From Boston to Malawi
JP Centre Yoga trains and employs refugees in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, providing teachers with living wages to share yoga, meditation, and mindfulness with their community. Through these accessible practices, we support refugees’ mental, physical, and emotional well-being while creating employment opportunities within the camp.
Led by refugees, for refugees, the program offers an average of 30 classes each week for children, adults, and individuals with special needs, reaching approximately 3,000 refugees each month.
In The Press
Teacher Training Format
Online Classes
Weekly online classes via WhatApp are offered as part of teacher development and training.
In-Person Intensive
We travel to the camp to offer retreat-style trainings that refine yoga and meditation teaching skills while providing a restorative experience through twice-daily yoga and twice-daily meditation sessions.
Meals
Given that all participants suffer from severe food insecurity, participants receive two meals each day during the intensive as well as one weekly meal to accompany post-intensive ongoing training hours.
Meet The Team
Benenge Willy, Yoga Teacher
Charlotte Neema, Yoga Teacher
Claudine Irakoze, Management
Clemence Kisose, Yoga Teacher & Management
Eliya Kiza, Yoga Teacher
Gloire Masaro, Yoga Teacher
Linda Birindwa, Yoga Teacher
Miriam Nuru Assani, Yoga Teacher
Mussa Abdul Karim, Yoga Teacher
Nicolas Maisha, Yoga Teacher
Olivier, Management
Rachel Kisose, Yoga Teacher
Rehema Songoro, Yoga Teacher
Rene Fundi, Yoga Teacher
Tina Nduwayo, Yoga Teacher
Donatien Fundi, CEO and Yoga Teacher
Daniel Max, Teacher Training Faculty
Abraham Dejene, Teacher Training Faculty
Sponsorships
With restrictions on leaving the camp and working legally, Dzaleka refugees have few opportunities to earn a reliable income. Our sponsorship program pairs JP Centre Yoga community members with Dzaleka Yoga staff to fund their monthly salaries along with a weekly meal shared during staff meetings. This support helps teachers sustain their families and expand access to yoga and mindfulness within the camp.
We’ve spent time with these teachers, visited their homes, met their families, and heard their stories. Originally from Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda, some have lived in Dzaleka for nearly 20 years. Many face hunger, limited medical care, overcrowding, and mud-brick homes vulnerable to heavy rains.
Before sponsorship, their only income was an unreliable $10 monthly UN stipend. Even amid these hardships, they volunteered to offer up to 30 classes each week for children, adults, and youth with disabilities.
Our community currently provides:
1 sponsorship at $20 per month
3 sponsorships at $30 per month
14 sponsorships at $50 per month
To join the sponsorship waitlist, please contact us. We ask for a minimum commitment of one year.
The Yoga Studio
After two years of practicing in tight corners and in the dust, we put down a concrete floor in early 2025
Practice continued under the hot sun
Classes being taught from Boston via WhatApp during construction
Doubling the size of the studio
Teacher training session streaming from Boston to Malawi
Teacher Training Immersion 2025
Teacher Training Immersion 2026
Donations
How You Can Help
Yoga Studio Expansion
Community donations helped us complete the yoga studio, and construction is now underway to complete the expansion of the building. We’re adding a private mental health counseling room, a kitchen to provide meals for community members in need, and an office with computers where staff can develop practical digital skills.
Yoga Training
We have 14 certified teachers, with a new cohort now in training. Our Boston-based staff volunteer their teaching time and have covered their own travel costs to date. Donations toward training cover meals, staff accommodations within the camp, camp fees, and materials. The Malawian government has also asked our teachers to offer classes in nearby villages, extending the program beyond Dzaleka and increasing the need for more trained teachers.
Land for Community Programs
Refugees cannot own land, and land within the camp can be reclaimed or repurposed by camp management or the Malawian government at anytime. We are in the process of purchasing an acre of land to be owned by Art for Hope, our partner nonprofit founded by refugees living in the camp. The land will provide space for volunteer housing, schooling, a sports and recreational area (there is only one basket and soccer court in a camp of 60,000 people), a food garden, and other community services.
Get In Touch
If you know of any organizations, grants, or other resources that can help support our work in Malawi, please reach out.