Last month, our team spent time in Malawi visiting students supported through our Education is Power program. Among many meaningful reunions, one moment stood out: sitting down with Moses Humphrey.
Moses holds a special place in the Education is Power story. He is the first student from the program to attend university, a milestone that once felt impossibly out of reach to him. Today, he is in his third year, studying toward a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Youth Development in Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital.
But to understand the weight of this moment, you have to look back at where he started.
A Little Backstory
Moses’ path through school was anything but straightforward. He repeated his final year of primary school because of unpaid fees. Even after earning a place at a respected secondary school, he was sent home when his family could not afford tuition.
Moses is the oldest of five siblings and is now 27 years old. His parents, subsistence farmers, did what they could through piece work, but they did not make enough to support Moses and his siblings through secondary school. For Moses, the idea of stepping onto a university campus was not just unlikely. It felt unimaginable.
At one point, he dropped out entirely.
“Before The Sonder Project came to sponsor me, I had already dropped out of school,” he told us. “I did not see myself progressing in life… My dreams were shattered. I had already given up.”
But all was not lost. In 2021, Moses was accepted into the Education is Power program.
Today: A Third-Year University Student
Moses showed us around his campus – including his favorite seat in one of the lecture halls
Fast forward a few years, and Moses is now navigating university life near the capital city. His days begin early, often with studying from 5:00 to 8:00 in the morning before heading to lectures. In between classes, he spends time with friends or unwinds by watching Bollywood and action films.
His choice of study is no accident. It is deeply personal. Moses is pursuing social work and youth development because he wants to serve others who have faced the same barriers he did.
“I hope I can be like a bridge for the needy to be assisted,” he shared.
That vision has been shaped, in part, by people he has met along the way, including Jervas, one of the The Sonder Project’s Education Coordinators in Malawi.
“He’s a role model to me,” Moses said of Jervas, who first interviewed him for the program in 2021.
It is a full-circle kind of influence: being supported, then learning how to become support for others.
Moses with Jervas, his Education is Power mentor
Paying it Forward
Outside of academics, Moses told us about his growth in confidence. He recently spoke at our annual Education is Power camp, sharing his journey with current secondary school students.
“I told them it is possible to achieve your goals in spite of challenges,” he said. “It taught me to speak in public and I gained so much confidence from it.”
Moments like these are where the impact begins to ripple outward. One story becomes encouragement for dozens more.
Moses sharing words of wisdom at the 2026 Education is Power camp – one he attended just a few years ago
Continued Inspiration
Back home, Moses’ family follows his journey closely. They are proud, curious, and deeply invested in what he is building.
“I go home with confidence, and they are proud of me,” he told us.
That confidence carries weight. Moses is not only the first in his family to complete secondary school, he is the first to attend university. Each step forward shifts what feels possible, not just for him, but for those watching him.
And he is not done dreaming.
Moses hopes to work with an NGO after graduation, continuing to support vulnerable communities. He has even expressed interest in interning with The Sonder Project in the future, another sign of how this story keeps circling back to impact.
“I want to change history and inspire others,” he has said of his goals.
Sitting with him now, it is clear that is already happening.
Moses’ journey is what happens when opportunity meets resilience. It is about what shifts when one person is given the chance to continue and chooses to bring others along with them.
Moses is our first college student, and his journey is carving a path for many others to follow.