Achieving Dreams

16:35:40Atsikana Pa Ulendo (APU) is a Malawi/Canada organization dedicated to helping young Malawian women achieve self-sufficiency through education. Below you will read the stories of Memory Chazeza and Christie Johnson. Christie and her supporters are helping Memory acheive her dream to build a secondary school for girls in Malawi. Memory knows firsthand the impact higher education can have on the lives of young girls in Malawi. In reaching her dream of obtaining a Bachelor of Education degree, Memory envisions the day when other girls in Malawi, too, can reach their dreams. PROGRAM DEFINITION ______________________________________________________________________

Memory Chazeza

An orphan from a young age, Memory struggled hard to complete her education. In 2006, Memory graduated from university with a degree in education, a lifelong dream she once thought to be unattainable. She is now the Director of APU Secondary School for Girls in rural Malawi. She is putting her considerable talents and passion into improving the lives of hundreds of other young girls who are suffering the same hardships that she has overcome. Through her work with girls and education, Memory has become a respected role model, and has single-handedly changed the views of the male leaders in her community. They are now encouraging their daughters to continue with their schooling. Not only are they willingly accepting leadership from a woman, but they are actively seeking Memory’s advice. Because of Memory, thousands of little girls now believe that they too can have a future – a future that includes education, health, independence and empowerment.

Christie Johnson

Christie is a biology teacher (B.Sc. And B.Ed.) with 13 years of teaching experience in secondary schools in Alberta and British Columbia.  She is  currently working at Lester B  Pearson College of the Pacific (http://www.pearsoncollege.ca/), as a House Parent in East House.  In the past four years she has taught Biology and Marine Science at both Pearson College as well as St. Michael's University School in Victoria. Her first teaching position was at the Oliver School, Nellie McClung Girls Program in Edmonton.  She has also worked for Public Education at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Center on Vancouver Island. 

Christie first met Memory in August 2000 when she went to volunteer teach at an all girls school in Malawi. The school that they were teaching at closed in Dec 2000, and she and Memory decided to continue working together to keep their 24 students in school. Christie returned to her teaching position in Canada and started to fundraise while Memory gathered the girls and found a new school for them (Phwezi).  Most of these girls were successful in obtaining their M.S.C.E.’s.  Three of them have now completed degree programs at Bunda College in Lilongwe, 2 received diplomas from the Natural Resource College, and many of them now own and operate their own small businesses. 

Christie and Memory worked with these girls for seven years to support them in their educational goals.  They have learned a great deal through this experience and Christie was more than happy to support Memory when she came to Christie in 2006 to tell her of her dream to open a Secondary School that would give impoverished girls in rural Malawi a chance to complete their education and become independent.

Christie's current role with the APU Girls Education Project in Malawi includes fundraising, communicating with donors and sponsors (website content, newsletter content, matching of Canadian sponsors with APU students), preparation of funding projections and financial reports in collaboration with with APU Malawi,  working with Memory and her staff in making educational decisions and collect information about staffing, student selection and progress for her reports to the APU Canada Board. 

To book a presentation at your school, club, or gathering, please e-mail Christie at cjohnson@pearsoncollege.ca.

To discover more about our first 22 girls and their journey toward independence click here.

To learn more about the APU Committee in Canada and how you can help click here.

To read APU's mission statement click here.

