CBSA gives helping hand in Africa
CBSA is undertaking an innovative project that is helping a community in one of the world’s poorest countries get on its feet. They are giving their staff time and resources to fundraise for a charity and have chosen a grassroots organisation in Malawi that a member of staff has close ties with.
CBSA (The Centre for Business and Social Action), is a not for profit organisation that works with businesses, individuals and communities. For over 30 years it has helped them achieve their full potential through creative social, economic and environmental programmes and projects. It is now extending its support to southern Africa.
HOPEmalawi is a locally led organisation in Nkhata Bay Malawi, one of the poorest regions of one of the poorest countries in the world. HOPE want to support sustainable development initiatives that will give Malawi a future that is not dependent on aid. In the end HOPEmalawi want to be able to support themselves; they want a helping hand not a handout.
The Challenge involves 4 CBSA teams in friendly competition to raise the funds to kick-start Hope Community Farm.
The farm will build on 4 years’ experience of running HOPE GARDENS: small plots of land that are farmed by community members and whose profits support community projects such as nursery schools and education scholarships.
Not only will the Farm provide employment to 4 trained farmers, it will be a centre for education about agriculture, food and natural resources, and provide a regular local income to support other projects. Importantly it will be self-funding 6 months after the first seeds are sown.
Amongst other planned events, two staff members, Dale James and Holly Nicholl, will be throwing themselves out a plane in the name of charity! On June 5th they will be doing a Sky Dive form Swansea Airport as part of the HOPEmalawi Challenge.
Dale says "A sky dive is something I said I would never do, but for such a good cause, I put my hand up and volunteered to do my bit."
Chris Samuel, of CBSA’s Tomorrows People Project, supports HOPEmalawi outside of work and has good reason to. He is indebted to the kindness of a Malawian family after being brutally attacked and robbed whilst cycling through Africa in 1996. Left with nothing, alone in the middle of Africa, Mr Phillips Amiyako Chirwa’s family took him in and helped him recover.
After 16 years of searching, he tracked down them down to discover that a smiling 8 year old boy he remembered had grown in to a generous, creative man, dedicated to improving the livelihoods of the people of Nkhata Bay.
Zion Kennedy Phillips, the chair of HOPEmalawi is the son of the man who came to Chris’s aid.
“I never forgot the support I was given when I needed it most and Kennedy, who I got to know as a child, has grown in to a remarkable man, trying to do his best in very difficult circumstances. CBSA and HOPEmalawi’s values are very alike and I’m delighted CBSA is supporting HOPE in this way.”
To find out more visit www.hopemalawiuk.com and to sponsor please visit MyDonate
