Our Story
From a small community initiative in Dzaleka to a growing organization working to protect children, empower young people, and strengthen vulnerable families.
How CRS Started in 2014
It started with a need we could see
Our story is shaped by the people we serve, the challenges we have faced, the lessons we have learned, and the many people who have walked alongside us. From child protection and education to food security, skills development, girls’ and youth empowerment, and GBV prevention and response, we continue to grow with the community and respond to what matters most.
This is our journey so far, and our story is still being written.
Children Relief Service began in 2014 in Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Malawi, as a small community initiative.
We started because we saw the challenges many children and families around us were facing. Children needed protection and support. Families were struggling with food insecurity and difficult living conditions. Young people had limited opportunities to learn skills, earn an income, and build a better future.
We did not begin with a large office, a big team, or many resources. We began with a desire to respond to the needs we were seeing around us and to do what we could with the resources available to us.
That was the beginning of the Children Relief Service story.
Growing With the Community
We grew by listening
As we continued working with the community, we learned that the needs were connected. Supporting a child also meant looking at the family and the environment around that child.
Over time, our work grew. We began developing programmes that addressed diverse needs, including child protection, education, food security, skills development, girls’ empowerment, youth empowerment, and GBV prevention and response.
We have worked alongside both refugee and host communities, because we believe that communities are strongest when people work together.
We have also learned that lasting change cannot simply be brought into a community from outside. People need to be part of identifying their challenges, shaping solutions, and leading change.
That community-led approach continues to guide us today.
Becoming a Registered Organization
From an initiative to an organization
As our work grew, so did our responsibility to the people we serve.
We understood that if CRS was going to grow and serve communities responsibly, we needed stronger systems, structures, and accountability.
In 2020, CRS was registered as a Community-Based Organization (CBO). In 2022, we became a registered nonprofit organization.
These milestones were important to us. They marked the growth of an initiative that had started within the community into an organization with a stronger structure and a clearer commitment to accountability.
But becoming a registered organization did not change who we are. We remain rooted in the community where our story began.
Our Journey and Impact
Every number represents a person
| WHAT IT REPRESENTS |
|---|
| Founded on 11 May 2014 CRS began serving vulnerable children and communities in Dzaleka. |
| 3,000+ Children Supported Through child protection, education, awareness, and related activities. |
| 2,000+ Young People Empowered Through skills, leadership, entrepreneurship, education, and other opportunities. |
| 2,200+ Girls and Women Empowered Through skills development, empowerment, protection, and economic opportunities. |
| 1,700+ People Reached Through EFL Through English as a Foreign Language (EFL) programmes, helping learners strengthen their English communication skills and access education, information, and essential services that require English. |
| 150+ Families Supported Through Feed the Hungry activities and food-security-related support. |
| 50 Young People Trained in 2026 35 young women and 15 boys completed a six-month vocational training programme in tailoring, hairdressing, makeup, soap making, and glycerine production. |
| 45 Teen Mothers Supported Receiving free vocational training and guidance to continue learning, build practical skills, and create better opportunities for themselves and their children. |
| 70 Learners Enrolled in the New Vocational Cohort A new group of 70 learners began vocational training in July 2026, with training continuing through December 2026. |
When we look at these numbers, we do not simply see statistics.
We see children who have been supported, young people who have learned new skills, girls and women who have gained confidence and opportunities, and families who have received support during difficult moments.
Every person reached is part of our journey.
And behind every achievement are community members, volunteers, staff, partners, donors, and supporters who have believed in this work and helped us move forward.
Our Journey in Milestones
2014
CRS begins
A grassroots community initiative starts in Dzaleka.
2020
CBO Registration
CRS strengthens its organizational foundation through formal CBO registration.
2022
Nonprofit Registration
CRS becomes a registered nonprofit organization.
2023–2025
Growing Our Programmes
CRS expands its work with children, youth, girls, women, and vulnerable families.
2026
Where We Are Today
Still rooted in the community
Today, Children Relief Service (CRS) works alongside vulnerable children, young people, girls, women, and families in Dzaleka Refugee Camp and surrounding communities in Dowa District, Malawi.
Our programmes are shaped by the realities people face every day from challenges in accessing education and protection to hunger, unemployment, limited livelihood opportunities, and gender-based violence.
We believe that lasting change is not only about responding to immediate needs. It is also about creating opportunities for people to develop skills, build confidence, protect their rights, strengthen their livelihoods, and take an active role in shaping their own future.
Through our programmes, CRS works with communities to protect children, fight hunger, empower young people and girls, strengthen families, and build stronger and more resilient communities.
Explore Our Programmes
Child Protection
We work to keep children safe from abuse, violence, exploitation, neglect, and harmful practices while promoting their rights, dignity, participation, and wellbeing.
Education
We create opportunities for children and young people to access learning, develop their skills and confidence, and build pathways toward a brighter and more secure future.
Feed the Hungry
We fight hunger and strengthen food security by supporting vulnerable families with sustainable livelihoods, agricultural opportunities, and practical solutions that build household resilience.
Girls’ Empowerment
We support girls and young women to build skills, confidence, leadership, and economic opportunities so they can make informed choices and shape their own futures.
Youth Empowerment
We equip young people with practical skills, leadership opportunities, entrepreneurship, and pathways toward self-reliance, meaningful participation, and sustainable livelihoods.
GBV Prevention & Response
We work with communities to prevent gender-based violence, promote awareness and protection, strengthen referral pathways, and support safer and more inclusive communities.
Looking Ahead
Our Story Is Still Being Written
We know that there is still much to do.
Many children and families continue to face challenges. Young people need more opportunities. Girls and women need greater access to skills and economic opportunities. Communities need stronger protection systems and sustainable ways to meet their basic needs.
We want to continue growing our programmes, reaching more people, strengthening our partnerships, and finding practical solutions that respond to the realities of the communities we serve.
We also want to continue learning from the people at the heart of our work.
Our story started in Dzaleka in 2014, but it does not end here.
Our story is still being written with the community, for the community, and with everyone who believes that children deserve to be protected and communities deserve the opportunity to thrive
