By Duncan Mlanjira
Five years after leaving Malawi on secondment at Malawi Union of Savings & Credit Cooperatives (MUSCCO), a Canadian couple, Karen and Blair McBride still have fond memories of The Warm Heart of Africa and have maintained touch with those they were closer with.
Whilst in the country, they assisted an ambitious work colleague, Jovitta Likishoni Sakwiya to realize her dream of setting up a charity, ‘Woman at Heart Foundation’, with an aim of helping orphaned and destitute children.
Karen explains on her blog, kerrieblair.blogspot.com, that they are partnering with Woman at Heart Foundation on a new venture to help orphaned and destitute children in Likuni Village, which is quite close to where they had lived in 2013 and 2014.
Jovitta and the kids she takes care of
Karen explains that her link with Likuni Village project came in 2014 when she facilitated Leadership Training for women working for MUSCCO and during the course she had asked asked them what their dreams were.
And Jovitta’s answer was to help orphans and since then she has worked diligently to prepare herself by completing her degree while continuing to work full-time before registering the Women at Heart Foundation.
Karen explains that Jovitta, who knows everything from brick making to animal feeding protocols to corporate marketing, developed a meticulously detailed and costed plan by purchasing a land in the village to grow vegetables.
Jovitta with fellow women cooperators
“More recently, Blair and I were able to assist with the purchase of a second plot of land for raising animals,” Karen speaks to compatriots back in Canada in an appeal for funding through the blog.
“The plan calls for chickens, pigs and goats. We are starting with chicks, which will arrive in about 3 weeks time.
“Now we are raising money to support the next stage of the project — to build the kraals and animal shelters and purchase the goats and pigs.
“We must have enough basic shelters and kraals up before the chicks arrive. Some of you may feel moved to help — if so, St Matthews Anglican Church has set up a fund for Woman at Heart Foundation and will provide you with a tax receipt.
Jovitta during her travels
“Affinity Credit Union has kindly waived the wire fees so we can send the money directly to the account in Malawi. Thank you Affinity for this and all your past kindness to projects in Malawi.
“The animals and vegetables will be used to help the orphans and destitute children in this village — some of it as food for the children and some will be sold to provide funds for their basic living expenses, including education and heath.
“If you wish to partner with us in making a difference to these children in Malawi, please consider a donation. Money goes a long way in Malawi and no amount is too small to help us to make a difference to these children,” says Karen on her blog.
Karen paid tribute to MUSCCO’s former chief executive officer, late Sylvester Kadzola, who passed away last Friday October 18 after a long illness and buried on Sunday October 20 at his home village in Mponela, Dowa District.
Happy Likuni Village family
“Sylvester is the one who had asked me to mentor the MUSCCO women and I developed the Leadership Program. Some of the women [that attended the training] have gone on to achieve great things because Sylvester cared enough to let them know he wanted them to make it into management levels at MUSCCO.
“Jovitta was one of these women — at the time she had trouble even speaking up at a meeting, now she is being sent all over the world, including to the Women’s Forum in the Caribbean this last August.
“More than that, she is now fulfilling that dream of taking care of orphaned and the underprivileged through our project at Likuni,” she said.
Jovitta they are yet put up the kraals and that originally they planned to mould bricks but with the rains that came a month ago the plan was changed now and will just buy already burnt bricks.
“Indeed, we will start to elect the kraals then start keeping chickens for sale in order to help orphans with their basic needs.
“I have been helping these kids since 2016 with no funding at all. I just feel it’s my calling.
“When I went to Canada I explained to Karen my plans and she agreed to partner with me and help where possible.
“I do not have any structurers at all like a visible orphanage. I just go and help — Cook and eat with them, thats all,” she said.