At Hands at Work, our volunteers are called by God from all over the world to serve the most vulnerable in Africa. Each of us has a unique story of how we were transformed when we stepped out in faith and were obedient to His call. Tanaziyo shares his story and the journey that has led him to fully trust and serve in Malawi.
I grew up living with my mum, dad and five siblings in the community of Maonde in Malawi. I attended school but when I reached grade 8, I had to stop because of a lack of finances. When I was 16 years old, I started doing piecework in someone’s garden to raise funds and then moved to Mozambique to support my own personal needs. In 2004, I returned to Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, where I did piecework from 2004-2006. When I was 17 years old, I accepted Jesus Christ into my life while I was living with my bosses, who were ‘Sunday Christians’. One night, I had a dream where I heard that I needed to stop and pray. I heard God’s voice, showing me how to be born again and follow the real Jesus Christ.
When I became a Christian, my relationship with my boss wasn’t good and so I went back to my parents’ house, where I returned to school to finish my exams. After finishing school, my pastor said we needed to form a community-based organisation to save our children. The pastor approached me because I had experienced vulnerability and I wanted to help others, because I know what it is like to be vulnerable. We connected and then partnered with Hands at Work through Uncle Royie (the coordinator of the local Hands at Work team in Dedza). From there, I came to Kachele Village in Zambia, where I joined a programme called ‘Walking with wounded children’. I came to receive training and be equipped with skills to be able to support the vulnerable children within our communities. In 2011, I became a Care Worker in my community, with my primary role being to help the children with homework.
In 2014, I joined the local Hands at Work team in Dedza. Since I joined Hands at Work, I have developed a heart of ‘adoption’ and am understanding what it means to ‘make it personal’. I have developed good relationships with the youth and a heart of caring. I have brought a 2-year-old boy from my church to live with my family because his mother passed away.
A challenge that I have is limited resources, even when I want to give more. Sometimes people assume that in this work, when I walk with white people, that I have lots of money and people view me that I have a better life. Even though we are using our own money, people look down on and undermine us. Yet, I trust God, that he can do all things and support me. Serving with Hands at Work, I have learned more about God and it’s by his grace that I have had different experiences and learned lots about how to ‘make it personal’ and learn from a variety of cultures. Hands at Work has shown me how to become more patient, and what it means to be humble.
Tanaziyo lives in Maonde, Malawi, with his wife and three children, both biological and adopted. He continues to serve as a member of the local Hands at Work team in Dedza.