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Dzaleka Online Services uses Astro’s Content Collections API to organize and manage different types of content. Each collection has a specific purpose and schema that ensures data consistency across the platform.

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Collections Overview

The platform includes 23 distinct content collections, each serving a unique purpose in documenting and showcasing life, services, and opportunities in Dzaleka Refugee Camp.

Services

Business and community services available in Dzaleka

Events

Upcoming and past community events and festivals

Jobs

Employment and volunteer opportunities

Resources

Educational materials, reports, and documentation

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Primary Collections

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Services

Directory: src/content/services/ The services collection catalogs businesses, organizations, and service providers operating in and around Dzaleka Refugee Camp. 
---
title: Zawadie Solutions
category: "Entrepreneurship & Business"
description: Business outsourcing and refugee employment services.
location:
  address: Ubuntu Office
  city: Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Dowa
contact:
  email: 'Info@zawadie.com'
  phone: '+1-(907) 487-4575'
socialMedia:
  website: 'https://zawadie.com/'
featured: true
verified: true
---

## About Zawadie Solutions

Zawadie is a social-impact outsourcing organization...
Key Features:
  • Location data with coordinates
  • Contact information
  • Business hours
  • Social media links
  • Verification status

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Events

Directory: src/content/events/ Documents community events, festivals, workshops, and gatherings - both upcoming and historical. 
---
title: "Tumaini Festival 2025"
description: "Malawi's Premier Refugee-Led Arts & Cultural Festival"
date: 2025-10-30T09:00:00Z
endDate: 2025-11-01T22:00:00Z
location: "Dzaleka Refugee Camp Main Ground, Dowa"
category: "Festival"
organizer: "Tumaini Letu"
status: "past"
registration:
  required: false
  url: "https://tumainiletu.org/tumaini-festival/"
tags: ["music", "dance", "arts", "culture"]
---
Features:
  • Panelist information
  • Registration details
  • Multi-day event support
  • Contact information

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Jobs

Directory: src/content/jobs/ Employment opportunities including full-time, part-time, contract, volunteer, and internship positions. 
---
title: Secondary School Teachers (20 positions)
organization: Jesuit Refugee Service
location: Dzaleka Refugee Camp
type: full-time
category: education
posted: 2023-05-01
deadline: 2023-05-31
status: "closed"
skills:
  - Teaching
  - Lesson Planning
  - Classroom Management
contact:
  email: jrsmain@broadbandmw.com
---
Categories: education, healthcare, technology, community, business, arts, services, other

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Resources

Directory: src/content/resources/ Educational materials, reports, research papers, and documentation about Dzaleka and refugee services. 
---
title: Banking services in Dzaleka Refugee Camp
description: New Finance Bank opened its branch in Dzaleka
date: 2019-03-01
category: Situation Reports / Updates
fileType: pdf
resourceUrl: https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/68623
downloadUrl: 'https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/68623'
fileSize: '748.24 KB'
languages: ['English']
author: UNHCR Malawi
---

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Photos

Directory: src/content/photos/ Photo stories and visual documentation of life in Dzaleka, featuring photographer credits and detailed metadata. 
---
title: "From Survival to Innovation: Andy's Journey"
description: "Andy found refuge, reunited with his mother, and discovered coding."
photographer:
  name: "Badre Bahaji"
  instagram: "badrebahaji"
  website: "https://mw.linkedin.com/in/badre-bahaji"
image: "https://www.wfp.org/sites/default/files/..."
date: "2021-06-18"
tags: ["Former Child Soldier", "Refugee Resilience"]
featured: true
location: "Dzaleka Refugee Camp"
---

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Business & Commerce Collections

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Stores

Directory: src/content/stores/ Restaurants, cafes, retail shops, and service providers with menus, hours, and pricing. 
---
name: "Mama Joy's Kitchen"
type: "restaurant"
owner:
  name: "Joy Mukeba"
  phone: "+265991234567"
location:
  address: "Dzaleka Camp, Near Main Market"
  zone: "Kawale"
menu:
  - category: "Main Dishes"
    items:
      - name: "Fufu with Sombe"
        price: "2,500"
        popular: true
paymentMethods:
  - "Cash"
  - "Airtel Money"
status: "active"
dateJoined: 2024-11-01
---
Store Types: restaurant, cafe, bakery, grocery, retail, salon, workshop, other

