2016 — Founding of the Ivy Foundation, Malawi

In 2016, Sammie MacJessie founded the Ivy Foundation to create awareness especially for intersex persons to create a better environment which caters for their needs and is more understanding of their differences. The Foundation operates through the three major Cities in Malawi: Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu. The Foundation also advocates for the rights of young and old intersex individuals. 

Vision

The Foundation strives to enhance sustainable development to improve social basic needs of and the inclusion of LBIQ persons in all spaces like education and health care. They seek to advance gender equality and the empowerment of all by promoting sexual and reproductive health as well as human rights.

Contact

Email: Ivyfoundation6@gmail.com
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Our interviews with Sammie MacJessie

YouTube interview, 12 September 2025

Text interview, April 2024

Our Intersex Content Contributor Delphine Barigye had an informal chat with Sammie in April 2024, reflecting on the founding of the Ivy Foundation in Malawi, the events that led to the formation of the Foundation, and Sammie’s experiences growing up as an Intersex person in Malawi. As the Trans & Intersex History Africa Digital Archive sat down with them to unravel the threads of inspiration that led to the creation of the transformative organisation, their words painted a vivid picture of determination, resilience and unwavering passion.

Sammie is an intersex person born in Malawi to a Malawian mother and a South African father. They grew up mostly in Malawi but had a fair share of their life in South Africa. They are the Executive Director of Ivy Foundation and have been a human rights activist for over ten years. Apart from founding The Ivy Foundation, Sammie was co-chair of the Southern African Intersex Forum, a member of JASS (Just Associates: Global feminist movement-support organisation in the Global South), and current board member of the Iranti.org board, among many other involvements.

What motivated you to start the Ivy Foundation?

“What motivated me to start was the lack of inclusivity for intersex persons, the lack of conversations, and the lack of acceptance! For so long, people have always just pretended that we don’t exist. When I asked questions, no one could give me the answers and they made it look like I was crazy. I started this organisation so that intersex people can get answers to questions they have about their differences in sex development especially in a world where we are still considered a taboo.” 

Can you share a personal story or experience that sparked the idea for your organisation?

“Growing up, I was pretty much like everybody else until I was 12 and joined a boarding high school. This was a place where we had to bathe in a community bathroom and that is when I noticed the difference between me and the other girls there. At 14, I noticed how everybody else had got their menstrual period besides me. But this didn’t throw me off because this (the period) is not something I was looking forward to anyway. But at 19/20 I realised how late it was. Sex conversations with friends also highlighted how different I was. I had no idea what they were talking about, especially the sexual experiences because I had never felt any sexual sensation. One of my friends pointed out how different my coochie [genitals] was as well. So I decided to look for answers again. The doctors’ immediate guess was always hormonal imbalance and they prescribed hormonal therapy for 2 solid years until a doctor in South Africa NOT Malawi, after a pap smear confirmed that I had gone through a surgical procedure as a child and this consequently affected my sexual feeling. On questioning my mum about it, she reaffirmed. According to her, I was born with an abnormally large clitoris that they had to cut off. A certified doctor who didn’t understand the implications of what they were doing or what they were cutting off had done this. And now I am a grown-up who has never felt any sexual sensation at all. This experience of not being able to get answers in a country that did this mutilation pissed me off and I surely had to do something to protect others from the same experience.”

Were there any specific events or issues in your community that drove you to take action?

“Yes, there is a specific event in 2016 where an intersex individual in a high school from the rural area of Malawi in Kliwawa was brutally raped by the guards and the head prefect using objects. On reporting to the police, they made fun by asking the victim to show them what was in between their legs because the perpetrators had reported that the individual had two private parts.

The police continued to mock me by asking if it was true! The story went viral but no Human Rights activists cared enough to take action. I then reached out to the individual who seemed broken and did not want to open up. A week or later the individual finally jumped into Shire, a crocodile-infested river because she was a laughingstock in the village. This event truly broke my heart. Seeing a young person at the age of 15 go through so much and only end up losing their life at such a tender age because society didn’t care enough.”

Did you encounter any challenges or obstacles when starting your organisation, and how did you overcome them?

“First of all, we were not allowed to register because the government was sceptical about registering an intersex organisation. They argued that there was no data or statistics and hence hardly believed that there was a substantial number of intersex people in Malawi but also asserted that the Intersex people were part of the LGBTIQ community. I pointed out that if you think that intersex people are part of the LGBTIQ community then it’s true we exist and this is something you cannot take away only because for the longest time we have only been visible under this umbrella. But it is also very true that not all intersex people identify as LGBTQ. It was a long process of back and forth but I finally got help from UNDP and UNAIDs and finally got registered.”

What long-term goals do you hope to achieve through the Ivy Foundation?

