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Mwayi Lewis Munthali

My name is Mwayi Lewis Munthali. I was born on 21st July 1987 at Karonga District, Zindi Village. I am the oldest of six children – all brought up by my mother, after my father died when we were young.

I attended primary school at Malungo in Karonga until 2002, when my uncle took me to Mzuzu. Two years later, I was selected for Nkhata Bay Secondary School. However, in 2006 when I was in my 3rd year, my uncle died and there was nobody else to pay the school fees, so I stopped attending. I was able to go back in 2008 and repeat the class at Chisomo private secondary school in Lilongwe – and I graduated in 2009.

Then in 2011, I applied successfully for the post of bench worker at 500 miles at KCH and in October 2014, I began my professional training in orthopaedic technology with the Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (“CSPO’`) sponsored by 500 miles.

I very much enjoyed my time at CSPO and graduated in 2017.  I then re-joined 500 miles to work as a prosthetist and orthotist.

Working with 500 miles

It has been a wonderful experience since I returned from Cambodia to work at 500 miles as a qualified professional – seeing different kind of patients walking with a smile after treating them with prosthetic and orthotics devices. It has also been a good experience supervising the technicians fabricating and assembling devices according to the standards. 

The P&O profession is a good field because most of the time you observe the results immediately after fitting. You see a patient coming in the centre hopeless, crying and worried but after being fitted with a device you see them happy and full of hope for the future and ready to venture again in their previous work.

I am so happy to be part of the few professionals in the country bringing hope and happiness to the patients that have lost theirs.

Since the majority of us have only a Category II certificate from the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (“ISPO”), my dream is to exceed with school by progressing to a Category I certificate from ISPO. I believe that prosthetists and orthotists should at least have a small idea about the medical field as this would give the professionals wider knowledge on the treatment.  

I also wish to have different branches of P&O centres in the countries as the number of patients are increasing everyday due to diabetes, road traffic accidents, cancers, cerebral palsy, meningitis, animal bites etc. This would help in covering the vast number of patients.

Finally, I really appreciate 500 miles for supporting my education and offering me a job. God bless you. God bless Scotland.

More about me

I like asking questions – finding out more about the world and making friends. I also like to get involved in charitable activities around the community, especially with my church. I often help out at my church’s youth group and in my spare time I enjoy singing, listening to and recording gospel music.

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