ROTTENBURG-STUTTGART DIOCESE OFFICIAL TOURS KARONGA DIOCESE PROJECTS, IMPRESSED WITH IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES
By Noel Chatepa
A representative of the Universal Church Division of the Catholic Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart which handles its global church relations and overseas aid visited the Diocese of Karonga from 10th to 12th September, touring several diocesan projects and meeting with the Bishop, clergy, religious sisters, and lay faithful.
On Thursday, 10th September, Mrs. Flavia began her visit at St. Stephen’s Parish Atupele Community Hospital, where she toured the health facility and the sisters’ convent which was recently renovated and rehabilitated with funding from the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart. She shared a meal with the Parish Priest, Fr. Romulus Khonde, and the Sisters of the Holy Rosary, who run the hospital.
Later that day, she visited the Coal Mineral Group (CMG) mining facilities, where she commended the Women’s Voice project which was implemented by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) in Paulosi Village, T/A Kilipula, Karonga. The initiative addressed extractive governance issues between the mining companies in the area and the surrounding community, with CCJP building the capacity of mining committees and mediating disputes between residents and the mine owners.
On Friday, 11th September, the Rottenburg-Stuttgart project officer began her day with a meeting with the Karonga Diocese Chancery staff, learning more about the diocese’s operations and key departments. She then travelled to Chakwera Village in Karonga, where she visited houses built by the diocese in 2022 with funding from Rottenburg-Stuttgart, for families displaced by community violence rooted in land and leadership disputes and witchcraft accusations.
Mrs. Flavia the had an interaction with the community, which she noted is now living peacefully.
On Saturday, 12th September 2026, Mrs. Flavia visited the high performing St. Mauritius Boys Secondary School in Rumphi, where she toured several ongoing projects, including the construction of additional hostels, a newly completed computer laboratory, and a library. She also visited the site earmarked for a new sisters’ convent within the school premises.
Speaking after her tour of the diocese, Mrs. Flavia explained the motive behind renovating the sisters’ convent at Atupele. “We saw it fit to renovate the sisters’ house, as they needed to live in dignity to be able to fulfil their mission,” said the Project Officer. She noted that sisters worldwide are involved in running hospitals, kindergartens, and schools hence the need for them to have decent housing to fulfil their mission.
On the Women’s Voice project, she praised the diocese’s role as a mediator considering the power imbalance between the community and the mine owners. While welcoming the progress made, she stressed that more work remains to ensure equity between communities and mining companies in the sector.
Reflecting on the displaced persons’ housing project in Chakwera Village, she said she was impressed by how residents were now living peacefully after receiving new houses and undergoing a reconciliation process to help them coexist. “The Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart is very involved in supporting refugees and displaced people, so we are very happy to see that the work done here has borne fruit,” she said.
At St. Mauritius Boys Secondary School, after learning that it had claimed first position among the best performing schools in the recent Malawi School Certificate of Education examinations, Mrs. Flavia expressed pride in the school’s achievements and admiration for how it is run. She also commended the many projects being implemented there by partners such as the Umckaloabo Foundation and Manos Unidas.