Build a self-reliant community in rural Malawi!

We are so happy to share some good news this quarter! The Cove Collective was awarded a grant in February from Friends of Malawi, an international nonprofit organization that seeks to build community among supporters of the Malawian people. This £1000 grant will be used to build a much needed kitchen block for Thukutu Primary School. 

As many of you already know, The Collective runs a school feeding program at Thukutu Primary School. This kitchen will allow the community volunteers who prepare the meals for the students to work safely and easily throughout all seasons. It will provide a hygenic space to prepare the weekly meals and store the program materials. 

We are also happy to report that school enrollment at Thukutu Primary has increased from 444 students to 513 over the last 3 months. The program has also reduced school drop outs by 8.9% and abscenteeism by 15.3%. This is a difficult time in Malawi, as the cost of living and hunger have drastically risen. With the feeding program and your support we are able to keep students in school, reduce short term hunger and keep them in good health. In addition, we were able to buy farm inputs (4 bags of fertilizer, 5Kgs maize seed and 10 Kgs ground nuts seeds) for the school. These farm inputs have helped our feeding committee and the Thukutu community grow almost 7.5 acres of maize and ground nuts!   

While increase in school enrollment was an intended positive impact of the program, it does add to the financial challenge of keeping this program sustainable. With increased enrollment, there is an added stress on teachers, parents and committee members to provide adequate support to all of these students.

As we strategize with our community on ways to mitigate this challenge, we call on our donor community today to ask for extra support. We've gotten this far with the support of an amazing community of donors (you!). Now we are asking you to share our story with your networks or re-evaluate if you are able to commit to donating again or at a higher level. We truly appreciate your ongoing support and we look forward to sharing pictures of the new kitchen with you next quarter!