Zitha in Malawi

Welcome to our Malawi website

51 years ago, on April 25, 1959,

four courageous ZithaSisters of the Tertiar-Carmelite Order from Luxembourg City took a chance and started their journey to the former East-African Njassaland –which is named Malawi today- in order to offer support and their help to the needy and the poor in cooperation with the dioceses of Lilongwe.

A lot of what they encountered was new to the four Carmelite Sisters: the people, the culture and the language of Malawi had to be learned.

The four sisters – among those Sister Renata Schartz from Petingen (Luxembourg), Sister Damiana Bär from Köllerbach (Germany), Sister Redempta Weiler from Rodt (Luxembourg) and Sister Marie-Pia Koch from Niedercorn (Luxembourg), started working in a small hospital in Namitete, which was still under construction and merely bare brickwork at that time.

Nobody knew that over the years the little ward would grow into a hospital with a capacity of 250 beds.

In the course of time, the Sisters work began to change over from their initial missionary work to much needed development work. Back then as today, many Malawians consider this work life saving. Many projects were initiated in Namitete, Ganya and Lilongwe, such as well drilling, various farming projects, projects to extend and keep existing hospital structures by setting up corresponding emergency measures as well as the maintenance of different social facilities (Kindergarten, Primary School).

These projects are financially supported by the Fondation Ste Zithe (Luxembourg), Stiftung Hilfe für Malawi-Zikomo (Germany), as well as by the ONG “Eng oppen Hand fir Malawi”.

Also, other countries and partner organizations are contributing to the great success of our projects.

“Helping Hands” are always needed for our ongoing help and the realization of projects. Today, the order community of Tertiar Carmelites in Malawi counts 40 Malawian sisters.

Today, 51 years later, three Luxembourgish Sisters (Jeanny Munhoven, Josette May and Justina Morn) are still living in Malawi and continue the work commenced by their predecessors in cooperation with the now established Order of Malawian Carmelite Sisters.