Tingathe Malawi

What Tingathe Malawi does

Tingathe Malawi is a Malawian non-governmental organization founded in 2016 and headquartered in Mtandire, Lilongwe. It partners with peri-urban communities to deliver vocational training, life-skills education, and women's empowerment programs targeting vulnerable youth (ages 18-35), school-age children (ages 6-15), and women micro-entrepreneurs. Its core program portfolio comprises the Tingathe Training Programme (TTP), a 7-to-12-month vocational course in carpentry, joinery, tailoring, horticulture, bricklaying, arts and crafts, and eco-briquette production; the Children's Life Skills Programme; the Tingathe Geni Programme for women; TEVET Clubs in secondary schools; and the Community Leaders Engagement Programme, which mobilizes over 60 chiefs from Lilongwe West, East, and North.

The organization's core technology is hands-on practical vocational instruction rather than software, anchored by the Tingathe One Stop Center in Area 56, Mtandire (completed 2024) and two additional eco-briquette training centers in Mtsiliza and Mtandire. Programmatic differentiators include a comprehensive Poverty Graduation Model that bundles vocational, life, and business skills with post-program mentorship and access to the Alumni Loan Initiative. Strategic funding partnerships with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNDP/UNOPS, the Mastercard Foundation (via Digital Opportunity Trust and mHub), and others underpin the Eco-Briquettes Project and the Going Beyond Project. Tingathe's distribution is direct-to-beneficiary via its own training facilities, partner schools, and community offices, with no software product, API, or app.

Tingathe is a non-profit entity generating no commercial revenue. Operating inflows come from grants and donations (including GoFundMe) plus interest/repayment from the Alumni Loan Initiative. Programs are provided free of charge; alumni generate downstream economic activity (micro-businesses producing furniture, clothing, eco-briquettes, and agricultural goods) rather than revenue to the organization itself. The organization is led by co-founders Sarah Lindeire (Country Representative) and Aubrey Lindeire (Executive Director), with a core team of seven plus interns, and received the Zikomo Award from the President of Malawi in 2023.

Name

Tingathe Malawi

Legal name

Tingathe

Website

https://tingathemalawi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tingathe Malawi is a 2016-founded Malawian NGO in Lilongwe delivering free vocational training, children's life-skills programs, and women's empowerment initiatives to vulnerable youth, women, and children in peri-urban communities, supported by grants from GEF, UNDP, and the Mastercard Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Training and Community Empowerment Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)

Keywords

• Vocational training services
• Youth skills development
• Women empowerment programs
• Community development programs
• Poverty alleviation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lilongwe

HQ country

Malawi

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Tingathe operates as a non-governmental organization funded through donations (GoFundMe), grants from international organizations, and partnerships with development agencies. Programs are delivered free to beneficiaries.
2. Alumni Loan Initiative: Provides small loans to program graduates to boost their businesses. Interest and repayments help sustain the initiative and support more beneficiaries.
3. Product Sales from Alumni: While not direct revenue, alumni produce and sell goods (furniture, clothing, eco-briquettes, vegetables) generated through skills training, creating economic impact in communities.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tingathe Malawi is a Lilongwe-based non-governmental organization that delivers free vocational training, life skills, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy programs to vulnerable out-of-school youth (ages 18-35), women micro-entrepreneurs, and children (ages 6-15) in peri-urban communities. Core offerings include the Tingathe Training Programme (TTP), Children's Life Skills Programme, Tingathe Geni Programme for women, TEVET Clubs in secondary schools, and the Eco-Briquettes Project, supplemented by an Alumni Loan Initiative.

