Sarah Mtonga, who now lives and works in London, grew up in Njebwa, a small village in a remote part of Northern Malawi.

Her family, along with many other families in the country, was devastated by the impact of HIV/AIDS. She was desperate to do something to improve the situation within her local community to relieve hardship and distress, enable and empower self sufficiency, and bring about an improved quality of life.

After much soul searching, discussion and research with the local community and with various organisations, including UNICEF, Sarah came to the view that that the best way to make a real difference was by concentrating on education, improving hygiene and the control of disease and supporting other specific projects that would really benefit the local community. Sarah brought together a group of similar minded people and as a result the Umoyo Orphan Project was formed and obtained charitable status in 2008.

Sarah passionately believed that it was important to involve the local community in identifying priorities and implementing them. To this end a local Umoyo committee was set up in the village. This joint relationship has proved crucial in ensuring that Umoyo meets the needs of the community.