ACTION FOR PROGRESS TO FURTHER EMPOWER MALAWIANS

New Malawian-run/chartered aid organization’s mission to create sustainable future for its people

Lilongwe, Malawi and Indianapolis, Indiana—The establishment of Action for Progress (AfP), a new, not-for-profit, aid assistance organization was announced at 3:00 p.m. Malawi time, and simultaneously in the United States (U.S.) at 9:00 a.m. EDT (the U.S. is currently six hours behind Malawi). Its simultaneous announcement via social media in both countries was not a coincidence. It was a strategic decision to highlight the longstanding and equal partnership between AfP and the Malawi Project.

Read More About Action for Progress

Established under the leadership of Wilson Tembo, in-country director for the Malawi Project, the AfP board is composed of business, medical, religious, and community leaders recognized for their focus on helping the poor, needy, and helpless members of society.

Bryan Bhagwandin, chairman of the Malawi Project in the U.S. observes, “The fact these two organizations have released the news about the establishment of ‘Action for Progress’ at the same moment, in spite of being 13,557 km or 8,424 miles apart did not happen by chance. In fact, it was planned that way to reflect that these two groups are companion organizations, both with the same focus and intent to help the poor, and both tightly structured to link together in a seamless program of cooperation. We are very pleased to see this respected and accomplished group establish this initiative to fill a needed area in administration and oversight. We look forward to working closely with AfP in a growing program of support to Malawi.”

Richard (Dick) Stephens, a co-founder of the Malawi Project, and strong supporter of Malawian independence in the oversight and execution of programs, is quite excited with the formation of this organization. He states, “This is the fulfillment of a 20-year dream to see the Malawians take responsibility for this effort to help their people. We know they will need our support, but this is a really big step in the right direction. We were deeply impressed when Wilson Tembo advanced the proposal to form AfP in mid-2017 and to create a Malawi administrative group to oversee the work.”

In recent years the Malawi government has increased its call for aid organizations working in Malawi to register with the government. Some aid groups extend their formal paperwork to register as an extension of their overseas operations, but the upper level management remains in the hands of out-of-the country personnel to the exclusion of local representation.

Stephens continues, “We felt to simply form an extension of our U.S. organization would prove counter productive to the independence of Malawians to grow successfully. The solution came with Tembo’s proposal. This structure will have Malawians taking full responsibility of their programs from top to bottom. The two groups, while independently chartered in their respective countries, will be working closely together because of similar, overlapping goals. This fits perfectly with a long-standing commitment to assist the people in the development of their own future through their own success. It is time for organizations from the developed world to stop going to Africa and maintaining control in the mistaken effort to solve ‘their’ problems. It is time to work together, with responsible Africans taking the lead.”

Wilson Tembo has worked with Malawi Project staff since its formation in 1999. He notes, “I know these people well, and for years I have overseen the work they support in Malawi. I have worked beside them and observed their practices and principles. I am walking that same path, and I share the same goals as the Malawi Project. We have had an excellent working relationship, and the formation of AfP is the way to move together into the future. It allows we Malawians to excel, as well as to be examples to others of how we should handle our responsibilities.”

Over the years the Malawi Project has carried out major efforts in agriculture, education and medicine. Suzi Stephens, co-founder and medical director observes, “In the past 25 years the Project has shipped over $220 million in aid to Malawi. Sending aid to over 600 medical facilities and 1,000 schools takes a lot of organizing to accomplish it effectively. Obviously, Wilson has been able to bring together literally hundreds of people in a network that has effectively and efficiently handled these programs. However, we see a major increase in opportunities coming in the near future, and it will take even more people to bring it about. AfP is the right answer at the right time.”

Chester Kabinda-Mbewe, a successful business administrator, church leader, and chairman of AfP adds, “All too often we have watched many organizations come to our country to help develop our future. Unfortunately, few have been able to develop a truly independent working relationship that fills the needs of both sides. We see in AfP and the Malawi Project the opportunity to prove that truly equal and independent groups can work together. The Malawi Project has used this formula for years, and now those of us at AfP can step forward and take this idea to a whole new level.”

For more information, please visit www.malawiproject.org/actionforprogress.

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About Action for Progress (AfP)

A not-for-profit, aid assistance organization established under the leadership of Wilson Tembo, in-country director for the Malawi Project. The AfP board is composed of business, medical, religious, and community leaders recognized for their focus on helping the poor, needy, and helpless members of society.

