In 2004, Alile’s household came to the attention of Kwithu Women’s Group – a community- based organisation supporting vulnerable families struggling to cope with the devastating effects of HIV & AIDS in their neighbourhood. With Kwithu’s support, Alile’s grandmother was given vital nutritional support and Alile and her sister were able to receive a basic education. At around the same time, the driving force behind Kwithu, Anna Msowoya-Keys – a Malawian who worked for ActionAid – was establishing a local boarding school. The school’s purpose was, in part, to provide life-transforming educational opportunities for highly vulnerable children.