History

Growth Pillar was founded in 2021, by Joseph Chimbatata who was a university student then. Originally, the entity was established to provide support to students and families who were going through financial hardship and experiencing mental health challenges impacting on their nutrition and overall health. Joseph observed and noted that the challenges were resulting from poor institutional capacity in the individuals, their families and the society which had the responsibility over one's welfare, health and nutrition. He therefore decided to start an entity whose goal was to repair the failing institutions through technical assistance, and that was the birth of Growth Pillar.

Between 2021 and 2023, Joseph saw Growth Pillar providing support to thousands of individuals, families including smallholder farmers and local development institutions. Within this period, Growth Pillar also realised growth by:

• Gaining registration as a Corporate Company under Malawi’s Companies Incorporation Act No. 15 of 2013.

• Gaining the interest and support of experts with vast experience who supported the reformation of the company and the design and delivery of high quality and impactful services.

• Expanding its technical assistance on many aspects including agriculture, research, policy and development.

• Establishing specialist units responsible for providing expertise in various sectors.

• Receiving the Commonwealth Youth Awards 2023, an international award in recognition of the impact the entity has created so far and its contribution towards the UN's Sustainable Development Goals within the past few years.

Today, Growth Pillar has staff and volunteers in 17 districts in Malawi. This growth trajectory does not only show the ambitions and commitment of the team at Growth Pillar but also represents the quality and innovativeness of our products and services.