Four years of real experience — before the real world begins.
An after-school program that runs alongside a student's full secondary school education. While their classmates go home, Phuka Academy students are learning how businesses work by actually working in them.
This isn't classroom theory.
Phuka Academy places students inside real Malawian businesses — farms, trades, services, and more — where they participate, contribute, and face actual decisions. They don't observe from the sidelines. They get their hands dirty.
Our network of accomplished Malawian business owners and local business partners opens their doors to Academy students. Phuka coaches guide every step — building strategic thinking, problem-solving, and the kind of confidence that only comes from doing something real. Every student also receives one-on-one English mentoring from a volunteer in the United States, and academic support to keep school performance strong.
It's preparation with calluses on it.
Four years. One pipeline.
Academy runs alongside all four years of secondary school — intentionally building on itself.
Foundation
Students are introduced to business fundamentals and begin rotating through partner businesses. English mentoring starts. Coaches establish trust and set expectations.
Exploration
Students go deeper into specific industries, begin identifying personal strengths and interests, and take on small responsibilities within partner businesses.
Application
Students tackle real business challenges with coach guidance — problem-solving, strategic thinking, and contributing meaningfully to operations they now understand.
Launch-ready
Senior students develop a vision for their own future. The best candidates are identified for Phuka Ventures. Every student graduates with real experience and a network.
What every Academy student receives.
Phuka has built a growing network of successful Malawian business owners and local business partners who are eager to train the next generation. Students rotate through experiences across industries — agriculture, manufacturing, services, trades — gaining practical exposure to what entrepreneurship actually looks like in their country, their economy, and their future.
From running a poultry operation to working alongside an electrical engineer, students don't just observe. They participate, ask hard questions, and begin to understand how real decisions get made in real businesses.
Real businesses. Real mentors. Real skills.
English fluency is a genuine competitive advantage in Malawi's economy — in business, in government, in access to global opportunity. Every Academy student is matched with a volunteer in the United States for weekly one-on-one conversations.
There's no formal curriculum. Just real dialogue with supportive, encouraging Americans who show up every week because they believe in what these students are building. Over four years, students gain not just language confidence — they gain a relationship with someone on the other side of the world who sees their potential.
A conversation a week can change a trajectory.
A student who falls behind academically can't focus on anything else. Phuka partners with local teachers to provide tutoring and exam preparation — ensuring that the extra commitment of Academy never comes at the cost of school performance.
A strong foundation in school and a strong foundation in business aren't competing goals. They reinforce each other. Students who learn to think strategically in business bring that same discipline to their studies — and vice versa.
School comes first. We make sure of it.
Academy graduates don't just finish a program — they're ready to build something. The best go on to Phuka Ventures →
Become an English mentor.
One conversation a week, from wherever you are in the world. If you'd like to mentor a Phuka Academy student, we'd love to hear from you.
Get involved →