Mission Statement:

"To actively be of service to all people as inspirational, working together to create improved living standards of the communities we serve," by working closely with government departments, churches and community groups in actively help people get on their feet through active participation in Health, Agriculture, Education and general humanitarian assistance.

About the Malawi Project

The Malawi Project is a faith-based humanitarian organization dedicated to working side-by-side with the people of Malawi to improve their physical and spiritual wellbeing. Assistance extends nationwide, and in some cases to other impoverished African nations. Programs are structured to help develop individual and group independence, and when this is not possible aid is given in a way that develops and supports local and regional management of the various programs. Programs focus in the areas of agriculture, education, medicine, mobility, famine relief, resource conservation, and human development potential.

CHOLERA SPREADS NATIONWIDE RAPIDLY

According to the World Health Organization between March and October there have been 6,056 cases of cholera in Malawi

I AM GOING TO WORK WITH YOU SOMEDAY

When we arrived the scene in front of us took our breath away. Somehow, we had not drawn a mental picture of what 5,000 children in one place at one time looked like. And to see these children sitting quietly and patiently on the road in long rows of 100, waiting for us to arrive was something we have never forgotten.

SHORTAGES MOVE FROM FOOD TO FUEL, AND MEDICAL TO POWER

In Malawi this idea of problems (or disasters) coming in groups of three is alive and well and coming in numbers even larger than three. This time it is hitting with the force of four or more. One must realize words and phrases mean different things in different parts of the world. This is especially true in Malawi.

AfP & the Government of Malawi

Since the completion of a large distribution center west of the capital, a total of 28 containers of agricultural, educational, and medical aid has been sent to Malawi.

FOUR SHIPPING CONTAINERS IN TWO WEEKS

In only ten days, four 40-foot shipping containers rolled up to the Action for Progress warehouse west of Lilongwe.

Food Crisis Increases

What does the future hold for this tiny cluster of humanity trying to survive in a massive sea of need? Planting is just beginning, and harvest is a season away. The need exists in so many parts of the world. There is a warning flag flying and it does not indicate promising times in coming months.

FIVE HOSPITALS RECEIVE CRITICAL SUPPLIES

Even before the shipments of hand sanitizer arrived at the sprawling AfP warehouse west of the city, AfP officials had already held meetings with the Ministry of Health and determined how many boxes of sanitizer should go to each of twenty-eight District Hospitals in the nation.

BOARD MEMBERS LEAVE FOR AND RETURN FROM MALAWI

It is not easy to get up in the middle of the night to catch a flight that will continue all day, all evening, all […]

MOBILITY FOR A DREAMER

Sakondwela Francisco, a storekeeper who crawled to work on his hands and knees each day, was looking for every opportunity to grasp new opportunities to improve his life.

MEDICAL SUPPLIES SHARED WITH NEIGHBORS

In a world filled with border tensions and conflicts Malawi and Mozambique are examples of peace between nations.

TARGET – PENCILS FOR MALAWI

For just a few dollars you can make a big difference in a Malawi child’s school year. A network for distribution of much-needed school supplies is already in place in Malawi, and it only needs you to activate it through your support.

BUY A BLOCK, BUILD A WALL

The Malawi Project recently made the down payment on the purchase of a block making machine to aid Action for Progress in the construction of a protective wall around the Lilongwe property.

RECENT BOARD MEETINGS COORDINATE PLANS

During recent board meetings held one week apart and a distance of 9,379 miles, members from the Malawi Project and Action for Progress shared cooperative thinking about Malawi’s needs in the coming year, and ways the Malawi Project can assist the implementation of these programs.

DONATION REDUCES TIME AND COST

In Malawi, it could take as long as an hour and a half to travel into the capital and have a copy center create a single photocopy. The time situation to obtain copies has all changed with the arrival of a large copy machine from the North Central Church of Christ in Indianapolis, Indiana.

FISH FARMING SPAWNS INTEREST

It is no secret the majority of Malawi’s 20 million people suffer from various food deficiencies. One of the major problems comes from the lack of protein in a family’s diet. This comes in spite of having the fifth largest freshwater lake in Africa and having a larger variety of freshwater fish than all of Europe and North America combined.The Malawi Project and Action for Progress are searching for ways to address the food crisis.