Malawi

Where is beauty here?

Over 42 days, AAPA talked with 103 people across every zone of Dzaleka: librarians, carpenters, tailors, vendors, and cultural groups.

Neighbors described beauty as the feelings of peace, relief and feeling human again.

Good things are not only for town. Even in the camp, we deserve them. I design sofas, beautiful tables, and strong doors, and refugees buy them.

— Jonathan Chipeta, 55, carpenter

Beauty in Dzaleka already exists, but it is fragile and requires strengthening, not replacement.

AAPA Consultation team

After school, this is where we feel alive. We play, we laugh, we forget our problems.

— a child at the Children Field Compound

What they’re building

The community is renovating the Children Field Compound, a playground near the One Stop Library used daily by 80 to 100 children.

Forty-five people from seven community groups are restoring all of it: repaired and expanded slides, merry-go-rounds, seesaws, all 36 swing seats, bright repainting, a community mural wall led by P. Formidable Arts Studio, gardens, and shaded gathering areas. When it's done, a community Beautification and Maintenance Committee keeps it.

Alliance Against Poverty in Africa

Alliance Against Poverty in Africa is a refugee-led organization founded in 2020 in Dzaleka Refugee Camp. It focuses on helping refugees move from aid dependency toward dignity and self-reliance through entrepreneurship, creative work, and community leadership. The organization highlights the creativity already thriving in the camp—from tailoring shops to music, gardens, and local festivals.

“Many outsiders see Dzaleka Refugee Camp as a place of lack. What they often misunderstand is that it is also a place of creation, culture, and quiet determination.”

—Muhimuzi Onesime Jimmy