Product overview

Tingathe Malawi operates as a non-governmental organization offering a portfolio of vocational training and community empowerment programs targeting peri-urban youth, women, and children in Lilongwe. The core offerings include the Tingathe Training Programme (TTP), a 7-12 month vocational skills course; the Tingathe Children's Life Skills Programme for school-age children; the Tingathe Geni Programme (Women's Business School) for women entrepreneurs; TEVET Clubs in secondary schools; and the Community Leaders Engagement Programme. Supplementary initiatives include the Eco-Briquettes Project for environmental sustainability, the Alumni Loan Initiative for post-graduation business support, and the Going Beyond Project for digital skills. The organization does not offer a software product but rather delivers in-person training and support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tingathe Training Programme (TTP) A 7 to 12-month vocational training course for out-of-school youth aged 18-35 in peri-urban Lilongwe, covering leadership skills, vocational skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, business management, computer literacy, and post-program mentorship and market linkages.
• Tingathe Children's Life Skills Programme A life skills-building intervention for children aged 6-10 and 12-15 in Mtandile, Mtsiriza, Piyasani, and Kauma catchment areas, delivered during school holidays, covering Gender-Based Violence, Sexual Reproductive Health, time management, communication, and conflict resolution.
• Tingathe Geni Programme A six-week training program for vulnerable people aged 20-40 engaged in or aspiring to micro and small businesses, with a 60/40 women participation ratio, covering personal leadership, business management, financial literacy, child protection, sexual and reproductive health, human rights, and production of charcoal briquettes and cooking oil.
• Tingathe TEVET Clubs in Secondary Schools Programme Introduces secondary school adolescents to basic vocational training in Carpentry and Joinery, Arts and Crafts, Tailoring, and Peri-urban Horticulture, alongside personal leadership, decision-making, communication, conflict resolution, goal setting, financial literacy, and basic computer literacy.
• Community Leaders Engagement Programme Engages community leaders in quarterly community mapping and planning sessions, currently engaging over 60 community leaders from Lilongwe West, East, and North catchment areas for student recruitment and as advocates for programming.
• Eco-Briquettes Project Trains participants in producing eco-friendly charcoal briquettes using organic waste materials such as rice husks and groundnut shells, with free access to briquette-making machines at training centers. Funded by GEF through UNOPS under UNDP.
• Alumni Loan Initiative Provides alumni from Tingathe programmes with access to small loans, guidance, and follow-up support to strengthen their businesses and promote long-term growth and sustainability.
• Going Beyond Project A collaborative project with mHub and Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) with funding from the Mastercard Foundation, providing digital and business skills training for youth entrepreneurs.
• Bags of Love Annual initiative that distributes school bags with supplies to children participating in the Children's Life Skills Programme, supporting education and community connections.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 youth graduated from Tingathe Training Programme since 2017
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Dusty Orange Projects Et Al (DOPE Malawi)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2025Organizer of Lake of Stars Festival and Day of Ideas event. Collaborated with Tingathe for Set It Off Free Women-Led Festival 2025.
• European Union (EU) Film FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2025Collaborated with DOPE Malawi and Tingathe for Set It Off Free Women-Led Festival 2025.
• Civil Society Social Protection Network (CSSPN)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 August 2025Tingathe participated in CSSPN Strategic Plan 2025-2030 launch, showcasing contributions to social protection in Malawi.
• DVV InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2025Partner for Eco-Briquettes Project stakeholder visitation session. Participated in tour of training centers.
• Chimbalame Zone Youth NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2025Partner organization participating in Eco-Briquettes Project stakeholder visits and training center tours.
• Never Ending FoodminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2025Permaculture farm in Chitedze that hosts educational visits for Tingathe horticulture students to learn sustainable farming techniques.
• Glow MotivationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Organizer of Date with a Mentor session for fashion students, providing platform to connect with industry leaders.
• Sexual Reproductive Health Africa Trust (SAT)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Partner for World AIDS Day commemoration and HIV/AIDS awareness sessions, delivering presentations on prevention and awareness.
• United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Allocates GEF funding and provides project implementation support for the Eco-Briquettes Project.
• Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner through Mastercard Foundation funding for the Going Beyond Project, providing digital and business skills training.
• mHubcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Implementer of Going Beyond Project and co-host of graduation ceremonies. Provides collaborative workspace and support for youth entrepreneurs.
• Phereni Secondary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner school for tree-planting exercises and environmental education initiatives.
• Phereni Primary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner school for tree-planting exercises and environmental education initiatives.
• Muzu Primary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner school for tree-planting exercises and environmental education initiatives.
• Miracle FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaborated with Tingathe to commemorate International Day of the Girl at Muzu Primary School.
• Old Mutual MalawiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2023Provided financial literacy training for TTP students at Mtandire and Kauma centers. Also donated Bags of Love to children.
• Ufulu MalawiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2023Partner for Menstrual Hygiene Day celebrations, collaborating with Tingathe and Purple Inc. to distribute menstrual cups and pads to schoolgirls.
• Purple Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2023Partner for Menstrual Hygiene Day celebrations, working with Tingathe and Ufulu Malawi to empower schoolgirls with menstrual hygiene knowledge.
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2023Facilitates Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights sessions for Tingathe Training Programme students, providing educational materials and supplies.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Mastercard Foundation: Major philanthropic funder of Tingathe's Going Beyond Project and a leading global backer of youth employment programs in Africa. Listed as a peer because it is the primary grant counterparty shaping Tingathe's programming and scale.

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: One of the largest global development NGOs, with a long-running ultra-poor graduation program that combines skills training, livelihood grants, and mentorship. Operates across many countries and is the canonical reference model for the type of poverty graduation work Tingathe does.
• TechnoServe: Global nonprofit that works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the skills-plus-entrepreneurship development space serving low-income youth and women.

Direct peers

• Restless Development: Youth-led development agency that trains and mentors young people as peer educators and entrepreneurs across Africa and Asia. Comparable mission, beneficiary age cohort, and skills-plus-life-skills delivery model in peri-urban African contexts.
• Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT): An international youth entrepreneurship and digital skills NGO that co-funds and co-delivers Tingathe's Going Beyond Project. Operates an almost identical model of training out-of-school youth in digital, business and life skills, making it the closest direct peer.
• mHub Malawi: A Lilongwe-based youth innovation hub that collaborates with Tingathe on the Going Beyond Project graduation ceremonies. Provides co-working space and entrepreneurship support to similar youth segments in Malawi, overlapping directly on target audience and service mix.

Emerging players

• PYXERA Global: Enterprise-focused NGO that runs pro bono and skills-development programs for underserved youth and entrepreneurs in emerging markets, including Africa. Comparable in its integration of vocational training with enterprise development, though typically at larger scale and through corporate partnerships.

Regional players

• Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT): Malawian civil society organization focused on youth economic empowerment and civic engagement. Operates in the same country and on overlapping beneficiary segments, making it a relevant regional comparison for program design and partnership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tingathe-malawi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Tingathe Malawi