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Marketplace

Directory: src/content/marketplace/ Products and services for sale, including books, handcrafts, and various goods. 
---
title: "Refugee for Life: My Journey Across Africa"
type: "product"
category: "books-media"
price: "USD 18.00"
priceType: "fixed"
images:
  - "/images/book-cover.jpeg"
vendor:
  name: "Innocent Magambi"
  location: "Malawi / Inua Advocacy"
status: "active"
datePosted: 2024-11-20
tags: ["book", "memoir", "refugee-story"]
externalLink: "https://www.amazon.com/..."
---
Price Types: fixed, negotiable, free, contact

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Community & Stories

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Inspirational Stories

Directory: src/content/inspirational-stories/ Personal narratives of resilience, achievement, and hope from Dzaleka residents. Fields: title, name, age, country, description, content, personImage, contact info

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Stories

Directory: src/content/stories/ Photo essays and longer narrative pieces with multiple images and captions. Features:
  • Author information with role and bio
  • Photo arrays with captions
  • Cover images
  • Related tags

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Community Voices

Directory: src/content/community-voices/ Opinion pieces, reflections, and community perspectives. Fields: title, author, date, category, excerpt, image, featured, tags

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Arts & Culture Collections

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Artists

Directory: src/content/artists/ Profiles of visual artists working in and around Dzaleka. Fields: artistName, medium, nationality, bio, specialties, achievements, notableWorks

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Artworks

Directory: src/content/artworks/ Public art installations and significant works. Features:
  • Installation details
  • Materials used
  • Multiple image galleries (additional, detail, process)
  • Educational resources

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Dancers

Directory: src/content/dancers/ Individual dancers and dance groups/crews. Fields: type (individual/group), danceStyles, festivals, members array for groups

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Poets

Directory: src/content/poets/ Poets and spoken word artists. Fields: type, nickname, startedPoetry, firstPerformance, poetryGroup, currentStatus

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Education & Professional

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Courses

Directory: src/content/courses/ Online and offline educational courses. Categories: technology, business, languages, arts, health, science, professional-skills, personal-development Levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced

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Profiles

Directory: src/content/profiles/ Skill provider and help seeker profiles. Features:
  • Skills and expertise
  • Charge types (free/paid)
  • Payment methods
  • Request status tracking

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Additional Collections

Directory: src/content/news/Categories: business-spotlight, announcement, success-story, business-guide, news, education
Directory: src/content/projects/Community development projects and initiatives with impact metrics.
Directory: src/content/sites/Important locations and facilities in Dzaleka (health centers, schools, etc.)
Directory: src/content/rights/Legal resources and refugee rights documentation.Categories: legislation, analysis, guide, resource
Directory: src/content/pages/Static informational pages.
Directory: src/content/docs/Platform documentation organized by section with ordering.
Directory: src/content/talents/Data files (JSON/YAML) containing arrays of talent profiles by category.

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Directory Structure

src/content/
├── artists/
├── artworks/
├── community-voices/
├── courses/
├── dancers/
├── docs/
├── events/
├── inspirational-stories/
├── jobs/
├── marketplace/
├── news/
├── photos/
├── poets/
├── profiles/
├── projects/
├── resources/
├── rights/
├── services/
├── sites/
├── stores/
├── stories/
└── talents/

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Common Patterns

Most collections share these common fields:
  • title or name - Primary identifier
  • description - Short summary
  • featured - Boolean for homepage/highlight display
  • tags - Array of categorization tags
  • image or related image fields
  • date fields for temporal organization
  • status - Lifecycle management (active, inactive, draft, etc.)
All collections use Astro’s glob loader pattern to automatically discover and load markdown files from their respective directories.

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Next Steps

Schema Reference

Detailed field specifications for each collection

Contribution Guidelines

How to add and format content