	APU MALAWI
	Henry Mdyetseni Henry is an engineer by profession. As her husband, Henry has been supporting Memory in all her work to get APU on the road by handling the construction side of the project, starting with getting the architectural designs completed, the building planning, and the actual construction.
	Monica Changanamuno is married to McAlly; they have two girls, Takondwa, who is 11 years old and Tayamika, who is 7 years old. Monica is currently working as a Psychosocial Support and Early Childhood Development Coordinator for NOVOC, which is a network for all the organizations working with orphans and vulnerable children in Malawi. She is an MBA student majoring in management. She has experience in educational work and library work so her involvement is in the actual running of the school (ensuring there are students, staff, teaching and learning materials, etc.). Monica is from the area where APU is being constructed so she is very happy to have "this wonderful opportunity offered to the girls in my area".
	Godfrey Kaita
	APU ALBERTA
	Ken Haywood Public Relations Rotary Club of Edmonton Northeast Ken is from Edmonton Alberta. Born and raised in Vancouver, Ken moved to Edmonton in 1970 where he started a Ford dealership - Kentwood Ford. Retired in 1996, Ken is a strong supporter of Christie Johnson and the Malawi project; he believes Christie and Memory make a Great Team and supports their efforts.
	Elly Contreras is a member of the Rotary Club of Stony Plain, and a Past District Governor of D5370.She has kept herself busy these past few years with a number of Rotary Projects. Elly is currently serving a three year term as one of 3 Rotary International Membership Zone Coordinators in Zone 22, training and inspiring District Leaders and Clubs on effective Membership recruitment and retention, her main focus is on the importance of recruiting younger people in to Rotary and ensure all members receive adequate education about Rotary. Elly also serves as the Northern Lights Newsletter editor for Zone 22. On the humanitarian side, Elly has been involved in a Orphanage project in Siberia and is currently chair of the Alberta based APU committee, helping Christie and Memory giving 80 young girls in Malawi hope for a future.This project has evolved into something much larger than she could ever imagine and with many individuals and clubs involved it sounds very promising. Elly hopes to visit Malawi in the next few years to see the results of our work.
	Larry Johnson Fundraising Past District Governor Rotary Club of St. Albert
	Ramiro Contreras Fundraising Rotary Club of Spruce Grove
	Charlie Shroder Treasurer Rotary Club of St. Albert
	Rob Fricker Incoming Chair (July 2008), Rotary Club of St. Albert
	Donna Johnson
	Sheila Haywood
	Roberta Laurie
	APU BRITISH COLUMBIA
	David Stocks Chair and Treasurer - Rotary Club of Sooke David and Frances Stocks live near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. David is a management consultant. His professional activities included strategic planning and the design of comprehensive business architectures in the public and private sectors. He has designed and delivered a variety of training courses in the fields of consulting skills and consultative sales.David is a member of several boards including Sooke Philharmonic Society, Sooke Elderly Citizens' Housing Society, and Sooke Rotary Community Organization. He is Treasurer of the Sooke Rotary Club and Assistant Governor for six Rotary Clubs in the Victoria area. He is delighted to be assisting Christie and Memory to achieve their dreams on behalf of the young women of Malawi.
	Patrick Fallon Accountant - Rotary Club of Sooke Patrick Fallon is the founder and Managing Director of SPT Consulting Group, a management consultancy operating in Alberta, British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest U.S. states. As a Certified Management Consultant, he assists public and private sector organizations in Canada, U.S., and U.K. to improve their performance through effective management and integration of strategy, processes and technology. Previously, Mr. Fallon was a practice leader with a major international consultancy and a financial executive with two Canadian chartered banks. In community service, Patrick is a director of the Rotary Club of Sooke, B.C. and is a member of the Steering Committee for the Official Community Plan Review for the District of Sooke.
	Tricia Timmermans (Website Maintenance). Tricia is a member of the Rotary Club of Oak Bay and is a professional photographer/writer living in Victoria. She has travelled and volunteered in Africa, Asia, North, South and Central America, the Philippines, and Australia, and has lived in 6 Canadian provinces and territories. In November 2007 Memory and Henry most graciously hosted Tricia for a week when she visited Lilongwe and the APU site after a Rotary polio immunzation trip to Ethiopia and a visit to Rotary projects in South Africa. This trip solidified her decision to work towards helping Memory and Christie in the development of a Girls' Secondary School. Tricia recently completed a Masters degree in Communications at Royal Roads University in Victoria.
	Chris Hyde PR Rotary Club of Sooke Chris is a retired Federal Public Servant who spent several years working for the Canadian Coast Guard and for Forestry Canada. He joined the newly-formed Sooke Rotary Club in 1988 as a charter member. He has always been interested in the international aspects of Rotary and currently is a member of the club's World Community Service Committee. He is also the treasurer of the Rotary District 5020 Project Unity Commitee (PUC) which represents 11 Victoria-area clubs and supports several overseas projects. Chis is very fond of travelling and met his wife Olivia while on a trip through Mexico. They have been married for 31 years and have two grown-up sons. .
	Colleen Milne Fundraising Rotary Club of Westshore Colleen owns and operates a real estate office in Victoria, BC. She first traveled to Africa as part of a Rotary Polio Vaccination trip in 2006. While in Africa she spent time in Ethiopia and with Memory & Henry in Malawi. The Rotary Club of West Shore, where Colleen is a member, sent funds with Colleen to build a well in the village in Malawi where Memory was raised. Colleen has also become involved in a Women's Foundation in Ethiopia that supports women with Fistula. Colleen has been very touched by the beauty and strength of the African people and water & healthcare for women, in particular, has become a passion of Colleen's.
	Brian Davison: Fundraising. Brian is a Director and Chair of Community Service of the Rotary Club of West Shore in Victoria BC. He retired in 2006 after a decades-long career with the Royal Bank of Canada. He is married to Maureen and has two sons, Rob and Keith.  Brian feels he has been blessed with a wonderful family and life. Giving back is very important to him. With the encouragement and support of his employer, he participated in volunteering and lifelong learning throughout his career and continues to do so in retirement. He truly believes that education can improve and change the world.
	I now understand that on this continent, all of our dreams can be realized; we can be who we want, and pretty much do what we want. But not so elsewhere where there is little idea of the big picture, of change, and of opportunities. I'm here to be of service in educating and improving lives, and to assure the success of the school. I live in Metchosin. I am the Colwood Rotary Club World Services Director, Project Unity Chair, an electrical contractor, husband, lucky dad, soccer coach, and world traveler with the kids (India, Malawi, others) so as to demystify the third world and our own lives, and to seek and learn the global values of education where it's needed