“We are hoping that in the next at least 5 years (considering the pace of the Malawian government) we will have legislation protecting intersex people from the human rights violations and abuses they go through. We hope that the law can hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions because according to our research last year, nobody has been prosecuted for violating or abusing the rights of intersex persons in Malawi. We have already drafted the model law and policy to assist us in this journey. 

We are also hoping to see more intersex people in Malawi take up leadership roles like Tabitha and her sister in the sports fraternity. The goal is to normalise being intersex and create a more inclusive society.”

Have you seen any unexpected outcomes or benefits from Ivy Foundation’s initiatives?

“We have seen an increase in the number of intersex people who are willing to speak up about the violations they go through and also the number of allies that have come up to support our cause. It is heartwarming.”

What advice would you give to others who are considering starting their own grassroots NGOs?

“You will have more downs than ups. Motivated young founders usually expect everything to be rosy by getting so many funding opportunities and immediate acceptance from people in the first year which is not usually the case. The first few years, it will just be you making noise without anyone listening. However, over the years, more people have been willing to work with you creating more noise, I mean, I may be fat but there are plenty. Patience and resilience will eventually get you there.”

How do you stay motivated and passionate about Ivy Foundation’s mission?

“Am not going to lie, it is hard to stay motivated. We are one of the least funded organisations in Malawi and this is the trend with most intersex organizations across Africa. It is exhausting to stay motivated but when you look at how far we’ve come we can surely make one more step ahead every day.”

Interview with Sammie by our Intersex Content Contributor, Delphine Barigye

In memoriam: Sammie Kwatiwami MacJessie (20 June 1991 — 17 October 2026)

Tragically, Sammie Kwatiwami MacJessie died after a battle with cancer late Saturday night, 17th of October 2026, at the age of 35.

The outpouring of love after Sammie’s death has been tremendous. We share just a few of them here:

Messages from the Trans & Intersex History Africa (TIHA) Digital Archive team:

“Comrade Sammie, your voice, passion, activism, and invaluable contributions to African intersex movement will forever remain part of our collective history. Rest in power, Sammie. Your legacy lives on. With love and solidarity.”
— Victor Mukasa (TIHA Co-Founder | Co-Founder of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG)

​”Sammie – you left a void and your legacy will live forward. Patient in awareness raising and training sessions, you led the way for intersex individuals, their parents, teachers and cross movement organisations. We are saddened and will miss you! Rest in Power Sammie MacJessie​.”
— Liesl Theron (TIHA Co-Founder)

“Sammie, I don’t have the words to make sense of this yet. You brought so much joy to everyone who knew you, and you will be deeply missed. Rest in peace.”
— SR (TIHA Audio & Video Manager)

“Rest in peace, my dear friend. It is hard to believe that I have to say goodbye to you. Life can be so unfair, taking away the dearest people. Thank you for the memories, the laughter, and the moments we shared. Your presence in this world made a difference, and your absence leaves a pain that words cannot fully express.”
— Delphine Barigye (TIHA Intersex Content Contributor | Programme Director at Support Initiative for People with Atypical Sex Development (SIPD) Uganda).

As a digital archive of African trans, intersex and gender diverse moments and movements, we at TIHA are so honoured and grateful that we have this conversation recorded as part of the history of the African intersex movements. In this clip from the interview, Sammie speaks about their journey through educating themself about intersex conditions, to educating others and raising awareness. Sammie also speaks about the evolution of the Ivy Foundation, as well as the situation for intersex children and youth, specifically those in rural areas, as well as about the legal landscape for intersex people in Malawi. The clip ends with them leaving an inspirational message for intersex people and the parents of intersex children.

Messages from the community:

“I met Sammie online in 2016, and we finally met in person in 2017. We connected instantly because of our childlike spirits, our shared ability to laugh, joke, and never take life too seriously. Over the past 10 years, we built a beautiful relationship and became family. Not just friends, but siblings in every sense of the word.​ Sammie had been ill for a while, but somehow, you could never see it in their face. They always had a joke to crack, a word of encouragement to offer, or a way of motivating me whenever I felt like giving up. Even while fighting their own battles, they continued to show up for others. That was Sammie.​ Sammie was a courageous intersex person, a fighter whose commitment to justice never wavered. Despite the many challenges they faced in Malawi, they continued to advocate for intersex rights and built an incredible team at the IVY Foundation. Their courage, leadership, and dedication to our community will never be forgotten.​ Sammie was my Co-Chair at the Southern African Intersex Forum, and leading alongside them was a dream. We shared feminist principles, a vision for our community, and a clear understanding of why we did this work. We knew what we were fighting for, and we knew that our people deserved better. I will forever cherish the work we did together, the conversations we shared, the laughter, and the dreams we held for our community.​ Right now, I am broken. I need a moment to breathe, a moment to gather myself, and a moment to begin facing the reality that you are no longer here. I honestly do not know how to make sense of a world in which I cannot call you, laugh with you, or hear one of your jokes again.​ But I know this: your spirit will live on forever. Your work will continue through the people you inspired, the community you helped build, and every intersex person whose life is touched by the path you helped pave. We will continue speaking about your incredible work, honouring your legacy, and fighting for the future we dreamed of together.​ Rest well, my sibling. ​ Thank you for being my friend, my colleague, my co-conspirator, and my family. Thank you for showing up for me even when you were fighting battles of your own.​ I love you, Sammie. I hope you knew just how deeply you were loved. The world feels a little less bright without you in it.​ Until we meet again, my sibling. Your fight was never in vain. ”
— Crystal Hendricks​ (Southern African Intersex Forum)

