Hello,
Welcome, I am so pleased to meet you.
My name is Tiwonge, and I am the founder and visionary of Lovestory Africa.
My journey here begins, as many good stories do, with a simple, daily ritual, coffee. I love and enjoy coffee every day. This passion, which was first kindled by my wife, Daniela, eventually led us to purchase a coffee farm in the beautiful highlands of Northern Malawi.
"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead."
Nelson Mandela
"But the deeper reason for Lovestory Africa is rooted in my own search for belonging."
I am a third-culture kid. Growing up in South Africa, I never felt fully South African. Living and working in Malawi, I never felt fully Malawian. And when I later moved to Germany… well, I don’t think I need to say more. This feeling of being "in-between" followed me for years. Eventually, I came to a powerful realization: belonging is a state of being, not a point on a map. Home isn't a place you’re from, but the people you’re with. Family and friends are not just where you find them, but who you choose to make them. This understanding was the seed for everything we do today. It’s why our intercultural training programs exist, and it’s the heart of our vision.
As an artist, I wanted to create a space where this feeling of home could be a reality for everyone. That is what we are building at Lovestory Coffee Estate.
Our estate in Livingstonia is more than a farm; it’s a meeting place. It’s where we live together, learn from each other, and come together from different corners of the world to share who we are. We are building an empowering, understanding, and open community.
Lovestory is for those with a greater purpose, a calling to something more. It’s a network of people who dare to step onto any soil, every country, every continent, and be humble enough, teachable enough, and flexible enough to call that foreign land home. To call the stranger a brother or a sister, and to foster peace where there is conflict.
So, that is me, Tiwonge, an artist, a third-culture kid trying to bring people together. Because at the end of the day, we are all humankind. We are one family.
So, what is our vision?
It is a scene described in Revelation 7:9-10:
"After this I looked, and behold, right in front of me I saw a vast multitude of people, an enormous multitude so huge that no one could count, made up of victorious ones from every nation, tribe, people group, and language. They were all in glistening white robes, standing before the throne and before the Lamb with palm branches in their hands. And they shouted out with a passionate voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God seated on the throne and to the Lamb!'"
The vision to me is deeply spiritual. I believe I am called to bring people together. I truly believe that the Universe conspires for the goodness of all people regardless of their social economic backgrounds or a persons outer appearance. And as a vessel I hope to be used as an instrument of peace and to encourage other to also be instruments of peace, hope and love through cultural cohabitation and mutual understandings.
And what is our mission?
Our mission will always be to give glory to the one who is Chiwuta, to the God that brings down the rains. And we do this by bringing his beautiful people together and letting them create their own Lovestory.
Moin, Moin
I'm Daniela Tembo. If you had told me years ago that I would one day live between countries and continents, raise three children from different cultures, and experience the love and diversity of my marriage anew each day, I probably wouldn't have believed you.
As a professional nurse and nursing service manager in Germany, I built a career I loved and truly believed was my lifelong calling. Until a deeper call began to stir in my heart, a whisper that grew louder until it led me to Africa.
“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
Nelson Mandela
South Africa became my classroom. During an intensive six-month mentorship program there, I learned to step boldly outside my cultural comfort zone. Living in a new country, surrounded by people whose lives and perspectives differed from my own, opened my eyes in ways I never expected.
Shaped and transformed by that experience, I was ready for a new chapter. And then, almost miraculously, I met my husband, Tiwonge. And what can I say?
Our Lovestory began.
Today, you'll find me living a vibrant, colorful everyday life as a wife in an intercultural marriage and mother of three beautiful children from diverse backgrounds. At the heart of it all is a deep desire to make a positive impact.
Living a fulfilled and established life amidst different cultures and encounters is a privilege I cherish deeply, one that teaches me daily that I'm in the midst of a unique and ongoing learning process.
As an intercultural trainer, public speaker, writer for various magazines, and Co-founder of Lovestory, I blend professional expertise with the lived realities of my own intercultural family. Yes, there have been challenges and difficult moments. But beneath it all, I see profound potential: a life built on mutual goodwill, diverse collaboration, and cultural awareness, all rooted deeply in my faith in God.
Together with my husband Tiwonge, our mission is clear: to build bridges in intercultural education and amplify voices for positive intercultural understanding.
I believe in unity. I believe a great privilege lies before us—the privilege of living into our potential, together. Growing together. Remaining humble, generous, and willing to learn from others. These aren't just tools for daily life; they can become second nature. Growing up in a predominantly European environment, I know I still have much to learn. And I'm far from finished. But our shared vision—Lovestory's Intercultural Training Center—is more than a dream. It's a space we're building to bring international people together, to create room for boundless love and unity.
"A place we all belong"
So, long story short:
As an author, public speaker, and intercultural trainer, I love empowering people—helping them bring out the best and most beautiful in themselves and their lives. I look forward to having you at the intercultural training centre in Livingstonia, Malawi or in one of my free online introductory classes to intercultural relationships.
If you're curious about intercultural coaching, eager to expand your perspective, or ready to think outside the boundaries of your own cultural upbringing, let's connect. Book a virtual coffee date with me, and I'll tell you more about our online intercultural training—or perhaps the in-person experience at our Lovestory Coffee Estate in Livingstonia, Malawi.
I look forward to connecting over coffee, whether virtually or one day in person.
So here's my invitation to you:
Be brave. Be colourful. Be authentic
