Nsanje District is among the most remote, impoverished, and underserved regions of Malawi. Located at the southern tip of the country and bordered on three sides by Mozambique, Nsanje sits on the floodplain of the Shire River as it makes its way from Lake Malawi to the Zambezi.

Because of its isolation and poverty, Nsanje is exactly the kind of district GAIA seeks to serve.

When Joyce Jere, GAIA’s Country Director, was asked where the organization should expand next, her answer was immediate: “Can we work in Nsanje?”

Soon after, when Todd and Jim met with Malawi’s Secretary of Health, his question was strikingly similar: “Can you work in Nsanje?”

The need is clear.

Thanks to the generosity of GAIA donors, expansion is now possible. Joyce recently visited district officials in Nsanje, where agreements were reached regarding operations, collaboration, and cost-sharing with the Ministry of Health.

GAIA is now preparing to begin work.

We are purchasing vehicles.

We are recruiting and training staff.

We are building partnerships with local health authorities.

We are Nsanje bound.

It will not be easy. Work in Nsanje will involve poor roads, large distances, periodic flooding of the Shire river – and even a new language (the predominant local language is Sena as opposed to Chichewa). But GAIA’s team is experienced, dedicated, and resourceful. Soon, mobile clinics will begin reaching communities where access to basic healthcare is currently extremely limited.

In the coming years, GAIA expects to serve tens of thousands of patients annually in Nsanje — mothers seeking antenatal care, children needing vaccinations, families requiring malaria treatment, and communities that have long lived far from reliable healthcare services.

With the continued support of donors, the last mile is getting shorter.