Help feed, educate & empower people of African nation

By Sophie Nyasulu

Malawi is a country in southeast Africa bordered by Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique. Although Malawi is by all standards a poor Third World country, its 13 millions citizens are hardworking and ever eager to improve their lives. Malawi, just like most countries in the region, has been greatly affected by the HIV epidemic.

A benefit dinner is being held at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Multi-Purpose Room of Ohio University's Baker Center to raise money for two projects in Malawi.

Maloto is a non-profit organization (http://www.malotoinc.org/) that was started by Malawians living in the U.S. in 2001. Maloto means dream. The three guiding principles for Maloto are Feed, Educate and Empower. Maloto is a unique, community-based organization based in Mzuzu, Malawi. Our mission is to help families improve their quality of life by developing projects that address economic, social, health and educational needs. There are two main parts to Maloto, the Kwithu Women's Group and the Mzuzu Academy.

Formed in 2005, Kwithu Women's Group and Feeding Center (Kwithu) provides assistance to the large number of orphans and vulnerable children on the outskirts of Mzuzu. Like so many children in Malawi and throughout the region, HIV/AIDS has had a devastating effect on these children. Most have lost parents and family members to the disease. Others live with and care for sick family members. Some are HIV positive themselves. Despite this trauma, the children find support and sanctuary at Kwithu. Kwithu means home in the local languages. The Kwithu project is comprised of five main initiatives:

"¢ Feeding program for orphan and vulnerable children

"¢ After school learning program

"¢ Health and HIV screening, education and outreach

"¢ Sports and recreation

"¢ Women's empowerment

The Kwithu project currently operates with tremendous success out of a temporary shelter without a solid roof and where meals are cooked over an open fire. We currently have 125 children enrolled in the program, but the demand is much greater. Maloto has broken ground on a permanent community center to accommodate 500 children, as well as other vulnerable members of the community. With the permanent center, rain will no longer affect operations. The center will also feature a modern kitchen, allowing for more meals to be cooked and more children to be fed, as well as facilities for programming and community events.

For Maloto, a successful program is also one that can be sustained and replicated. Kwithu has its own farm and grows most of its own food. What we don't grow ourselves, we purchase from local small-scale farmers.

In response to the critical shortage of secondary schools in Malawi, Maloto is building Mzuzu Academy, which will be the first internationally accredited secondary school in the northern region of Malawi. It will offer small class sizes and excellent facilities, including a library, computer and science labs, dormitories, and a modern kitchen and dining hall. The school will also attract experienced and dedicated teachers - from Malawi and abroad - to instruct students in the internationally recognized IGCSE curriculum.

When doors open in 2010, Mzuzu Academy will educate 400 of Malawi's brightest students and will offer scholarships to students who do not have the financial means to attend a competitive secondary school. To date, 16 classrooms and bathrooms have been built. Work is ongoing to complete the remaining facilities.

All proceeds from the Malawi benefit dinner Saturday night will go to Maloto. "Zaning muzalote nase" translated is "come dream with us."

Editor's note: Sophie Nyasulu is co-founder and treasurer of Maloto.