” she says.
Her father, who once lectured at the University of Malawi and later the University of Zimbabwe, also played a big role in her upbringing.
Sarai is a mother of three boys and raises them to value equality and humanity.
She is passionate about art, design and creating beautiful, expressive spaces.
Her advice to women: “Your voice matters; in your home, school, community and every space you will one day enter.
“Gender justice is not abstract. It is not something reserved for experts or lawyers. It begins with your sense of worth and understanding that your life, choices and dreams have value.”
