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Development Projects in Malawi
Neighbouring
Village Has Started Important Projects and Needs Our
Help to Complete Them
New
corn mill supports community centers and home-based
care program; community center and safe drinking water
are current priorities
Slotland
supported the Umodzi Mbame project
until the villagers were ready to assume full responsibility
for the self-sustaining community centre. But now a
neighbouring village has shown such initiative that
the Project Team has decided to also help them with
a community project they started on their own.
Kantimbanye
has shown remarkable community spirit by establishing
four community centers where up to two hundred children,
mostly orphans, get daily care. More than hundred volunteers
regularly go to houses of old and disabled people to
wash their clothes and bring little items such as soap.
A corn mill was built in Kantimbanye but more money
is needed for construction of a proper community center
and pre-school building. When you read their story,
we hope you will want to make
a donation as well.
Extending
Our Project to Kantimbanye
In
February 2006, on a dust path in the fields of southern
Malawi, the Project Team was approached by two men.
They were very astonished by the presence of white people
in this area and when the Team members told them that
they live there permanently and devote themselves to
development work, the men introduced themselves as chairman
and treasurer of a committee in their village that organizes
care for orphans and sick people. They invited the Project
Team into their village.
The
village of Kantimbanye is situated far from the road,
not easily accessible, and therefore gets little to
no attention from the government or NGOs. In 2003, due
to the alarming rise of orphans and their bad living
conditions, a growing group of volunteers organized
themselves and initiated the set up of four community
centers/preschools which serve almost 200 children under
seven as a care and learning place. The group also found
it necessary to take care of lonely, sick and elderly
people and thus started a Home-Based-Care Programme
that includes visiting homes of the sick and elderly,
washing their clothes, cultivating their gardens, buying
little necessities such as soap or matches, and interacting
with them. All this is carried out by over 120 volunteers,
people who are determined to improve the living conditions
in their village.
The
devotion of the volunteers is admirable and the results
of their work are visible. With their determination
and some financial support support they have the potential
to manage much more. The boNGO Project Team has decided
to support this community.
Official
Status
The
first step was to register this group of volunteers
at the Malawian Ministry of Women and Child Development
as a official Community Based Organization (CBO). The
volunteers chose their name – Tiyende Pamodzi (Let´s
go together). The official status is very useful as
only registered CBOs can apply for grants or ask the
government for asssistance.
Training
of the CBO´s Committee
 The
second step was provision of a training which the boNGO
Project Team organized in cooperation with the Malawian
Ministry of Women and Child Development. The training
was mostly about management, leadership, community mobilization,
as well as rights and opportunities which an organization
such as Tiyende Pamodzi in Malawi disposes.
Income
Generating Corn Mill for Financial Self-sufficiency
 The
next step was to bring finances into the CBO which could
support the current activities or their expansion. In
order for the financial supply to be regular a suitable
business investment was discussed. Based on a research
which the volunteers carried out, it was decided that
a corn-mill would be the best option. A corn mill is
very needed in this area and, since its operation is
not complicated , it can be operated by individual volunteers.
In
June 2007 the building works started. Volunteers delivered
stones, sand, water and wood, men burned bricks and
found among themselves several carpenters and bricklayers
who will free of charge participate on the construction.
boNGO with Slotland assistance provided finances for
cement, roofing materials, the mill itself and training
regarding the corn-mill operation and basic accounting.
Active participation of the community will ensure that
the local people will feel the mill is truly theirs.
This sense of ownership is considered very important
by boNGO, as it guarantees that the community will always
feel the urge to sustain the mill.
The
corn mill has been operating since October 2007 and
in two months earned almost $500 -- which in local conditions
can be considered a real success! The profit has been
used to feed children in the four community centers
and to provide small incentives for the teachers who
have been working there.
Teacher
Training
 In
the Tiyende Pamodzi community centers there are several
teachers working. Most of them though can only read
and write and don't know much about preschool education.
Each month boNGO provides these teachers with an intense
2-day teacher training session.
Nursing
Course
In
Kantimbanye there are many longterm bed-rid patients,
most of them HIV positive people with fully developed
AIDS. The Tiyende Pamodzi voluteers try look after them,
but as none of them has even a basic health and nursing
knowledge, the assistance is restricted to food provision
and friendly talk only. The volunteers showed an interest
in nursing training. boNGO is searching for a suitable
local partner organization which could provide such
course.
Renewal
of the Community Centers
 The
four shelters used by the volunteers as community centers
are very plain - two sheds, a Catholic church, and one
spreading mango tree.
"These
structures are definitelly insufficient,“ says Justin
N., the Community Development specialist from the boNGO
team. "Not only are there no black-boards, but
in the wet season from October to March the children
too often just cannot go to school because of rain.“
The
boNGO Project Team has agreed to support the construction
of a new building to serve as preschool and community
center. It will be built next to the mango tree under
which pre-school classes are currently held, weather
permitting.
A
Much Needed Bore-Hole
 When
the boNGO Team was trying to identify the most burning
problems within the Kantimbanye community it showed
that one of the biggest challenges is the lack of drinking
water. Therefore drilling and installation of a bore
hole would be one of the best things which could be
done for good sanitation in the Kantimbanye community.
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The
"Hope for a New Generation" project is administered
by boNGO Worldwide, a non-profit organization registered
in Malawi. Slotland.com has been a Platinum Sponsor
of boNGO Worldwide and provided all funding for boNGO's
first project.