“I wake up at 4am every morning and go to bed around 11pm,” says a 36-year-old Zomba-based domestic worker, Zione.

Her day is filled with cleaning, cooking, laundry, and providing care to two children aged between 6 and 3. For this, she earns just K40,000 a month, far below Malawi’s minimum wage. She has to keep this job though as she needs to care for her son living with a disability since birth. But she can barely afford what’s required from her earnings.

“I am always exhausted and deprived of sleep,” Zione adds, her voice heavy with fatigue and quiet resilience. Her story is one of many in Malawi’s domestic workforce, where labour rights often go unenforced.

A mother of four children aged between 5 and13, Zione clings to her job not out of choice, but out of necessity. Despite the emotional toll and physical exhaustion, she endures the long hours and meagre pay for the sake of her family.

“Our kind of work is not easy to come by,” she says with a faint smile, “Instead of going home to starve, I’d rather stick to my job and get the little I can, so that my children are taken care of.” Her words echo the quiet desperation of many domestic workers in Malawi, trapped in a cycle of underpaid labor and limited options.

Zione’s youngest son was born with a disability requiring specialized medical attention. “He needs to be on a special diet, and requires regular medical check-ups,” she says, her expression clouded with worry.

Unable to care for him directly while working in Zomba, Zione sends money home to her mother, who is now responsible for his care.

Founder of Anachisale Maid Agency and Cleaning Services, Phyllomina Magasa Zidana, says Zione’s story is far from unique, “There are many domestic workers facing similar challenges,” she explains.

Since its establishment in 2022, this labour agency has linked at least 70 domestic workers to employers each month, offering basic training and placement services.

But even with formal placement, the problems persist. “Most workers report poor working conditions, low and unstable wages, exploitative environments including verbal and sexual abuse,” Zidana reveals adding,. “The challenge is that this kind of work has no specified hours, which leaves most at the mercy of their employer.”

Her observation reflects a broader issue in Malawi’s informal labor sector, where domestic work remains largely unregulated and undervalued. Without contracts, clear job descriptions, or labor protections, workers like Zione are left vulnerable to abuse and neglect.

“In our case, we do work on contracts based on the agreement between the employer and the employee,” Zidana says. “However, in the course of the work, these contracts are not adhered to due to several factors including financial challenges faced by the employer or other unforeseen circumstances.”

A study by the NGO Coalition on Child Rights (NGO CCR) reveals that 59 percent of domestic workers in Malawi; most of them women, earn below the government-set minimum wage of K72,500. The report highlights widespread exploitation in the sector, often hidden behind closed doors.

National Coordinator for NGO CCR Henry Machemba, attributes much of the problem to a lack of awareness. “There is need for awareness for both the workers and the employers.” Verbal agreements and vague job descriptions are common, leaving workers vulnerable to abuse and wage violations.

Machemba emphasizes the vital role of domestic workers.

“Employers need to understand the importance of these workers and appreciate the work they do,” he says. “They provide career parents a chance to pursue their goals while taking care of their homes and children. This is noble and needs to be well compensated.”

Despite existing labor laws, enforcement remains weak, especially in informal settings, where domestic workers operate without contracts, unions, or legal recourse.

The Ministry of Labour acknowledges the challenges domestic workers are facing and has taken steps to address wage disparities. Earlier this year, new minimum wage guidelines were released, but enforcement remains difficult.

“The law does not allow home inspections, which is why we rely on reports from the workers,” explains the ministry’s spokesperson, Nellie Kapatuka.

She calls for the need for collective action: “It is important for domestic workers to establish strong unions to ensure that their issues are systematically handled rather than in isolation.”

A 2018 report by International Labor Organization-ILO estimated that there were 2.1 million domestic workers in Malawi and as revealed by the Organization, the issues of low wages in Malawi, are perpetrated by the decisional power gap between employers and domestic workers. Employers are on one end with near-total power, whereas employees are on another end, almost entirely powerless. With this, workers have little say about their wages and provisions for social protection packages.

For Zione and many like her, recognition and fair pay are not just aspirations, they are lifelines. Such reforms could mean the difference between survival and dignity. Until then, she continues to endure long hours and low wages, driven by the hope that her children, especially her son in need of medical care, might one day live a life free from hardship.