Habitat For Humanity Malawi Wish List
Dear GV Team Member We truly appreciate your willingness to come to Malawi and donate your time and effort to help us reduce substandard housing conditions in Malawi. Your generosity is truly amazing and it will help us accomplish the monumental task we face. Some Team Members have asked if there is more that they can do to help, so we have put together a Wish List of items that can contribute even further to our effort’s success. This list includes items that are identified by GV Teams. We will eventually have to use our funds to purchase these items, funds that could be spent for housing. A donation of something on the list will allow us to use the funds for housing improvement instead of organization operations. A cash donation is also acceptable in order to purchase some items locally. We know you are already giving a lot, but maybe you would like to help a little more. We have included an estimated cost per item in the last column to give you an idea. Wish List for GV Teams to HFH Malawi CY2018 DESCRIPTION QUANTITY ESTIMATED COST IN USD PER ITEM (In Malawi) Laptops i5, i7 10(New) 1000 to 1351 Leaser Jet Printer /Scanner & toners 5 950 Web cam/ Head Sets 5 40 External backup drives: 20 80 Flash disks (16/32GB preferably) Many 10 Digital / Video Camera’s (functional) 4 English Bibles Many Inflatable Mattresses and pumps 4 Wheel barrows 20 Power Banks 30 Tablets 5 140 Shovels 100 General Office Stationery (i.e. Post it Many notes, pens, pencils, writing pads, highlighter) Note: You are responsible for all shipping and customs expenses. Teams have the option of purchasing the gifts locally American GV Team members can use this as a tax deduction. A receipt will be provided to you by HFHM. If you can provide something on the Wish List, please consult with the GV Team Coordinator in Malawi in advance to be sure that items will meet local specifications and conditions. Once again, we sincerely thank you for your willingness to help and we look forward to seeing you in Malawi. Yours in partnership, Habitat for Humanity Malawi Team
Success Story in Mulanje
Elena 70 now lives in a Habitat house together with her daughter Dorica Misili and her four orphaned grandchildren Loveness Edson 13, Evance Wyson 12, Deria Edson 7 and Daniel Simon. Elena was born and raised in Magereta Village T/A Thilamanja in Mulanje district, Mulanje is amongst the highest district with HIV and AIDs population in Malawi, ranking second to Salima. This has led HFH Malawi to intervene by providing decent accommodation. Before becoming a Habitat beneficially Elena and her family used to live in a two roomed worn out house that would get flooded every time it rained. The rains would ruin their food, her grandchildren’s school uniforms and school books. They spent most of the night trying to drain the water in fear that the flooded water might weaken the walls of the house. This in turn would force her grandchildren to skip school the next day. The family had no pit latrine forcing them to share with their neighbor. Hygienically, sharing a pit latrine by many people from different households is a health hazard. Thankfully, this family now has access to their own clean and safe ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine. One of the greatest joys of this family as they move to their new home is the pride of knowing they now have a safe environment. While in their old house, some of the kids occasionally suffered from illnesses like flu and common cold owing to the overcrowded state of their home as well as exposure to cold during the winter season due to the poor state of the house. At least once a month, some of the children would fail to attend school due to such illness which in turn affects their performance in school. Elena together with her daughter who is also her guardian are very thankful for the generosity shown by Bermuda overseas mission through habitat for building them a house. Her proudest moment was when she saw the GV team arrive because only then did she believe she was going to receive a house from Habitat A new home has meant a number of things to the family – security and safety, privacy, and a healthier environment that allows them to focus better on their studies and consequently improved performance in school.
