New books for Malawi Network

1200 Books for Starfish Malawi

Last month, the Sovereign World Trust team delivered around 1,200 books to a cargo container bound for the Christian resource libraries of Starfish Malawi. The shipment included individual packs of books for students and pastors, as well as shelving brackets.

This latest delivery builds on a longstanding partnership with Starfish Malawi, a Christian charity founded in 2003 by Chris Knott. The organisation works to reduce extreme poverty and build the Kingdom of God in the lives of children through collaborative efforts in communities, schools, and churches across the UK and Malawi. Its projects span Christian teaching, education, health, and agriculture, with a focus on making a difference in individual lives.

From the outset, Starfish recognised the importance of combining practical support with spiritual and moral development. Alongside helping communities become more self-sufficient, they have prioritised Christian education and support for local pastors, seeing relevant Christian resources as a key part of that mission.

In 2010, Starfish established its first library in Salima, a town about an hour from the capital, Lilongwe. The following year, the Trust helped strengthen the collection with a donation of 300 books, particularly benefiting pastors eager to deepen their learning. The library grew rapidly, attracting more than 260 regular members, many of whom travelled significant distances from surrounding towns and villages.

As demand increased, the project expanded beyond Salima. Additional satellite libraries were set up to serve pastors who would otherwise spend hours travelling, often cycling long distances, to access resources. What began with three additional libraries soon grew by another three.

Following a visit by Trust Director Chris Moffett, who assessed the impact alongside local coordinator Bornwell Yona, further steps were taken to support the smaller centres. A system was introduced to rotate books between locations, ensuring a greater variety of resources across the network.

Today, under Bornwell’s leadership, the library programme has grown to include 11 centres: Salima, Area 25 (Lilongwe), Mvera, Chezi, Chipoka, Siyasiya, Thavite, Sengabay, Mtakataka, Mponera and Ngodzi.

Each centre is given guidance on how to run a library effectively, with structured loan systems in place. Membership is also carefully managed, with new members ratified by their church leadership to help maintain accountability.

The latest shipment of books will help strengthen this expanding network, continuing a partnership that equips pastors, supports students, and serves these communities faithfully.