Eagles Relief and Development Programme Malawi
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Mission Statement
Eagles is a registered Malawian charity set up in 2002, with a vision to free Malawi from hunger and poverty. It brings a self-help approach to overcome despair and improve lives. Eagles’ training, support and technical help strengthen people’s confidence, resilience and self-worth. Eagles trains churches in how to work with their communities so together they can grow enough food; look after the vulnerable; and care for the environment. Village savings and loan schemes help people run small businesses that generate income for basic needs and to send their children to school. Communities feed, teach and protect the under-five children in local care centres. They learn to diversify the crops they grow so they are more resistant to drought and more nutritious. They take action to save their land from floods, planting trees and building defences. In one of the poorest countries in the world, we bring lasting change to the vulnerable.
About This Cause
A. Malawi: Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world . It is landlocked and with few resources. 80% of people rely on the food they grow themselves. Yet it is the most densely populated country in Africa, making it hard for people to grow enough to feed their families. 72% of people live below the poverty line, with less than 85 pence a day to cover all their needs and 25% in extreme poverty. 47% of children under five are stunted. B. Eagles as an organisation: Eagles is a registered Malawian charity set up in 2002, with a vision to free Malawi from hunger and poverty. It brings a self-help approach to overcome despair and improve lives. Eagles’ training, support and technical help strengthen people’s confidence, resilience and self-worth. Eagles trains churches in how to work with their communities so together they can grow enough food; look after the vulnerable; and care for the environment. Village savings and loan schemes help people run small businesses that generate income for basic needs and to send their children to school. Communities feed, teach and protect the under-five children in local care centres. They learn to diversify the crops they grow so they are more resistant to drought and more nutritious. They take action to save their land from floods, planting trees and building defences. Eagles works in all 28 districts of Malawi. At least 189 churches are working with their communities, as a result of Eagles’ work, carrying out projects using local resources and without external funding. It also runs more intensive projects in the high risk, disaster-prone districts of Chikwawa and Balaka districts, reaching at least 10,800 families (64,000 people). Eagles has 22 staff based in the head office in Blantyre and field offices in Lilongwe, Zomba, Chikwawa, Balaka and Mzuzu. It has an annual income of approximately £350,000, supported by a range of donors, including Christian Aid, DFID, Tearfund and World Renew. It has strong financial expertise and systems, verified through an annual external audit. C. Eagles activities: Eagles works with local churches and communities, mobilizing them and empowering them so that they take responsibility for their own development, demonstrate ownership, develop self-reliance, and keep improving their living standards in a holistic way, i.e. physically, socially, spiritually & emotionally. Eagles facilitates a process where vulnerable people: • improve their living standards, • improve their health, • improve management of their environment, • improve their adaptation to climate change, • improve disaster risk reduction, and • have an increased and active faith, which keeps them resilient and responsive to others’ needs. Eagles’ work last year reached out to at least 600,000 people. 296 local churches were engaged in social action, helping needy people and vulnerable communities improve their living standards across the country. The churches and communities had their capacities strengthened through attitude change processes, training and support in various thematic areas such as food security, environmental management, climate change adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk reduction and child care. As a result, Malawian communities can become self-reliant, resilient, improve their living standards, and live healthier and productive lives. D. Summary of the main achievements last year Food security: At least 140,000 people now experience improved food security, through a livestock pass-on scheme (2,562 households), seed banks (4,484 households), solar powered irrigation (3,671 households), fertilizer making (18,154 households), conservation farming (7,392 households) and through treadle pump irrigation (2,402 households) Economic empowerment: Over 66,207 people are improving their economic status through village savings and loan schemes (63,644 people) and self-help groups (2,345 people). In addition, 269 people have received training so that they can run small businesses. Improving health: Churches and communities have launched initiatives aimed at improving community health which are benefitting over 40,746 people. These include the construction of girl-friendly toilets in schools, the provision of health clinics in rural areas (50,500 people) and the installation and maintenance of boreholes and community taps (9,076 people). Improving Living standards: Churches and communities are helping to improve living standards by setting up schemes to care for the vulnerable (3,942 