About Us
GRASSROOTS MALAWI was created to find lasting solutions to eradicating hunger and achieving food sovereignty within communities in Malawi. We plan to achieve these goals by creating multi purpose development hubs anchored to existing structures and projects in Malawi. We will be working with local government, domestic civil society, foreign voluntary agencies, large and small donors, and the local farming and commercial communities to work in greater unity.
It is our goal to create an organized united front to pool ideas and resources and help bring self sufficiency to the people of Malawi.
Why a New Initiative?
In the post Covid-19 world there will be more poverty in most of sub-Saharan Africa than ever. Sadly, the reasons are simple and obvious:
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The rich world will be less rich and official development assistance (ODA), the aid given by governments from the North to the South, will decrease.
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The generous public in the North will be less able to be generous henceforth. Domestic charities in the UK are already suffering and some have had to close their doors and let go of their employees.
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Where it will be maintained, more ODA will go towards initiatives that benefit the rich world, not those that meet the priorities of the poorer world. Our governments will try to open commercial opportunities for our exports and will resist more autonomy for poorer countries.
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Most exports from the poor countries are in the form of unprocessed commodities. There will be less demand for items such as coffee, tea, cocoa, let alone fresh vegetables and flowers. Retrenchment in the North will cause far greater retrenchment in the South.
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This is a good time to reconsider where we are, where our interventions can be most useful and try to open ways to better understand those with whom it is incredibly difficult to communicate.
“I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for the minds and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our Mission
Our Mission is to achieve food sovereignty within communities in Malawi. We plan to achieve this goal by creating locally managed development hubs throughout the country.
These hubs will encompass a pre-existing school base, garden for growing food for the community, a training center where farming, agri-business management, computer skills, and relevant skilled trades can be taught to community members by community members, and a distribution management office to run the hub and have space to meet with partnering organizations in Malawi. Read more about our mission...
Our Vision
Our vision is to ultimately create self sufficient well nourished Malawi communities - communities that can effectively utilize local and foreign resources to eradicate hunger and malnutrition and then manage their own resources.
Our Values
Solidarity - we listen to and work with farmers to meet their needs with empathy, not sympathy
Empowerment - knowledge is power, and we will empower the farmer with greater knowledge
Equality – we respect the farmer as much as the expert, and condemn exploitative practices
Collaboration – we work across organisation & national boundaries, cultures, languages and perspectives
Independence – placing of advertisements on our site does not imply any endorsement of their products
