Integral social renewal in Malawi

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world; The Netherlands is one of the 10% richest. What do we have to offer each other? How can we join forces to reduce maternal mortality and give orphans a good future? What can we contribute together to the next natural step in Malawi's development? And what can the Netherlands learn from this?

Partnership across borders
In Malawi, 460 women die per 100.000 births. By way of comparison: in the Netherlands there are six. Out of a population of 16 million, Malawi has 1 million orphans. These shocking facts have prompted Mary Sibande, Director Window of Hope Foundation (WoHF) in Malawi, Elliot Kumwanje, Manager WoHF and Leida Schuringa (Quality Center and CHE Synnervate) to form a partnership across borders. The basis of this collaboration is that it is based on the questions that exist in Malawi. The knowledge and experiences in Malawi are supplemented with expertise, contacts and money from the Netherlands. This is possible because Malawi is taking the first steps towards the orange value system from a strong purple/blue foundation. The starting point of the collaboration is therefore to encourage people to discover their potential and their own path.

Hope Business Center started
Since the beginning of 2012, work has been done on this basis to reduce maternal mortality and to offer education to orphans. A number of projects are now underway in the Mangochi district:

  • Orphans get school materials (a)
  • A number of ambulance bicycles and bicycles have been purchased for information activities around Safe Motherhood (b)
  • Economic empowerment training was organized for two women's groups (c)
  • Four educational children's centers are supported (0-6 years) (d)
  • The methodology book Community Empowerment in Malawi (e) that Mary and Leida wrote together is almost ready. This book is adapted from an earlier publication by Leida: Community Work and Roma Inclusion). The next step is to provide Community Empowerment training based on this book, among others, to the College of Community Development and field workers. A crowd funding campaign will be launched shortly to finance this.

Because the WoHF would like to be independent of foreign support, the plan arose to start its own company and to fund social projects with the profits. CHE Synnervate supports this idea and together Hope Business Center (f) has been started. This company will build a large building with a restaurant, guest houses, meeting rooms, etc. Last autumn, 12.000 m2 of land was purchased, where they will first start with organic farming linked to training for older orphans and women. An architect from Movares is making drawings for the buildings.

You can support this Malawi program by buying (symbolically) 1 m2 of land for € 15 or transferring a contribution to NL10INGB0004256879 in the name of the Quality Center Foundation, stating “Malawi” plus optionally the specification 'land' or the name of one of the projects. The Quality Center has an ANBI status.

Explanation
The seemingly diverse projects that have been set up are the result of a unifying vision:

  • Improving education and health care and increasing income are all necessary to reduce maternal mortality. Informed parents can make better decisions. Girls who continue to go to school get married later and become pregnant when their bodies can handle it better. More health workers and medicines and better access to medical facilities are essential. Income is needed for healthy food, medicines and to send children to school.
  • The government has an important responsibility to take care of its citizens. Their effectiveness partly depends on what happens locally: what are appropriate solutions for the problems and challenges that people encounter on a daily basis. The voice of the local population is essential. The Community Empowerment (e) process supports this by providing people with conditions that challenge them to take a step further in their development.
  • Empowerment means that you are able to examine your own situation, share it with others and look for new solutions together. This requires a proactive role, including in finding financial resources.

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