Dreams Within Reach | Yamikani’s Story

Just out of reach

MALAWI – Before joining a savings group in Malawi, Yamikani dreamed of a better life for his children and family. He imagined always having enough to eat, buying new clothes when needed, and helping neighboring children with their school fees—but these dreams always felt just out of reach.

Although Yamikani worked hard selling potatoes and tutoring primary school students, his income often wasn’t enough to make ends meet. “Sometimes my family could only have breakfast and dinner,” he shares. “I couldn’t even manage to buy fertilizer for my farm.”

And if feeding his family was already a struggle, saving money felt impossible. Yamikani knew that creating more streams of income could be the solution, but a lack of startup capital left him stuck.

Coming into view

In 2023, Yamikani joined the Unity savings group after hearing about it from his pastor.

The group provided a safe place to save—and set attainable goals that Yamikani could achieve. With the added accountability of saving alongside others in the group, Yamikani saved up enough to upgrade his tutoring business and open a school with his wife within a year. They named it Mount Miracle.

“I saw that this community had no nursery schools which were affordable,” he shares. “I thought it would be good to provide education to the kids.”

Within Reach

Yamikani credits the savings group with supporting him in achieving this milestone. A safe place to save and encouragement from fellow group members helped him stay on course to afford rent and school materials. And whenever the couple faced challenges in their business, the group would pray for them.

Participating in and even leading Bible studies in the group helped him grow in other ways, too: “I am also able to stand in front of the church and preach, and this is something I never used to do before.”

Today, having enough to eat is no longer a problem for Yamikani’s household, and he and his wife regularly save. With income from his school and farm, they purchased a motorcycle, refrigerator, and more. Next, they hope to purchase land for their own school building.

“I feel good now and my future is bright,” he says.

Pictured in header image: students at the Mount Miracle school with their teacher (left), Yamikani’s wife, Blessings (center), and Yamikani (right).