Content Collections

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.

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

Primary Collections

Services

Directory: src/content/services/ The services collection catalogs businesses, organizations, and service providers operating in and around Dzaleka Refugee Camp.

View Example

---
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

Events

Directory: src/content/events/ Documents community events, festivals, workshops, and gatherings - both upcoming and historical.

View Example

---
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

Jobs

Directory: src/content/jobs/ Employment opportunities including full-time, part-time, contract, volunteer, and internship positions.

View Example

---
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

Resources

Directory: src/content/resources/ Educational materials, reports, research papers, and documentation about Dzaleka and refugee services.

View Example

---
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
---

Photos

Directory: src/content/photos/ Photo stories and visual documentation of life in Dzaleka, featuring photographer credits and detailed metadata.

View Example

---
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"
---

Business & Commerce Collections

Stores

Directory: src/content/stores/ Restaurants, cafes, retail shops, and service providers with menus, hours, and pricing.

View Example

---
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

Marketplace

Directory: src/content/marketplace/ Products and services for sale, including books, handcrafts, and various goods.

View Example

---
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

Community & Stories

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

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

Community Voices

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

Arts & Culture Collections

Artists

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

Artworks

Directory: src/content/artworks/ Public art installations and significant works. Features:

Installation details
Materials used
Multiple image galleries (additional, detail, process)
Educational resources

Dancers

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

Poets

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

Education & Professional

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

Profiles

Directory: src/content/profiles/ Skill provider and help seeker profiles. Features:

Skills and expertise
Charge types (free/paid)
Payment methods
Request status tracking

Additional Collections

News

Directory: src/content/news/Categories: business-spotlight, announcement, success-story, business-guide, news, education

Projects

Directory: src/content/projects/Community development projects and initiatives with impact metrics.

Sites

Directory: src/content/sites/Important locations and facilities in Dzaleka (health centers, schools, etc.)

Rights

Directory: src/content/rights/Legal resources and refugee rights documentation.Categories: legislation, analysis, guide, resource

Pages

Directory: src/content/pages/Static informational pages.

Docs

Directory: src/content/docs/Platform documentation organized by section with ordering.

Talents

Directory: src/content/talents/Data files (JSON/YAML) containing arrays of talent profiles by category.

Gallery

Directory: src/content/gallery/Simple image gallery entries with title, image, and date.

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/

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.

Get Started

Core Features

Cultural Heritage

Content Management

Collections Overview

Services

Events

Jobs

Resources

Primary Collections

Services

Events

Jobs

Resources

Photos

Business & Commerce Collections

Stores

Marketplace

Community & Stories

Inspirational Stories

Stories

Community Voices

Arts & Culture Collections

Artists

Artworks

Dancers

Poets

Education & Professional

Courses

Profiles

Additional Collections

Directory Structure

Common Patterns

Next Steps

Schema Reference

Contribution Guidelines

​Collections Overview

Services

Events

Jobs

Resources

​Primary Collections

​Services

​Events

​Jobs

​Resources

​Photos

​Business & Commerce Collections

​Stores

​Marketplace

​Community & Stories

​Inspirational Stories

​Stories

​Community Voices

​Arts & Culture Collections

​Artists

​Artworks

​Dancers

​Poets

​Education & Professional

​Courses

​Profiles

​Additional Collections

​Directory Structure

​Common Patterns

​Next Steps

Schema Reference

Contribution Guidelines

Collections Overview

Primary Collections

Services

Events

Jobs

Resources

Photos

Business & Commerce Collections

Stores

Marketplace

Community & Stories

Inspirational Stories

Stories

Community Voices

Arts & Culture Collections

Artists

Artworks

Dancers

Poets

Education & Professional

Courses

Profiles

Additional Collections

Directory Structure

Common Patterns

Next Steps