Mercy Kafotokoza: How Nurses are Revolutionizing Community Health in Rural Africa

All About Change

Mercy Kafotokoza is a Malawian nurse, midwife and public health professional with a Master’s in Public Health. She is also a mother of three and a passionate advocate for equity, compassion and the power of proximity.

As a young girl, Mercy experienced the heartbreak of losing her uncle to a preventable condition. She is now the founder of Wandikweza, a community-led organization delivering health with dignity directly to people’s doorsteps. At Wandikweza, no community is too remote to get help, and her strength touches me from across the world.

We discuss Mercy’s journey of service, her strategic partnerships that foster trust in nurses, and the obstacles that she has faced as a woman in a leadership position.

Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

1:17 Personal loss shaped Mercy’s career choices

4:04 The state of healthcare in Malawi

9:13 Bringing healthcare to the people

11:10 Community health workers and nurses on bikes

17:05 Women’s health and female empowerment

22:04 What inspires Mercy

25:40 Goodbye and outro

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