Former Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi once described poverty as the worst form of violence.<\/p>\n
To him, lack of material wealth coupled with hunger makes people be vulnerable to the extent of engaging in harmful practices just to earn a living.<\/p>\n
Moving along Malawi\u2019s countryside one could hardly avoid the stench of poverty, which has left many households unable to access the basic needs of life such as food, housing as well as education.<\/p>\n
No wonder, Malawi is considered among the poorest economies in the world as a majority of its citizens live below the World Bank\u2019s $1.90 (about K1,434) a day poverty line.<\/p>\n
Just ask 38-year-old Maria Davis, a mother of four, of Ndoliro Village in Senior Chief Msakambewa in Dowa and she will tell you poverty is nothing to smile about.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet nobody cheat you, there is no dignity in poverty. We used to struggle a lot to find food, shelter as well as send children to school,\u201d Davis says.<\/p>\n
Davis and her compatriots in the area are a lucky lot because April 1 2015 saw the coming in of the Khwamba Sustainable Livelihood Improvement Project (KSLIP) which is being funded by the Scottish Government up to March 31 2018.<\/p>\n
The project aims at reducing poverty and extreme hunger by empowering 6,000 vulnerable households in Senior Chief Msakambewa through livelihoods improvement and strengthening of the local governance and development structures.<\/p>\n
The project is being implemented by Tearfund through a partner called Ministry of Hope (MOH).<\/p>\n
Among others, the project seeks to achieve increased economic empowerment at household level through enhanced entrepreneurial skills and access to loans.<\/p>\n
The initiative is promoting communities to form self-help groups (SHGs) through which they make small contributions to create a fund through which they lend each other to start or boost existing businesses.<\/p>\n
MOH Programme Manager Dorica Kusamale says so far 370 SHGs have been created in the area and have accumulated savings totalling to K13.7 million.<\/p>\n
Kusamale adds that as at February, loans amounting to K9.8 million were given out to bolster various businesses as well as agricultural productivity.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany have used proceeds from businesses and agricultural productivity to build decent houses, buy households assets, clothes, writing materials for school-going children as well as paying school fees and hospital bills,\u201d Kusamale says.<\/p>\n
And Davis testifies that since she joined Chisomo Cha Mulungu SHG, her life has improved tremendously.<\/p>\n
Through the little savings from the group, she was able to obtain a loan with which she started a business of baking yellow scones.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe business has enabled me to build a decent house with iron sheets, a thing I could not have dreamt about before 2014,\u201d Davis says.<\/p>\n
Her sentiments are echoed by 32-year-old Sophelet Maxwell, a mother of three who is now a proud owner of a grocery shop.<\/p>\n
Maxwell says through her business, she has managed to buy an oxcart and build a decent house with iron sheets.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow that I have an oxcart, I am dreaming of buying a car. I am confident I will achieve my dream because I am very determined,\u201d says Maxwell who also plans to acquire land and build houses to let out to people at Mponela Trading Centre.<\/p>\n
Tearfund Projects Coordinator Lyton Vasulu says KSLIP is also encouraging farmers to practise conservation agriculture.<\/p>\n
Through a system called \u2018Farming God\u2019s Way\u2019, the communities are encouraged not to disturb the soil and give back to it in form of manure as well as fertiliser.<\/p>\n
Vasulu says the project is also encouraging the communities to make their own fertiliser from a mixture of maize husks, ash, animal dung and a small proportion of inorganic fertiliser.<\/p>\n
Using one bag of inorganic fertiliser, the communities are able to produce 10 bags of home-made fertiliser which has significantly boosted crop production.<\/p>\n
Group Village Head Njobvuyalema attests to the effectiveness of the home-made fertiliser.<\/p>\n
\u201cInitially, I was a bit sceptical about this fertiliser but after observing the miracle it has brought to communities in my area, I also decided to try it and it has performed wonders. Initially, I used to harvest 14 bags of maize but this year, I am expecting over 100 bags,\u201d says Njobvuyalema, who is also growing cabbages on a large scale.<\/p>\n
He says, through increased crop production, he bought a motorcycle last year and he is optimistic of buying a car, if things go well.<\/p>\n
Senoir Chief Msakambewa is excited his communities are slowly saying goodbye to poverty.<\/p>\n
He says instead of giving them handouts, the KSLIP is giving them a fishing line so that the communities can fish for themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis area used to swim in abject poverty but things have changed now as the communities are able to lend each other money and start small businesses which are impacting positively on their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, I am very happy to see people in this area, building decent houses and buying various assets which they could not afford in the past. Above that, they are able to send their children to school which will help them to have an even brighter future,\u201d Msakambewa says.<\/p>\n
Tearfund Country Representative Vincent Moyo says poverty is a result of broken relationships between God and human being, human being and human being as well as human being and the environment.<\/p>\n
He says through fostering strong relationships among communities themselves as well as with God and the environment, poverty could be easily addressed.<\/p>\n
Moyo says through the SHGs, communities are being taught a sense of cohesion which is critical in strengthening the bondage among them.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasically, what the programme is doing is to show the communities that they have solutions to the various problems among themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether, they can make wonders,\u201d says Moyo. As one way of mending the relationship with the environment, 416,000 tree seedlings plus 9,000 fruit trees seedlings have been planted in the area.<\/p>\n
Moyo says the communities are also encouraged to pray to God for the success of their various endeavours.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need to understand that success comes from God. They need to seek Him first and everything will fall in its rightful place,\u201d he says, adding that his organisation intends to roll out similar projects in other districts.<\/p>\n
As ancient Chinese teacher, editor, politician and philosopher Confucius once put it that \u201cin a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of\u201d.<\/p>\n
It is high time Malawians started getting ashamed of poverty and taking steps to move out of it.<\/p>\n
As one of Africa\u2019s greatest sons, Nelson Mandela, once said \u201clike slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cOf course, the task will be easy. But not doing this would be a crime against humanity, against which I ask all humanity now to rise up.\u201d<\/p>\n
So until more people like Davis are helped to find their way out of poverty, Malawi may remain stuck among the world\u2019s poorest countries in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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