Divine Mugisha, a Mastercard Foundation Scholar, shares a powerful journey shaped by growing up in Dzaleka, where overcrowded classrooms and limited teachers made quality education out of reach for many learners.
What began as a personal dream in 2023—to build a secondary school—has now become the Supportive Pillar Leadership Academy, a refugee-led initiative aiming to transform access to education in Malawi. The idea was shaped by Divine’s lived experience in the camp and later strengthened after excelling academically at USIU-Africa, where she began to see what was possible with access to quality learning.
Her vision gained momentum through support from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and fundraising efforts, including a documentary project that helped raise awareness and secure early land funding for the school in 2025.
Despite financial challenges, Divine and her team continue building step by step, with plans to construct classrooms, sanitation facilities, and a borehole, alongside launching a modified curriculum that blends national education with leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Beyond academics, the school is designed to be a safe and empowering space where refugee and local youth can develop practical skills, confidence, and purpose.
Looking ahead, Divine’s vision extends far beyond one school—she aims to build a network of refugee-led schools and learning spaces across camps in Africa, reshaping how refugee communities are seen and what they can achieve.
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