Habitat for Humanity Malawi
Habitat for Humanity Malawi is a registered non-profit Christian housing organization affiliated to Habitat for Humanity International. Habitat Malawi seeks to provide shelter as one way of eliminating poverty and improving the lives of orphans and other groups of people; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) to improve the sanitation status and wellbeing of slum dwellers; and Disaster Risk Reduction and Response to improve access to better and safer shelter for families living in areas prone to disasters. The housing need in Malawi In Malawi, poverty is prevalent and about 4 out of 5 families in Malawi live in substandard homes with little hope of ever being able to afford a decent house. A typical village hut is built of mud bricks with a dirt floor and grass thatched roof, which requires frequent repairs. These conditions put the families at high risk of all kinds of diseases with leaky roofs making the house damp and mud floors attracting insects. There are about 1.5million orphans and vulnerable children in Malawi out of a population of 18.57 million and approximately 21,000 new units are needed every year for the next 10 years to meet housing demand – this far exceeds supply. Malawi has a high rural to urban migration – 5.3% per annum which is one of the highest in Africa. People are migrating to urban areas to look for economic opportunities. This trend has led to the rapid increase of Slums in the cities. 76% of the population in Lilongwe, the capital city leaves in Slums and with an average of 5 people per household and an average of 6 families per latrine results into quick fill up. How Habitat addresses the need in Malawi Habitat Malawi provides new fully subsidized homes for orphans and other vulnerable groups. Habitat Malawi also provides Housing Support Services (HSS) to low-income people in partnership with housing microfinance institutions. Habitat Malawi strives to enhance the resilience of households living in flood-prone areas by supporting and enabling them to have permanent, durable and flood resistant shelter. Here are some examples of Habitat projects in Malawi: Orphans and vulnerable groups (OVG) The OVG program started in 2009 and to date, Habitat Malawi has constructed over 446 houses for the vulnerable families. The project intends to improve the living conditions for 450 OVG families and reduce their vulnerability by June 2018. In FY17 alone, 146 families were served with decent housing. The services include: Improved housing: Two, three or four-room houses for vulnerable families including a ventilated improved pit-latrine to improve sanitation and hygiene. Malaria prevention training: Three insecticide-treated mosquito nets are provided per family. Families are also trained in good sanitation and hygiene practices to prevent diseases, including malaria. HIV prevention training: The training is aimed at preventing new infections arising from sexual exploitation, especially of the girls and caregivers. Vocational skills training: Provided to older children, especially those who dropped out from school. The package includes provision of tools and equipment, like carpentry or sewing machines. Property and inheritance rights training: Aiming to protect orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) from property grabbing, the training is offered to OVC caregivers and gate keepers. Housing support services (HSS) The HSS project aim is to increase resources available to low-income families, making it easier for them to obtain and develop decent housing, through the provision of microfinance loans and construction technical assistance. The project is being implemented in partnership with a Microfinance Institution. The partner offers loans to clients while Habitat Malawi provides technical advice. The project intends to assist 24,000 clients with housing support services by June 2018. To date, over 22,000 clients have benefited from this program across Malawi. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) The aim of the project is to improve the sanitation status and wellbeing of 450 slum dwellers in Kauma Slum in Lilongwe through equitable access to better sanitation by June 2018. Over 1,800 families have accessed water and sanitation services since May 2014 when the project began. Disaster risk reduction and response The project was initiated after the floods that occurred in the early months of 2015 and affected 1.1 million people, including displacing 230,000 people. The aim of the project is to provide shelter solutions that will assist in recovery and promote resilience by enhancing the capacity of the affected population.
What you can do
You can help Malawian families improve their living conditions by taking one or more of the following actions: Donate: Go to habitat.org/donate and designate your gift to Habitat Malawi. Volunteer: Join one of the scheduled Global Village trips to Malawi or lead your own. Contact us to learn more. Tithe: Establish a strong and rewarding tithe partnership to help build houses globally! Quote 863800, MALAWI on your checks sent to: Habitat for Humanity International, Attn: Affiliate Tithe, 121 Habitat St. Americus, GA 31709 Contact To learn more about Habitat projects in Malawi or in other parts of the region, please contact us. Habitat for Humanity Malawi info@habitat.mw rdccfe@habitat.mw mchanganamauno@habitat.mw
Meet a Habitat Beneficiary
Thanks to Habitat Malawi: Paulo Mthunzi, 51 years old, moved from a hut to a house. His feet are no longer outside when sleeping as it was during the time he was sleeping in the hut. He could not sleep straight to fit in the hut. He can now sit on the veranda of his new house. Paulo does not believe that the house belongs to him. Paulo developed epilepsy while he was young. One day he fell on fire and lost three fingers. He cannot take care of himself due to his epileptic condition that his sister provides for his needs. On a good day, He makes blooms that his sister is able to sell. Paulo is excited that now he has company from his brothers who are living with him.
