Leadership
Napoleon Dzombe
Napoleon is a businessman and philanthropist in Malawi. He is the founder of Blessing Hospital and Mtendere Village. Mr. Dzombe also works to promote better agricultural practices in Malawi. He owns and operates Madalitso Food Production and also owns a sugar corporation. His company Mtalimanja Holdings Limited has also invested millions of dollars in large-scale Rice milling machinery.
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Gracian Chisema: Administrator of Mtendere
Mr. Gracian Chisema has served as Administrator of Mtendere Village since June 2006. As the Administrator, he is over the Primary School, Secondary School and Children’s Village. He has always and continues to lead Mtendere in both words and actions. He exemplifies a hardworking spirit to the staff and kids. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Livingstonia and a Masters in Human Resource Management from Exploits University. He is married to a beautiful wife, and he is the proud father of three girls.
Blair Brendle: English Teacher
Blair first visited Mtendere in 2012 on a short-term trip and moved to Malawi for full-time teaching in June 2018. Since that time, she has been teaching at both the Mtendere Village Primary School and Mtendere Christian Academy, focusing mostly on English instruction, as well as assisting learners in areas of identified needs. She holds a Masters Degree in Education and taught in Colorado before moving to Malawi. She loves her role on staff as a teacher and says that it’s been fun watching the schools grow over the last few years.
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Board of Directors
Jimmy Dobbs
Jimmy has more than 45 years of child welfare development experience. His leadership as the Executive Director of Agape of Central Alabama from 1985-2018 paved the way for his extensive time spent in Malawi with the work of Mtendere Village U.S. and Chikondi Health Foundation. Jimmy and his wife, Judy, are active in missions worldwide.
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Shaliah Armstrong:
Shaliah is a Medical Technologist and Clinical Instructor at Auburn University. She has been involved in the Mtendere work since 2007. She has co-lead teams and been able to go to Malawi for the past 15 years (minus Covid). She is known as Agogo at Mtendere and also to her five grandchildren in Alabama. Shaliah and her husband, Jim, have two daughters, Jami and Sarah, who have also visited Mtendere multiple times.
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Kelly Curry, LICSW-S, PIP
Kelly Curry is a Licensed, Board Certified Independent Clinical Social Worker who currently serves as the Director of Clinical Services at a local child welfare agency. Kelly has both a personal and professional passion in helping vulnerable children and she specializes in working with children that have experienced complex developmental trauma and attachment disruptions. Most notably, Kelly has worked abroad in several countries to help develop best practices for permanency goals, training caregivers in the complex needs of children that have experienced trauma and attachment disruptions as well as providing assessments to help determine a child's specific individual needs. She has been involved in the work at Mtendere since 2016 and considers it an honor to be a part of Mtendere's Board of Directors.
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Paul Evans
Paul is a Partner with CRI Capital Advisors. He has been involved in the Mtendere work since 2004 and was present for the dedication of the orphanage in 2005. In addition, he has been on the ground and participated in the expansion of orphanages in nine countries. Paul and his wife, Marla, have two sons, Sam and Steven.
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Wes Gunn
Wes is the Pastor at Redland Hills Church in Wetumpka, AL. He has made 40+ trips to Malawi since 2003, bringing teams to serve at Mtendere Village and Blessings Hospital. He helped begin Mtendere in 2004 and has sponsored multiple children from childhood into adulthood. He is married to Amanda, and has two children, Taylor and Lilly.
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Laura Zutter
Laura works in the Microbiology Laboratory at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika. She first traveled to Mtendere in 2006 with the Auburn Church of Christ, and continued to return until 2019. She has led teams to Mtendere and loves to see others experience the joy of serving the children there. Laura and her husband Bruce have three children and their spouses, and five delightful grandchildren.
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