What is AYISE?

    AYISE is a registered non-governmental, non-profit making, non-political partisan and non-religious organisation based in the Southern Region of Malawi in the township of Bangwe, Blantyre. AYISE is also a voluntary membership organisation.
       
        As an expression of the Bantu languages, AYISE also means ‘friend’.
         
History:

(Marcel Chisi- Co Founder)

The idea to found a youth movement was hatched by Marcel Chisi who was at the time aged twenty. He was a resident of Bangwe township at that time living with his elder brother. He took advantage of the new democratic political dispensation which allowed citizens to form associations to advance their causes. Marcel Chisi was born from a family of devouted christians with a father who was serving as a Catholic Catechist at a local church and had learnt early enough that success cannot be measured only by the wealth people create but by the changes one bring to the community and the quality of service one offers to humanity. This was largely a lesson he learnt with his interactions with missioneries who most of them had comfortable lives in their countries of origin but decided to serve the poor and marginalised communities in Africa. He was also inspired by the fact that his early schooling at secondary education level was supported by the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (MIC Sisters). He felt if other people founded movements that helped him and others, It was equally important for him to found a movement that can help others and the society at large.

On 27 October 1995, Marcel Chisi felt the idea needed to be shared with someone and the only boy friend he had found in Blantyre, having just come to Balntyre was Joseph Mtemang'ombe and as such became the immediate friend to share the idea to. Joseph was called over to an interaction meeting to share the ideas and devise the way forward.

Joseph was exited and together they agreed that if young people can be active and make positive contricbutions to society, they will be recognised and supported by the state and the society at large.

Marcel Chisi suggested that Youth needed to be active and that the movement become the Active Youth Movement (AYM). Joseph agreed and added that if they are active they would in turn help themselves and the society around them. This formed the birth of the Active Youth In Self Enhancement (AYISE).

The movement was hence created but Joseph Mtemang'ombe the co founder experienced pressure from relations who felt concentrating on a non profit movement was counter productive to his personal progress. This is the reason that barely three months after the movement was born, Joseph Mtemang'ombe left AYISE and started work first at Blantyre Baptist school as a teacher and later with the Malawi Broadcasting Cooperation as a technician where he still works today.

However in the initial three months Marcel Chisi and Joseph Mtemang'ombe decided to condcut a social survey to identify the problems affecting the youth and the community and together with the youth and community themselves devise strategies for addressing the identified challenges. The survey unveiled the following challenges:

1 Youth unemployment was high and there was lack of meaningful participation and involvement of the youth in the progressive development of the nation

2 There were also increasing cases of HIV/AIDS throughout the country

3 lack of education regarding human rights and democracy which then made young people to misunderstand the concept of Human Rights and democracy.

4 Wide spread teenage pregnancies

5 An education system that failed to prepare young people for self reliance.

6 The degradation of the environment exercerbated by poor waste management and general wanton cutting down of trees

7 General moral decay among the youth which was a result of drug and substance abuse and departure from positive African and Malawian cultural values in favour of foreign values.

8 Lack of recreational facilities to keep the youth busy and hence help them refrain from immoral undertakings.

Marcel and Joseph analysed these findings and saw that these problems were a series of interlinked challenges, all of which had to be addressed. This is the whole reason AYISEbecame and still is a multi-objective organisation.

The initial name of the organisation (Active Youth In Self Enhancement -AYISE) received resistance from the society and other well wishers as they interpreted it to mean that the movement was meant to help the few youth who were active and leaving the rest out as it focussed on self Enhancement.

It is in view of this that in October 1996 one year after its creation, the organisation changed its name to Active Youth Initiative for Social Enhancement (AYISE). The understanding then was that if young people can be active and develop positive initiatives, they would then help contribute to the enhancement themselves and the that of the society at large.

The name became widely accepted and has remained relevant to this date.

The organisation grew to such an extent that, on the 10th of July 1997, AYISE was legally registered as an organisation under the Trustees Incorporation Act of the Laws of Malawi.

Later AYISE got registered with CONGOMA- Council for NGOs in Malawi.

AYISE also got registered with the national Youth Council Act in September 1998 and the NGO Act in November 2003.

It is pleasing to note that what started as an individual idea and shared with a colleague has since become a nationally and internationally respected organisation serving communities and creating change in the lives of the poor and vulnerable populations of Malawi. It is in this regard that AYISE is largely regarded as an initiative that was co founded by two young people who felt there was need to enlist young peoples particiaption in the development of their communities and the country at large.