Throughout the year of 2024, Temwani Mgunda, our sponsored novelist, worked to write a compelling historical fiction novel based loosely on events from Malawi's history.  Cleverly integrating present issues with their past origins, And Silence Returns tells the story of Chatonda's quest for a new form of government in his home county of Mandimo.  In 2025, Temwani plans to seek avenues for publishing his novel in Malawi, including within the national curriculum, while Open Opportunity plans to publish it on Kindle Unlimited.

Continuing to partner with E4Change and it's CEO and Founder, Grace Chomanika, Open Opportunity sponsored another cohort of mentees at Bwaila Secondary School in Lilongwe, Malawi.  Students received guidance on a range of personal, social and educational topics, and previous cohorts of mentees were provides support in the university selection process.  The 2024 cohort has just completed their graduation ceremony, and plans for a 2025 continuation are already underway.

Open Opportunity received a request for support in constructing a community arts center for youth living in Dzaleka Refuge Camp near Lilongwe, Malawi.  A community leader named Primo who is an activist, photographer, and artist, along with a resident and refugee living in the camp, requested financial assistance in constructing a physical building for their project.  We were thrilled to support this creative initiative.