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| Sifa Stone stiches reuseable sanitary pads for women and girls in the Dzaleka. Photo: OCHA/Gladys Ntambalika |
Based on OCHA’s report on CERF‑supported training in Malawi
When Sifa Stone arrived in Dzaleka in 2016, she expected challenges. What she didn’t expect was to raise her two sons alone after her husband left a year later. With no steady income, she survived through small jobs like washing clothes, and her children sometimes missed school because the family lacked food and basic supplies.
Her situation began to shift in 2021 when the World Food Programme trained residents to sew COVID‑19 masks. Sifa joined the effort, building on the basic tailoring skills she brought from the DRC. But the real turning point came in 2025, when CERF funding supported a UNHCR training on making reusable sanitary pads. Sifa was among 26 participants selected for the two‑day course.
With the sewing machine she received from WFP, she now earns enough to feed her children and keep them in school. She also helps train others in the camp and continues sewing uniforms and other items to supplement her income.
“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunities that have transformed my life,” she said in the OCHA report.
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