Our Impact

Over the past 5 years, Kids of Malawi has distributed over $90,000 in grants to advance our mission.

Supporting Staff

Kids of Malawi works collaboratively to provide grants directly to Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) to help provide relief to overloaded staff.. The Department of Pediatrics at KCH identifies its staffing needs, and we provide targeted grants to support those priorities. In addition, we have supported training programs to enhance the skills of staff in caring for sick children.

Small Grants, Huge Impacts

Kamuzu Central Hospital is one of Malawi’s largest hospitals and plays a vital role in the country’s pediatric healthcare. We focus on achievable projects that create lasting, far-reaching change. Alongside ongoing grants that helps cover nurse and clinician shifts, we respond to requests for smaller grants that address urgent needs as they arise. When resources are deployed strategically, even a modest grant can set off a ripple effect with outsized results.

  • Helping to mitigate severe health worker shortages during peak malaria season and cholera surges, preventing unnecessary deaths.

    • KOM has supported at least 450 additional doctor and clinician shifts annually for over 5 years, ensuring every patient is seen and treated every day.

    • Funded hiring of up to 10 full time nurse interns for the past 3 years, expanding the workforce during busy months. 

  • Procurement of essential medications (antibiotics/IV fluids) helps eliminate critical supply gaps, enabling immediate bedside interventions to reduce preventable mortality. 

  • A grant supported the renovations of a break room for the nursing staff of about 60 nurses who provide amazing care to the children of Malawi by giving them a better space to rest and recharge while on duty. 

  • Educational grants support 2 bachelor’s degrees in pediatric nursing and one in applied statistics for a data clerk. In addition, we support a pediatric resident in training.

A track record of working hand in hand with the Pediatrics Department at KCH: 


2025 Grant Allocation

New Resident Training Spaces

Through our recent Back to School fundraiser we were able to support the creation of academic space in the Kamuzu Central Hospital Department of Paediatrics for a new residency training program. The rooms are now finished! Check out the photos of this beautiful space that will support health care providers at Kamuzu Central Hospital as they take on education, research, and clinical work – all focused on giving the best health care to children.

Fostering Partnerships

Kids of Malawi partnered with the South-South Partnerships in Paediatric Surgery to fund two surgeons in training – Kudzayi Munanzvi and Patricia Shinondo. An excerpt of their report is below.

We were privileged to have been part of this elective which ran from the 4th August to the 29th September 2019 at the Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe, Malawi. This was funded by a grant facilitated by Professor Kokila Lakhoo of University of Oxford, and Kids of Malawi USA. We were involved in clinical work which included daily paediatric surgical ward rounds, weekly out-patient department reviews, elective theatre operative cases, and on-call and emergency duties. Workload included operative cases totaling 51, of which we were either 1st or 2nd surgeon.

Visiting Pediatric Fellows perform Life Saving Surgeries

With the help of KOM donors, two Pediatric Surgical Fellows from Zambia and Zimbabwe who were able to perform 51 lifesaving surgeries while working at KCH. Funding their transportation and housing while they worked for 2 months at KCH, KOM was able to financially support these surgeons in their career development and perform critical lifesaving procedures. This is just one example of the lifesaving work a KOM donation goes towards.

KOM Partners with Maryland Hospitals for Medical Supplies

Members of KOM were able to obtain $30,000 of medical supplies, and these items were delivered by working in partnership with the SEED Global Heath/Global Health Service Partnership and several community hospitals in Maryland.

KOM Helps to Procure Life Saving Supplies

One of the ways that KOM provides aid to Kamuzu Central Hospital is by seeking and receiving medical supplies. This has included anything from simple disposable syringes, thermometers, and pulse oximeters, to more expensive medical equipment. In recent years, members of KOM have helped procure over $30,000 of life saving supplies for KCH.