people) and by providing adult literacy classes (123 people). Environmental management: Environmental initiatives have involved 60,671 people. Initiatives include planting trees along river banks, hillsides, flood plains and water catchment areas to improve water levels and conserve the environment (119,003 trees) and the introduction of energy efficient stoves. In addition 230 people have been trained as civil protection committee members, so that they can respond to local disasters such as flooding. Infrastructure: Over 5,407 households (27,035 people) have benefited from 128 infrastructure projects by 62 churches which includes work on roads, school buildings and housing. E. Case studies: 1. Inspiring Hope “Before this, I had no hope. My children were really suffering.” Martha Mpondo (51) lived an isolated life with HIV, discriminated against by the community and debilitated by many illnesses. However, after the leaders of churches in Ulongwe, Southern Malawi, formed a Social Action Committee to reach out into the community and offer support, Martha’s bleak situation was transformed. Martha learned how to care for her health in her HIV support group. She no longer suffers from constant illness. Eagles helped Martha and other villagers set up a Savings and Loans scheme, adult literacy classes and business training. Now Martha has started her own small business, buying goods from Lake Malawi and selling these in her local area. She is delighted that she can now provide for her four orphaned grandchildren. “Being part of the Support Group has transformed my life. Now I can take care of my grandchildren.” 2. A small community with a huge impact Eagles’ work is bringing long-term change as communities they began working with over ten years ago continue to learn and develop themselves with Eagles’ support. In 2004, after training from Eagles, a church in Ntcherenje in Northern Malawi sprang into ac"on with their community. Together they revitalised an HIV/AIDS support group, then set up a child care centre for the under-fives, growing food to feed the children. They gave practical support to orphaned children, the elderly and vulnerable. “No community is so well organised as Ntcherenje - it is an example to others.” This work went so well that the local government social welfare department called on them to help other villages. And this cooperation led to organisations noticing and supporting them—one helped them build a village centre for their childcare work with an office and store-room (below right). Then, after more training from Eagles from 2013-15 they set up 90 village savings and loans groups with more then 2,000 people so they can set up small businesses and improve their incomes. Eagles helped the church and community develop a ten year vision: to be self reliant, healthy and well educated. They worked hard and lobbied others for help. With local government providing cement and logs (below centre), the villagers constructed a new bridge to improve trading. They visited another village to learn new agricultural techniques. They built a new school block for the primary school so children no longer have their lessons outside. And now the community has persuaded the Presbyterian Church to set up a secondary school - which will also bring electricity for small businesses like battery charging and maize mills. And they have a second borehole to improve the water supply and introduce irrigation. The village head woman, Mrs Mbughi, is delighted by the outcome of their training. “When you come again, you will be amazed by what you see. We are equipped with the knowhow we have always needed to develop.” 3. Transforming lives from the inside out 7,360 adults and 12,880 children in 40 villages in Nsaru, Central Malawi, are seeing less domestic violence, strengthened marriages and families, improved care for those with HIV/AIDS and better education and protection for children. In 2010 and 2012, Eagles brought together leaders from 21 churches in Nsaru. They trained them how to galvanise their members and communities to prevent the spread of HIV and care for those affected. The leaders formed four groups to take action. One of those groups, Bethel, set in motion a process that has transformed the entire area. One village headman explained the impact: “I used to be a drunk and sleep with women everywhere. My marriage and health were in tatters...Now I am utterly transformed. I work hard to care for my family, I quit drinking and I am faithful to my wife.” But all this began from the inside out. People took part in training that helped them reflect on marriage and family life. They learned about HIV/AIDS and how to care for each other. With the Bethel group’s support, the 40 villages have set up ten centres each with a team of ten people to coordinate activities - so 100 trained and organised community leaders. They helped people living with HIV/AIDS form a vibrant support group. The youth club now teach people about HIV, domestic violence and the importance of educating and protecting children. The villages started four community child-care centres where the underfive children can play and learn. This means that they are better cared for and do better when they start primary school - and it frees up their mothers to work in the fields and grow the food they need. Group village headman Kalumba finds it hard to believe that so much can change from actions they have taken together as a community: "Now we have teamed up as a community and are working towards a better tomorrow for ourselves and for our children."