Quick Facts
• When Habitat started in Malawi: 1986 • Individuals served by FY17: 41,606* • Volunteers hosted in FY17: 281 • Housing solutions: New homes; Housing support services; Water, sanitation and hygiene; Disaster risk reduction and response * includes construction and market development Other facts: • Capital: Lilongwe • Main country facts: Gained independence in1964 • Population: 18.57 million • Urbanization: 16.3 percent live in cities • Life expectancy: 61.2 years • Unemployment rate: 8.6 percent • Population living below poverty line:52.4 percent Find more country facts on: CIA The World Factbook – Malawi
Zuzana Kiliyoni success story
Zuzana is a 26-year-old mother to 5 and comes from Mnongwa village in Traditional Authority Chadza, Lilongwe. Her husband left 4 years ago to find work in the city with the promise of sending back help but she has not heard from him ever since. This has left her to fend for her 5 children as well as her 3 siblings. Zuzana has a small piece of land which she uses as a maize farm and she also does casual Labour in a nearby farm where she makes $10 a month. Nevertheless, the income and harvest were not enough to sustain her family because she had to use part of the money to maintain her roof.
Success Story KF
Elena 70 now lives in a Habitat house together with her daughter Dorica Misili and her four orphaned grandchildren Loveness Edson 13, Evance Wyson 12, Deria Edson 7 and Daniel Simon. Elena was born and raised in Magereta Village T/A Thilamanja in Mulanje district, Mulanje is amongst the highest district with HIV and AIDs population in Malawi, ranking second to Salima. This has led HFH Malawi to intervene by providing decent accommodation. Before becoming a Habitat beneficially Elena and her family used to live in a two roomed worn out house that would get flooded every time it rained. The rains would ruin their food, her grandchildren’s school uniforms and school books. They spent most of the night trying to drain the water in fear that the flooded water might weaken the walls of the house. This in turn would force her grandchildren to skip school the next day. The family had no pit latrine forcing them to share with their neighbor. Hygienically, sharing a pit latrine by many people from different households is a health hazard. Thankfully, this family now has access to their own clean and safe ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine. One of the greatest joys of this family as they move to their new home is the pride of knowing they now have a safe environment. While in their old house, some of the kids occasionally suffered from illnesses like flu and common cold owing to the overcrowded state of their home as well as exposure to cold during the winter season due to the poor state of the house. At least once a month, some of the children would fail to attend school due to such illness which in turn affects their performance in school. Elena together with her daughter who is also her guardian are very thankful for the generosity shown by Bermuda overseas mission through habitat for building them a house. Her proudest moment was when she saw the GV team arrive because only then did she believe she was going to receive a house from Habitat A new home has meant a number of things to the family – security and safety, privacy, and a healthier environment that allows them to focus better on their studies and consequently improved performance in school.
2017 EMEA DR3 Regional Training Workshop
HFHM hosted and participated in an International DR3 training workshop which took place at Sunbird Capital Hotel in Lilongwe-Malawi from 30th October to 3rd November 2017. The training, which was facilitated by representatives from the EMEA and HFHI was attended by participants from all countries in the EMEA Region(Macedonia, Zambia, Ethiopia, South Africa, Romania, Armenia and Malawi). The main purpose of the workshop was to enhance the capabilities of the various countries in the EMEA region in disaster risk management. The training also tackled issues of WASH and Climate Change i.e. in relation to DR3. The training was very essential as HFHM is in the process of developing its capacity regarding its DR3 program. Following the training, HFHM team reviewed and modified the draft Disaster Risk Plan for Habitat Malawi.
