Empowers has partnered with the University of Mzuzu in Malawi to design and implement an innovative community development initiative. Both our organisations believe in the vast potential of sustainable technology to alleviate poverty and enable communities to thrive.
We are collaboratively designing a pilot project that will enable community self reliance through the use of sustainable technology such as renewable energy, rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation. The project is geared towards cost-recovery in order to ensure community ownership and true sustainability. Therefore project design will focus on the delivery of sustainable technologies through entrepreneurial models that either r directly contribute to or enable income generation.
A pivotal component of the project is a "Vision Workshop" which is focused on identifying the community's own vision for change and their proposed plan of action. Project design and the solutions implemented will be based on the outcome of this workshop. Additional partners will be added to this initiative based on the vision of the selected community.
Project Status
We are currently in the process of selecting a community (10-20 households) with the help of Malawi's District Assemblies. Our plan is to have selected a community and conducted the "Vision Workshop" within March 20
Empower Inc., in collaboration with Mzuzu University, is looking to enable rural entrepreneurs in Malawi to build self-reliant communities. Our first pilot of our project model
will be in partnership with Zatuba Village in Nothern Malawi. The project will also involve a range of local and international partners to holistically address the self-identified needs and challenges of the community.
Zatuba Village is a community located in Mzimba District, Malawi, and is headed by Mr. Zatuba Banda. The community has a population of 234 people, of which there are 58 men, 53 women, 70 girls, and 53 boys. The community has no access to electricity or running water is approximately 30kms from the nearest major town.
About Malawi
Malawi is a beautiful Southern African nation bordered by Zambia, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Affectionately known as the "Warm Heart of Africa," it is also home to the 8th largest lake in the world, Lake Malawi. Though peaceful and politically stable, 90% of the population (14 million) lives in rural areas. The national economy is largely based on agriculture, and Malawi as a nation is considered one of the least developed nations in the world.
Some of the key challenges that the nation faces:
»Up to 50% of the population is below the national poverty line.
»Under 2% of the rural population has access to electricity.
»Approximately 1 in 14 live with HIV AIDS, which results in an average life expectancy of 43.
»Food security is impacted by a reliance on unsustainable agricultural practises.
»There is a high reliance on kerosene and firewood for lighting and cooking.
»There is limited access to clear drinking water and irrigation technologies in rural regions.
»We completed our first project visit to Zatuba along with our volunteer, Jones Ntaukira, and a staff member from Mzuzu University.
For a more detailed account of the trip, check out our blog post.
»"Design for Change" was run with the children at Kapita Primary school. This changemaker program enabled the children to create waste bins from waste plant matter and dig pit latrines for the school. This was through their own initiative, and the program will be run every school term.
»We have completed baseline surveys across all 37 households
»A six-member Village Development Committee (VDC) has been formed in Zatuba Village with equal represention for men, women, and youth. This committee forms the epicenter of leadership across projects in the village.
» Each of the 40 households received Solar Lanterns. The VDC has collected 1/3 of the total cost of the Solar Lanterns. This money is being redirected towards the community banking project.
»Our partners, BEED, completed conducting a 9-day Entrepreneur Training program with the community in June 2011. BEED are currently piloting an interest-free revolving fund focused on 9 businesses in the community. This 3-month pilot (Sept-Nov. 2011) will lead to a collective decision with regard to the viability of a full-fledged community bank.
»Our permaculture specialist, Lieza Dupreez successfully conducted a 5-day workshop on relevant permaculture principles and techniques (August 2011). This project is aimed towards the development of a school-run community garden. She is currently supervising the implementation of the school's design plan through bi-monthly visits until April 2013.
Our commitment to the project is for a 5-year period, after which the community can decide on the role our organisation will play in the context of their self-determined vision for their community.
Vision Workshop
We believe in the inherent capacity and capability of communities to achieve their own vision for change. Our first step in any project is to train community-selected facilitators that will map out a community vision that incorporates the views of men, women, and children. The community's vision will be revisited and adapted on an annual basis to guide progress towards a 5-year goal. This is followed by the formation of a Village Development Committee that leads and holds the community accountable to the collaborative vision created. This committee manages projects in the community and works directly with Empower and its partners to handle implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Further leadership development is scheduled for January or Febuary, 2012.
Technology Deployment
Sustainable technology deployment will be informed by the key needs and challenges faced by the community. Technologies will be sourced based on the community's willingness to invest in cost- effective technologies. An affordable markup will be charged where appropriate to ensure sustainability. The project will focus on technologies that enable sustainable energy and water access (consumption and agriculture). We are particularly interested in the deployment of solar lanterns, solar cookers, drip irrigation systems, rainwater tanks, and claypot filters. Other considerations include technologies that enable health sanitation, communication, and education. We are particularly interested in the open-source transfer of technological expertise to rural communities.
Business Feasbility and Capacity Building The feasibility of the proposed businesses will be assessed, along with their technology and capital requirements. Workshops and consultations will be made available for the community to improve their business management skills. Capacity building will extend to training the community with regard to the operation, maintenance, and proper disposal of sustainable technologies. Our services (through partnerships) will extend to training on the manufacture of cost-effective technologies (e.g. clapypot water filters) and sustainable agricultural practices (permaculture).
Community Banking
Access to capital will be addressed through the formation of a loans committee which will trial self-derived community lending models based on the feasibility studies they will conduct on enterprise ideas. If the community so chooses, this will evolve into a community-run bank which they will construct themselves. The details of this model are currently being developed in collaboration with the community.
Empowers has partnered with the University of Mzuzu in Malawi to design and implement an innovative community development initiative. Both our organisations believe in the vast potential of sustainable technology to alleviate poverty and enable communities to thrive.
We are collaboratively designing a pilot project that will enable community self reliance through the use of sustainable technology such as renewable energy, rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation. The project is geared towards cost-recovery in order to ensure community ownership and true sustainability. Therefore project design will focus on the delivery of sustainable technologies through entrepreneurial models that either directly contribute to or enable income generation.
A pivotal component of the project is a "Vision Workshop" which is focused on identifying the community's own vision for change and their proposed plan of action. Project design and the solutions implemented will be based on the outcome of this workshop. Additional partners will be added to this initiative based on the vision of the selected community.
PROJECT STATUS
We are currently in the process of selecting a community (10-20 households) with the held of Malawi's District Assemblies. Our plan is to have selected a community and conducted the "Vision Workshop" within March 2010.
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