Malawi Trip 2025 Recap: The Elephant and the Starfish

11 days. 7 schools. 9 wells – of a total 52 wells that have been built in Malawi by Girls Reaching Out, WASH for Life, Inc, and various Starfish Foundations since 2013. On what has become an annual journey to visit the Heart of Africa, the length or intensity of the trip was not the most remarkable facet. It was the people involved – the arms of the Starfish. 

These journeys to connect with communities and share joy in clean water started in 2019 with just 2 people. The next trip it was 5 people; then 7. This year, the group’s number jumped to a staggering 17. It was the result of continued outreach and the persistence of a new generation close to the cause.

In 2025, as with years past, members of the travelling group represented WASH, Girls Reaching Out, and Starfish branches. This included Paul Treffert, Steve “Papa Steve” Hamer, and Tom Lawry, members of the WASH for Life Board; Sarah, Colin (member of Starfish MUHS), and Nolan Hamer; current GRO girl Sophia Kwacz and her father, Jason; and Tricia Bayer of Richard’s School of the Dance in Sheboygan. The other half of the group was composed of eight members of Salesforce, who joined the trip in support of the mutual mission for clean water and education. During this trip, they united with the WASH team on visits to six schools and made the Agape Orphanage a focal point of their time. 

All 17 travelers the first time they met!

With this many people, one of the primary differences about this trip was working out the logistics. How do you get 17 people, all hailing from various places, transported to remote communities in Malawi? The puzzle this year was much more difficult to put together; however, the task was notably taken on by Tom Lawry, who played a key role in handling finances and organizing transportation. Once the entire group was together, it required 2 buses and Patrick Tembwe’s truck to transport all personnel and luggage. 

As an experienced traveler, says Papa Steve, Lilongwe (Malawi’s capital) starts to feel like coming home – but seeing it for the very first time is truly special. As Paul Treffert explains, “it’s a treat to see Malawi through people’s eyes for the first time…everything is so far away from Wisconsin in every sense of the word”. That’s why, on the first day of our Malawi trips, we are grateful to spend it in the home of close friends. Patrick Tembwe and his family graciously opened their home to the travelers for a welcome meal and introduction to the country. It’s where Tom Lawry was officially invited to become a member of the board, christened with a goat crown, and everyone helped out on Patrick’s farm and greenhouses. As GRO, WASH, and the Starfish Families have grown, so have Patrick and his sons, the mechanics he trains, and the people he employs to help construct and maintain the wells. Patrick has built a career and a reputation as a leader and a role model for his family and community. 

Although all our trips follow a similar schedule of borehole and school visits, every trip is intrinsically different. For Papa Steve, this particular trip really highlighted the people and the perpetuity of the mission going forward. He finds his joy in seeing people from all generations share a passion – and most of all, seeing the younger generations step up with new momentum. At various locations on this trip, for example, Colin Hamer (Starfish MUHS) played his flute, Tricia Bayer (Richard’s School of the Dance) taught students how to Irish dance, and Sophia Kwacz (GRO.) wrote a blog about her experiences. The engagement and creativity shone a new light on how we can connect through art, effort, and vulnerability.

Sophia and Jason Kwacz bring water up from the well in Kayeramadzi.

Paul Treffert and the other members of the WASH board are passionate about what these trips can inspire in the next generation. The young leaders running Starfish branches and GRO are still in high school or early in their college careers. Paul explains, “It’s easy to get caught up in a headline – about what they’ve been a part of. But these are sharp, talented, enthusiastic people who are truly dedicated to things outside themselves”. The shared hope is that the example set by these leaders will show other people their age that making real change is not out of reach. If people seek a change they want to see in the world, they can make it happen. “It’s hopeful and impressive,” Paul says. “The people I’m working with really make an impact on the world. We’re going to be okay.”

Sarah, Nolan, and Colin Hamer pose with learners at Mchitanjiru.

As our starfish branches out, from 1 to 52 wells, the issues we face have changed – and every trip to Malawi brings the most prominent things into focus. When we were just starting, the largest obstacles were raising money, spreading awareness, and figuring out global logistics.. Although those issues still stand, we face new puzzles: longevity, perpetuity, quality, expansion. Going forwards, we want to build reliable, sustainable systems to support Patrick, handle money, and strengthen communications. At the center of that, as Papa Steve likes to imagine it, is the analogy of a 3-legged stool. Those legs are composed of the Learners (students), Donors, and us, the “Water Warriors”. Each leg needs to be equally strong in order to hold up the foundation – our mission. Even small acts, efforts, or amounts of money make huge differences. It’s all about “a small drop in a bucket” – each drop matters as a part of the whole. 

Sometimes the message we take from an experience comes from something small – like picking up a starfish on the beach and giving it back to the ocean. Other times, the meaning of a moment arrives in a showstopping way. Such was the case when an elephant crossed the travelers’ path during a drive in Malawi this summer. It was a stunning, powerful sight that left an indelible impact; since returning home, it has become a new symbol of the Malawi mission. Papa Steve understood the message of the elephant as, “Don’t leave!” and “We’ll never forget what you’re doing”. It is a summation of what really moved him during his time in Malawi this summer. What he learned most was to “listen more” – to what people need, want, care about, desire, love, and hope for. Each well impacts around 750-1000 people, and we want to build real relationships that have deep roots – as deep as the wells we dig. Moving forward with new goals and even greater ambitions, we are thinking about the grand and the small, the future and the present, the experienced and the eager to join the mission. It may seem as though only the elephant could help the starfish, and not the other way around. However, after another marvelous trip to Malawi, we are the starfish thinking of the elephant and asking, “How can I help YOU?”.

The elephant and starfish (edited image).

For more information on the Malawi Trip 2025, check out our dedicated page