CRECCOM Holds a Pause and Reflect Session to Strengthen Integrity, Discipline, and Program Synergy

CRECCOM Board of Trustees, management, and project staff pose for a group photo during the Pause and Reflect session

The Creative Centre for Community Mobilisation (CRECCOM) convened a comprehensive Pause and Reflect session, bringing together staff members from across its diverse portfolio of projects. The session served as a strategic moment for collective reflection, cross-learning, and recommitment to CRECCOM’s values of integrity, fiscal discipline, and safeguarding, while reinforcing program quality and accountability.

The meeting was graced by CRECCOM Board Chairperson, Justice Jean Rosemary Kayira, who delivered a powerful keynote emphasizing the importance of ethical leadership, staff responsibility, and upholding protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) across all layers of project implementation.

“CRECCOM’s reputation as a people-centred and community-driven institution must be protected by everyone who wears its badge. Integrity, transparency, and respect for the rights of those we serve must remain our collective obligation,” said Justice Kayira.

CRECCOM Board Chairperson, Justice Jean Rosemary Kayira, addresses staff during the Pause and Reflect session, emphasizing integrity, ethical leadership, and the organisation’s continued commitment to community empowerment.

Also speaking during the session, Executive Director Alinafe Ireen Chibwana commended staff for their continued commitment and results, particularly in a dynamic and sometimes resource-constrained environment. She urged teams to maintain high levels of professionalism, financial stewardship, collaboration, and consistent documentation of impact stories.

“This is a space to not only celebrate progress but to correct course where needed and re-align ourselves with our mission. The trust placed in us by communities and development partners must be honoured with strong systems, values, and discipline,” Chibwana said.

CRECCOM Executive Director, Alinafe Ireen Chibwana, delivers remarks during the Pause and Reflect session, commending staff for their dedication and urging continued professionalism, accountability, and collaboration across all projects.

The session brought together staff from CRECCOM’s multiple ongoing projects spanning nearly all regions of Malawi. These include the Building Education Foundations through Innovation and Technology (BEFIT) program, a Malawi Government-led and owned initiative operating in Thyolo, Mulanje, Chiradzulu, Zomba Urban, Phalombe, Blantyre Rural, and Blantyre Urban. Teams from the Green Jobs for Adolescents and Youth project, funded by Save the Children Italy and implemented in Ntcheu, also participated.

CRECCOM’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM), funded by ActionAid, is active in Zomba, Mwanza, Nsanje, and Phalombe, while the Social Protection for Gender Empowerment and Resilience (SP-GEAR) project, supported by UNICEF, is implemented in Zomba, Mzimba North, and Mzimba South. The Let Girls Learn project, funded by Echidna Giving, is making an impact in Thyolo, Mulanje, Ntchisi, and Chitipa. Meanwhile, the She Creates Change project, in partnership with Room to Read, runs in selected schools in Mulanje and Thyolo. Other represented teams included those working on the Improving Girls’ Education in Marginalised Communities of Malawi, funded by the Girls Opportunity Alliance and the Obama Foundation in Mulanje and Chitipa, and the Network for Education Systems Transformation (NEST) project focused on education reform and learning partnerships.

Senior Project Officer Bruce Matabwa stresses a point during the Pause and Reflect session, contributing to discussions on enhancing program delivery and teamwork

Through engaging reflections and interactive discussions, the session reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to its core motto: "Effecting Change Through Community Involvement." Staff left the meeting re-energised, aligned, and committed to delivering meaningful impact to the communities CRECCOM serves.