About Us
This effort to assist the nation of Malawi is somewhat unique in its approach. The Malawi Project was established in order to work itself out of existence in its first location in central Malawi, then recreate itself in other places, and begin all over again. The reason for this plan rests in the fact it came into existence in order to assist the people of Malawi to get on their feet. It was not created to establish a permanent mission in a single location, but to empower the people to recognize and achieve success. Each time a program of aid becomes independent of American assistance and influence in one location, the Malawi Project has succeeded in its mission.
“Do Not Do It For Us”
The words were spoken in one of the earliest planning meetings, and it became one of the foundation principles for the project. It was spoken by a Malawian, Napoleon Dzombe, and was given in the text of asking for help in order to learn to fish, not to give them the fish. “Do not make us a nation of beggars,” he pleaded. “Help us to get on our feet. Do not do for us what we can do for ourselves”.
An Atlantic Dividing Line
It became easy to divide responsibilities along a natural geographical dividing line. The line of demarcation is the Atlantic Ocean. To the west of the ocean, members of the all-volunteer Malawi Project carry out their work of supply procurement and assistance with resources that can be brought to bear in the sub-Sahara from advanced nations of the world. To the east of the Atlantic Ocean, Malawians pick up the responsibilities to carry these resources to a successful conclusion and to create programs that will become independent of world assistance.
American/Malawian Equality
In the spirit of the Biblical mandate that in the kingdom of God there is “neither Jew, nor Greek, bond nor free, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”, the project took this mandate one step further and concluded, “In this work there is neither black nor white, European nor African, for we will all work as equals in this venture.” Supervision of each portion of the work depends on which part of the world you are in; Malawi supervision by the Malawians, American supervision by Americans. It is a program of equals. This plan is designed to repeat itself over and over.
A Unique Venture
The Malawi Project, and its first association, an association with the newly formed Blessings Hospital complex has been a venture of equals, and all of the programs carried out in the Project are influenced by this principle. The Malawi Project owns nothing in Malawi and works at the discretion of the Malawians who desire its presence. As aid programs exist around the world, the Malawi Project is a unique program.
Program Grows, But Principle Remains The Same
With the success of these foundation principles in place between the Malawians and Americans the Project has set out to increase and expand the unique mix of programs that have been successfully put in place in the central region of Malawi. Coming months and years will see a concentrated effort to expand into other parts of Malawi as well as the exploration of the possibility of expansion into other parts of Africa. Truly the Malawi Project is a unique venture in cross cultural assistance programs.
Chartered in the United States of America
The Malawi Project Inc. is a 501c3 humanitarian aid organization chartered in the state of Indiana in the United States of America and is tax-exempt under the rules and regulations of the Internal Revenue Service of the United States.
