Fr. Willard Kamandani & Mable Lwanda
Father Willard Kamandani was raised by his grandmother in a poor, Muslim-majority region. She pushed him to pursue education, but it was the mentorship and financial support of a Catholic priest that made it possible for Willard to finish secondary school. After a season working in freight logistics, he felt a call to ministry through prayer and pastoral mentoring. He entered seminary and was ordained in 2006. Since then, he has pastored Anglican parishes across Malawi, preaching the healing hope of Christ and never forgetting the power of investing in one child’s future.
Mable Lwanda serves as a detective in the Malawi Police Service and as co-founder of the Beauty from Ashes Foundation (BFAF). Raised in a Seventh Day Adventist home amid poverty and religious tension, her childhood was shaped by instability, hunger, and the long absence of her father, who died while working in South Africa. She watched her mother struggle to raise six children alone—an experience that left Mable deeply burdened for single mothers, girls in crisis, and vulnerable families. She began quietly helping where she could—paying school fees, offering food, and leading choir at church.
In 2016, Mable shared her growing vision for service with her parish priest—Fr. Willard. Together they launched BFAF. Their work has grown to include school sponsorships, food and hygiene distributions, and holistic ministries that bring dignity, faith, and opportunity to the most overlooked communities in their country.
Fr. Willard and his wife, Gertrude, have three children: Alice (23), David (19), and Akuzike (17).
Mable and her husband, James, have three girls: Aurance (25), Thokozani (24), and Shanice (14).