Voices Awake.

If comfortable, can you tell us how you came to meet Vanessa and how you came to Voices Awake?

How old were you when you first met Vanessa?

What are some of the challenges for girls in Malawi?

If comfortable, and without causing you trauma, can you share what your life was like before Voices Awake and the challenges you faced?

Do you remember the first time you visited Voices Awake? What were your first impressions?

Did it take some getting used to when you first started living there?

How did you adjust? Did you miss your family?

How did Vanessa and the older girls make you feel welcome?

When you think of your time at Voices Awake, what stands out most to you?

Are you in college now? If so, what are you studying?

How did Voices Awake support you in your journey to college?

What do you admire about Vanessa as a person?

What qualities or attributes do you think are most important for a girl growing up in Malawi?

What impact do you think Vanessa and Voices Awake is having on girls in Salima, and more broadly in Malawi?

To All Girls: What makes a good mentor?

To Ethel: Tell us about your sisters. What do you teach them as their mentor?

To Ethel: Do your sisters listen to you?

To Younger Sisters: Follow up if they say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, Why?

To Younger Sisters: What types of activities do you do with your mentor?

To Younger Sisters: What does she teach you?

To Younger Sisters: What do you admire about your older sister? Do you want to be like her?

To Younger Sisters: What do you admire about Vanessa? Do you like being a part of the Voices Awake Community?

To All Girls: What do you like most about visiting with ‘granny’ (Vanessa’s mom)?

To All Girls: What are some of the things you do for her?

Can you describe where you grew up in Malawi?

How old were you when you began your work?

What is Voices Awake and what purpose does it serve in the community?

How many girls live at Voices Awake and how many additional girls in the community does it support either through mentorship programs, school, or providing meals?

Can you give us a little bit of your backstory to help us understand why it was important for you to found Voices Awake?

How have the obstacles you’ve overcome in your own life prepared you for the work you do at the shelter?

What is a rescue home?

What are some of the negative cultural expectations surrounding adolescent girls in Malawi?

How do girls who live at the shelter come to find you? What types of circumstances are they in when you first meet them?

For those unfamiliar, what is child marriage, and how does it affect girls Malawi?

Optional follow-up · verify the proposed statistic before use.
We read on your site that in Malawi, nearly 4 in 10 girls marry before they’re 18. If comfortable, would you mind repeating this statistic and speaking about its prevalence?

How does the cultural practice of child marriage in Malawi contribute to the number of girls who need support, whether it’s through meals or shelter?

Childhood is such a foundational stage of development for all people. What is lost when someone misses out on their childhood?

What are some of the programs you offer?

How does the mentorship program at Voices Awake work and what does it seek to accomplish?

You’ve watched some of these girls go through the program starting when they’re young. Some are now in college. What is it like to watch someone grow up in this environment?

When the girls tell you what they want to be when they grow up, what surprises or impresses you?

Describe the importance of helping girls visualize what’s possible beyond what they already see and know?

How do these girls inspire you in your work?

What are some of the barriers to education that girls in Malawi experience?

How long have you been running the school program at Cornerstone Christian High School?

What changes have you seen among girls who are now able to go to school regularly?

How does education influence society at large, specifically when it comes to girls empowerment?

Tell us about the bridge you built. Roughly when and how did you get the idea?

What problems does building the bridge address?

Now that you have the bridge, how has it helped people?

When it was finally finished, how did it feel to watch children and the local community use it regularly?

Tell us how you came up with the name ‘Voices Awake’ and please start the sentence with something like, “I named the shelter Voices Awake because …”

What do you think it means for the girls to have an elder figure in their lives?

What do you want your mom to know about the work that you do and the woman you’ve become?

How has your mission grown since you began?

Through the lens of justice, how does your work support women and girls?

What gives you hope about the future for girls in Malawi?

What does justice mean to you?

What is your name and what grade are you in? You can start your sentence with, “My name is ____ and I am in ___ grade.”

What do you like most about school?

What are some of the challenges for girls your age in Malawi?

What’s your favorite subject?

What do you want to be one day? You can start your sentence with, “I want to grow up to be a ___.”

Does going to college seem like a realistic goal for you? If so, how has your school prepared you?

Why is education important for girls' self-esteem and empowerment?

What type of a role model is Vanessa?

Do you look up to her?