St. Mary’s Secondary School Head Teacher

In a career singularly focused on education, Martha served as a primary school teacher, the leader of the Department of Education Foundation, and as the founding Headmistress of St. Mary's Secondary School.

She was named the Outstanding Principal of the Northern Region in 2021. Along with her teachers and administrative team, Martha helps every St. Mary’s student develop as a leader who achieves academic excellence.

Co-Founder & Project Manager

On July 11, 2022, Peter unexpectedly passed away following a brief illness.

He spent nearly 50 years as a missionary in Africa and 18 years in Malawi building schools and health care facilities.

Peter came to Africa as a Peace Corp Volunteer in 1980. He served for years as the deputy director of Malawi's Lusubilo Orphan Care Project, a 2010 Opus Prize recipient. He then oversaw construction of St. Mary's Secondary School in Karonga and was working with the Marianist Brothers on another school project in Zambia before his passing.

During his lifetime, Peter raised thousands of dollars to subsidize secondary school and college tuition for disadvantaged students. In his honor, all future university students TeamLift supports in Malawi will be known as:

“Peter Daino Scholars.”

Co-Founder & Director

Throughout his career in the non-profit sector, Don has worked to alleviate the root causes of poverty and injustice. He retired in 2021 as the founding director of the Opus Prize Foundation, identifying faith-based social entrepreneurs across the globe for recognition.

His work with the Opus Prize led him to Malawi, where he co-founded TeamLift to address the educational, healthcare and nutritional needs of women and girls.

Malawi Operations Coordinator

Clement Mawala has been with TeamLift from its earliest days in Karonga. Hired to serve as a driver for U.S. and local staff, he has emerged as a cherished colleague who manages almost every aspect of logistics, local programming, and the daily operations of TeamLift Malawi. Clement helps coordinate home visits of prospective students, delivers emergency assistance for student families, and serves as TeamLift’s liaison to St. Mary’s Secondary School administration.

Program Coordinator

The latest addition to the TeamLift staff, Rachel Steyer is an accomplished artist and youth counselor. She quickly captured the hearts and minds of St. Mary’s Secondary School students as host of a series of personal growth and art sessions – programs TeamLift and St. Mary’s will expand in the future. Believing in the importance of hosting mutually beneficial service projects, Rachel manages site visits including faculty and student volunteer teams from U.S. partner universities.

Financial Manager

Since the first shovel broke ground to build St. Mary’s Secondary School for Girls, Ryan Mpiu has managed all accounting functions for TeamLift Malawi. He is an accomplished financial manager who processes every construction invoice, prepares checks for signatures, and inspects all aspects of the work prior to payment. Ryan regularly issues financial reports for TeamLift’s administration, documents construction progress in photos, and oversees the annual audit process for TeamLift Malawi.

CHIMWEMWE BANDA, whose first name means “happiness,” is in her second year of teaching at St. Mary’s Secondary. She is a graduate of Mzuzu University and teaches English and French to Form One (Freshman) students. This is her first full-time teaching job, having served as a teacher’s assistant in other schools prior to coming to Karonga. Chimwemwe is especially appreciative of St. Mary’s campus housing which provides a convenient and safe living environment. The recent upgrade in the school’s technology helps both teachers and students increase their learning, and she encourages her French students to realize being proficient in languages opens up opportunities for a future in other countries. She enjoys that her students are self-starters and respond to guidance.

- English & Social Studies Teacher

VIOLET CHAVULA attended Malawi Assemblies of God University and teaches Chichewa (the local language) and Social Studies to Form One and Form Two students. This is her second year teaching at St. Mary’s. She believes the environment at the school offers few distractions to students who learn in attractive classrooms that now benefit from technology upgrades that allow both teachers and students to do research on the internet. She is aware that many U.S. donors sacrifice to help our Malawi students who, in return, work hard to be successful and change their lives. She remains grateful for TeamLift donors who support St. Mary’s Secondary.

-Head of the Humanities Department

- Life Skills Teacher

-Awarded Best Teacher in Northern Malawi in 2021

JOHN BRIAN SIMWINGA grew up in nearly Chitipa and has been a primary and secondary school teacher for 22 years. He graduated from the University of Livingstonia with a degree in education and for the past four years teaches geography. He became a teacher to help reduce illiteracy in Malawi, to share knowledge, and to develop young Malawian citizens. He believes that teachers are role models and stresses the importance of how teachers conduct themselves professionally. He credits our students for working hard despite the challenges, and credits the plasma screens in the classrooms, the laptops for teachers, and the access to the internet as making teaching and learning for him more meaningful. Having staff housing on campus improves security, means teachers don’t have long walks to work, and offers a chance for more interaction for students. For John, teaching makes a difference in people’s lives.

-Deputy Director

-Religious Studies Teacher

THOMAS NYIRONGO is the Deputy Head Teacher for Academics and also teaches Physics and Chemistry. He is committed to helping students and he describes the typical St. Mary’s girl as an individual who wants to learn and is willing to work. He emphasizes with students that they are at St. Mary’s to learn and to work each day, and he believes our teachers have hearts to help. The technology upgrades make teaching prep much easier and prepares our students to do college research in the future. The on-campus housing means teachers can help girls before or after school, on weekends, and motivates teachers to stay. The St. Mary’s culture promotes diligence, teamwork, and encourages teachers to enjoy and challenge each other.