Kondwani is a young man aged 27 who is married. He comes from the Mlongoti village along the shore of Lake Malawi in the area of Traditional Authority Kachindamoto. Kondwani was born in a fishing community. Kondwani liked going to the lake. However, one day at the age of 18 he suffered a crocodile bite on his ankle. The incident left him with a stiff ankle.
His father died while Kondwani was still very young. He grew up with his mother. She was a small holder farmer and was not able to pay school fees for young Kondwani. He was forced to stop school while in standard six.
The experience with the crocodile made him avoid the lake. He focused on doing piece work in gardens in his area. Such piece work earned him Mk 20,000.00 per month on average. The income was not enough to support his family. This made him worried.
But one day in March 2021 Kondwani received an invitation from KODO. He had been selected to undergo cane furniture making training. Kondwani was excited. He started training in April 2021 and finished in September 2021. At KODO Kondwani learned how to produce different pieces of cane products such as chairs, tables, baskets, trolleys and shelves. He also learned about HIV and AIDS, organic manure production, gender awareness, reproductive health, 6 food groups, human rights and business management.