“Lala ngokuthula nkokheli Sammie Macjessie. Feminists, queers, trans and lesbians across Malawi and the African continent are mourning the sad and untimely passing of yet another comrade, Sammie Macjessie. Comrade Sammie transitioned in early hours of Sunday, the 18th of October, following a struggle with cancer. At only 35 years of age, Sammie was a leading voice for rights, justice and freedom of all people, especially LGBTIQs in Malawi and across Africa. Sammie founded the Ivy Foundation to “create awareness especially for intersex persons to create a better environment which caters for their needs and is more understanding of their differences”. Living openly as an intersex person, Sammie’s activism always sought to build a society and world where belonging, regardless of sex, sexuality, genders is the cornerstone of human relations. Sammie challenged the contradictions of the notion of a friendly country – Malawi – and the hostility, discrimination and exclusions that LGBTIQ people experienced on the day-to-day. My earlier encounters with Sammie were through my work with our JASS Malawi team, Sibo and Miriam, especially through the work of the Our Bodies, Our Lives Movement (OBOL). As a feminist, Sammie engaged the OBOL feminists on cross movement work and solidarity across movement strategies. In both the 2023 JASS feminist movement building on the eve of the passing of the anti-homosexual act of Uganda, as well as the 2024 cross movement school, Sammie underlines the role of thinking across movement for developing joint strategies.

Sammie’s experiences growing up as an Intersex person in Malawi informs her convictions.
At JASS, Sammie was not only an important ally and fellow plotter, but a facilitator, bridge builder and trusted friend. As the director of the IVY Foundation, Sammie enabled deep institutional partnerships fundamental for the struggles against the anti-rights expression across the African continent. To me, Sammie is a friend and comrade I love and appreciate very much, someone I could call when having an idea, a question and to check in. Ever concerned about activists relations, tensions sweeping among us whilst the ‘enemies’ are consolidating against us, Sammie felt deeply about the need to position within movement work strategies that are geared towards the inside. Sammie’s humour and ironic ways of talking will be memorable. Sharp and articulate, respectful of class difference and holding that as key for research and action, are some of the contributions I will miss. Knowing that Sammie was always there, for Malawian struggles, for African meaning, for intersex, trans and queers was a comfort; the kind that when you think ‘locally and act globally’ gives depth; the kind that is dependable. My love and comfort to Sammie’s village: immediate and extended family, comrades across Malawi and Africa, IVY foundation colleagues and comrades, collaborators and friends. This is a huge loss, a collective loss. Sammie will be carried to her final resting place on Tuesday. From afar, I join everyone in Lilongwe and Salina with a deep pain and sadness. With the convictions we always screamed: WE WILL WIN! Transition peacefully dear comrade, leader and friend Sammie McJessie and Rise in Power. Yours is done, we will continue holding the memories and lessons you taught us.”
— Phumi Mtetwa (JASS — Just Associates: Global feminist movement-support organisation in the Global South)

“I met Sammie Macjessie in 2015, we held the first LBQ, trans and intersex workshop in Malawi. And from this workshop Sammie founded the Ivy Foundation, a feminist intersex led organization. Sammie’s passing, is a huge loss to her family, community and the region. Sammie was the calm weaver of relationships, networks, with deep and uncompromising values that has kept us all inspired, to keep working despite the multitude of tides that have hit our movements and impacted on us all so personally. My last meet up with Sammie was 2 weeks ago at the hospital in Nairobi. They remained true to form, determined to get well, filled with laughter and always making sure we all ok. Sammie thank you for sharing your life with us, for building the intersex movement to where it is today. Thank you for serving on the ​Iranti board, thank you for your service to the greater good. May we all learn from you. Rest in peace my dear friend.​”
— Jabulani Chen Pereira (Former Executive Director of Iranti.org)