#temwa

Osasu Obayiuwana posted https://x.com/osasuo/status/1991617371589456276 Me: Are you surprised that you, and your sister Tabitha, have not yet won the @CAF_Online @CAFwomen's Player of the Year award, considering what both of you have achieved in your careers?

Tabitha Chawinga: Well, maybe it is not our time to win the awards. When it is our time, we shall win it. Maybe it is because Malawi's national team has not featured prominently…

Considering the fact that the #Malawi sisters are world-class performers, and have been top-class for many years, Temwa is taking their unfair exclusion quite well. I wouldn't! #CAFAWARDS2025

MY REPLY TO HIM better than well, honestly. The problem with non athetically earned awards in sport is they aren't based on athletic merit and too often some in media trying to make these non athletic awards like the cafawards based on athletic merit is the problem. IN AMENDMENT Temwa and Tabitha, who both came through 中国女足超级联赛 or the Chinese Womens Super League or CWSL [ specifically the club 武汉江汉大学足球俱乐部 or Wuhan Jiangda ] before their UEFA or NWSL experiences that media touted, are great players. First siblings both playing at the financial top of their game. Second, Tabitha the older sister has won the CWSL with two different clubs. While Temwa the younger has won the cwsl four years in a row and won the NWSL in her second year and won top goalscorer two seasons in a row in the NWSL. These are valued awards. League titles. Top goalscorer awards. CAFAWARDS, what is that ? Ballon Dor what is that? they and all awards like them, player of the match, player of the month, player of the season, was is and will never be based on anything but perception. You can't win those on the pitch, no matter what anyone tells you. I am very proud of Tabitha Chawinga. I love it when players dismiss the feces of ballondor, fifabest,cafawards and all these feces awards that were , not, and will never have any athletic merit what so ever, no matter who won them. You want an award, win a league on a team, win a cup on a team. You need an individual award, score the most goals, make the most assists, win the most tackles, saves the most goals, run the longest, hold the ball the longest. Damn the pundits and others who want to give value to feces.

Since launching Rhimani’s website, a few people have been in touch asking ‘Why animals?’. I am hugely passionate about understanding animals and learning about animal welfare. I think the answer as to why I feel this way is due to my upbringing. I grew up in the middle of nowhere in a house surrounded by farm animals; horses, cats, dogs, chickens, cows, I think sheep at one point?! Also my family, frankly, are horse nuts. For many summers on the trot, we would go somewhere called ‘Cowdray'. This included spending 5 days packing up almost everything we own in to a horse lorry, driving 3 hours away to go riding (nearly always in the pouring rain) and then camping at night right next to the horses, only for Mum and Dad to call it a ‘fun weekend away’. For this reason, I think naturally, it’s become somewhat second nature to feel compassion towards animals, and now with a particular interest in African conservation!

However, this does not mean that I do not see or turn a blind eye to the other crisis in Africa - mass poverty. For this reason, as an African based company, occasionally RHIMANI will make it’s monthly charity one that supports African people. This Christmas RHIMANI’s December ‘Chosen Charity’ is TEMWA. TEMWA are a small charity based in Bristol that raise money for poor communities and families in Northern Malawi. Some of the main problems facing these communities are: ‘a chronic shortage of food, high rates of HIV and AIDS, limited access to basic education and deforestation, which causes flooding and displacement.’ Essentially they have one goal and that is to ‘develop self-sufficient communities by supporting projects in education, health, agriculture and forestry, and microfinance.’ Your RHIMANI purchase this month has gone towards TEMWA’s current working strategies. These include: ’training villagers in the importance of good nutrition and sustainable farming, planting trees to combat the effects of deforestation and climate change and running mobile HIV testing clinics and establish HIV support groups.’  

RHIMANI recently had a stall at an incredible TEMWA charity fundraiser. They had a DJ in a nightclub in Bristol playing ‘Africa - Toto’ on loop, all night. The tickets were sold out! It was a wicked event, hats off to everyone for being there for the FULL 12 hours, especially the DJ because you told me you weren’t only doing this event once in Bristol.

Love,

Izzy x

This year our Lent Appeal supports Temwa, a charity that promotes sustainable community development in Malawi, the world’s poorest country.

Take a look at the video above to find out more about Temwa’s work.

Concert: Stories of Hope

On Saturday 4th March at 6.00pm in church there will be a celebratory candlelit concert to launch our Lent Appeal.

This will include a champagne reception and gallery viewing from photographer Adam Dickens, music including Gurt Lush Choir, Bristol MAN Chorus, Gospel Generation Choir, Wasuremono and Henderson Presents with stories of hope directly from individuals TEMWA have supported in Malawi.  Donations on the door.  If you can help on the door or at the bar please contact Kat Campion-Spall.