8/7/2019 Malawi Microenterprise Project - Tearfund New
Zealand
2/2
National Ofce:
PO Box 8315, Symonds St,
Auckland 1150
New Zealand
Freephone: 0800 800 777
Facsimile: (09) 629 1050
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.tearfund.org.nz
CONTACTS:
Through support rom TEAR Fund, Alias joined a arming group,
and
now owns 0.334ha (1 acre) o cotton. He expects to harvest
over
1000kgs, which he will sell in local markets.
Alias says he will use the proft to pay or his childrens school
ees, to
buy seeds or the next season and he will also give to the church
to
support its HIV/AIDS ministry.
By running the agriculture programme through Malawis local
church, it
provides a living witness o Christs love, alongside an
integrated HIV/AIDS awareness programme.
Even those who are not Christian are coming to the church to
learn
more about how the programme can help our community to grow
sustainable crops and address AIDS, says Alias.
The Malawi Agriculture Project gives amilies practical help to
increase
amily incomes and a sustainable source o ood. As ood security
is
one o the biggest problems acing Malawi, this programme is a
much-
needed help to the 21 neediest communities.
COUNTRY PROFILES
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
TEAR Fund community development works by empowering poor
communities to fnd their
own solutions to issues. This signifcantly reduces overheads by
operating through local sta.
We work directly with the poorest allowing us to identiy and
address the root causes o
poverty not just the symptoms.
TEAR Fund partners with indigenous Christian organisations who
carry out the work
themselves. Assistance is given regardless o belies.
TEAR Fund takes an holistic approach to all o its projects which
takes the local community
on a journey o transormation through improved physical, social
and economic circum-
stances, and oten on an individual level, spiritual change.
How community development transforms
Physical meets targeted need such as health
Social unites and empowers
Economic often creates opportunities for income generation
Spiritual opens doors for gospel
Battling drought and other circumstances beyond their control,
amilies
fnd themselves dependent on emergency ood distributions,
especially in
the pre-harvest months o January through to April.
Theyre grateul or this vital support but they would rather
provide or
themselves. At least 85 per cent o the people survive on
subsistence agri-
culture growing their own ood. They know that ood handouts will
not
solve their long-term hunger problem. To deeat hunger, Malawis
people
must be empowered to protect themselves against drought and
amine.
They must be equipped to succeed. The people are ur ther plagued
by thescourge o AIDS, which has reduced the lie expectancy in
Malawi to just
41 years.
During the major amine in 2004 Alias Kasamba struggled to eed
his
amily but through the intervention o TEAR Fund and its par tner
World
Relie, he is optimistic about the uture.
I believe hunger or my amily is a story o the past, he says. The
46-year-
old ather o six struggled in recent years to eed his amily. A
subsistence
armer, Kasamba would oten sell frewood to make ends meet.
Community Development Changing Lives
FILLING THE HUNGER GAP IN MALAWI
