“I can make almost anything out of wood: tables, doors, windows, desks, chairs – the list is endless. I absolutely love making things.

I’m Phillip Mtambalika, a carpenter in Ntechu.

I wanted to become a carpenter because people in my village had to travel miles to get any kind of furniture for their homes.  I developed a love of carpentry and managed to secure an apprenticeship at Lilongwe technical college for two years to advance my skills. That was way back in 2016 and now I manage a carpentry company back in my home village.  

The demand is high for good quality furniture. I wanted to give back to my own community so I set up a vocational skills centre in Ntechu where we train young people in carpentry. Carpentry skills were passed onto me and now I want to share those skills and pass them on to the next generation – bit like the circle of life eh?

Carpenters need to be very creative – sometimes it’s difficult to get good wood and proper quality carpentry tools here in Malawi. We also need to look after our customers to ensure we create items that they want and keep them happy.

I’m delighted to be making educational tools for the children in our local pre-school. It’s good to see what works and the children are demanding customers!!

The money I earn from making educational toys goes straight back into education. We have to pay for secondary schools in Malawi. I have two daughters so every Kwancha goes into their future education fund.

I hope I get more commissions from charities like Mwana. It stretches my imagination, gives experience to my young apprentices and puts money right into our pockets. It’s also an absolute joy to see the children use the toys and educational resources we make as it brings them a lot of fun whilst they are learning at the same time.

And who wouldn’t like that?”