About
TIWACT
An international education cooperation platform started by two college students

Founding story

Believe in the power of transnational educational cooperation

TIWACT stands for "Together we act". The "TI" in TIWACT stands for "Tiwalimbikitse", which means "Let's encourage them together" in Chichewa.

We got to know each other in Malawi in 2022. We come from different countries, different growth backgrounds, and different educational backgrounds. However, we all care about education issues in Malawi and believe that new possibilities can be created through our different backgrounds.

We will cooperate with residents and relevant organizations in the community and lead Malawi college students service teams to primary schools to support students in continuing to attend school. We hope to hold regular activities with local Malawian students in public primary schools and build trusting relationships with local universities, primary schools, communities, non-profit organizations, and even government personnel.

Common Founder

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Rena Yokogawa

National Taiwan University

I first came to Malawi in 2022, where I interned for six weeks through the university’s global health program. It was my first time setting foot on African soil, and everything was so new: the sea-like Lake Malawi, the colorful traditional fabrics, and the people who were very passionate about education. They believe that the education of children is the key to Malawi's future, and this includes university students, teachers and NGO workers. Malawi’s beautiful scenery, rich culture and warm people touched me deeply and I cannot forget this country. Unfortunately, after the internship, I have to return to Taiwan to continue school! But after returning to China, I also wanted to keep in touch with Malawi, so I discussed it with Blessing, a college student in Malawi, and finally decided to co-found the transnational education project TIWACT. We hope that people of different nationalities and backgrounds can work together to bring more meaning. In the past, I was relatively indifferent to society, but in 2019, I met a group of young Taiwanese who have hope for society. They sang "Island Sky Light" and cheered for the young people of Hong Kong. I was deeply moved by them, so even though I couldn't even say "hello" in Chinese at the most basic level, I decided to go to Taiwan from Japan to study at university. During the three years I have lived in Taiwan, my heart has been completely captured by the charm of Taiwan! I usually like food, chatting, and dogs! Of the IG recommendations I received, 80% were about Taiwanese food, and the other 20% were about dogs. Sitting in a breakfast shop, enjoying breakfast and chatting with the enthusiastic Taiwanese proprietress, this wonderful day started to make me feel happy. Together we act! Let’s explore the world together~!

Blessings Chirambo

Mzuzu University

I am Blessings Chirambo, co-founder of TIWACT. I grew up in Mzuzu, Malawi, near Chiputula Primary School (TIWACT’s first cooperative primary school). When I was in elementary school, I attended Hillcrest Private Elementary School, but many of my friends attended Chiptula Elementary School. By communicating with them, I found that they encountered many difficulties in learning. As their friend, I was very worried, but I was too young to provide help at the time. Now, we live near the school, and I have found that many students drop out of school for various reasons, including early pregnancy problems among young female students. As an adult studying at the University of Mzuzu, Rena Yokogawa, Maki and other friends and I decided to take action to solve the problems faced not only by Chiptula Primary School but also by other primary schools. During the TIWACT activities, we communicated with different people and found that many people want to see the progress of all primary school students around the world. This motivates us to work harder to improve the education system. In addition, I am a person who loves games and football, but also good food. Talking to people is also part of my hobby, it brings fun and entertainment. I would like to give special thanks to Rena Yokogawa, she proves that dreams can come true... Thanks also to all organization members for taking the time to participate in this project. Welcome to join us and create miracles together! 💓 Thank you very much for your support.