The UW-Madison student organization Project Malawi will be holding a fundraiser in partnership with ACADES. ACADES is a Malawian Agricultural Organization that supports 3,000 young aspiring farmers in Malawi; through this organization, young people are provided with loans and educational training to support their farming career. A core component of ACADES’ program is the training groups which focus on managing money and assets, leadership skills, and strategizing how to market, sell and transport goods.
Project Malawi will be participating in ACADES’ Covid Response Program with hopes to increase awareness about Covid-19 amongst farmers, as well as help them adapt and restructure their businesses to adapt to these changing times. As 60% of Malawi relies on agriculture, part of the Covid Response Program focuses on incorporating more farmers in their program. With the lack of job availability, ACADES hopes to encourage Malawians to repurpose their land and successfully enroll in their program all while maintaining and following Covid-19 changes.
During these unprecedented times, young farmers in Malawi have been facing new challenges. Members of ACADES are typically located in rural areas and have limited access to the internet and information. Many farmers lack an in-depth understanding of Covid-19 and its many detriments to their field of work and to society in general. Additionally, the number of people in training groups has been cut down, thus resulting in extra costs and extra labor for ACADES’ educators.
Project Malawi is a three-year-old student organization which partners with various organizations in Malawi, some of which include CURE and Malawi Children’s Village. Their choice to partner with ACADES was mainly thanks to the fact that the president, Lusayo Mwakatika. Lusayo holds a deep connection to ACADES and he is passionate about the potential benefits that agriculture has on Malawi’s economy.
Project Malawi has raised $1,533 and hopes to reach $3,000 by the end of July. Please consider supporting the Covid Relief Program by donating to the gofund me link below.