Dear Donors,
The changes in Malawi over the past year politically and economically have made it difficult for a new organization like ours to proceed with our original plans. Other factors such as the MCC putting a hold on their energy compact funding, journalists being sought out for reporting on internal politics, and some major energy grants from the UK also being cut – we are putting the Light Up Malawi project on hold until further notice. Our assessment has revealed that for an established organization, working in Malawi would be a very different and much more successful proposition.
To that end we will be partnering with buildOn, our original partner in Malawi when we did the projects in Kusungu. These funds will go to a Light Up Malawi/buildOn partnership course for adults as part of the Community Education Program that they have established. The program will cover health issues as well as energy education. We see this as a better place to hold the activities of LUM- inside of an existing program.
The buildOn Community Education Program in Malawi is targeted to illiterate adults, and provides fundamental numeracy and literacy skills, as well as new knowledge about nutrition, family planning, alternative energy sources, and income generating activities. The program also creates opportunities for empowerment and wealth building among its participants. Completion rates in the CEP ranges from 80-90 percent, and literacy levels among participants increase across the board. Women CEP participants are fully engaged and are represented equally in the CEP. buildOn recruits, trains, and pays teachers for the two-year CEP.
The budget for fully funding CEP is $5000, and goes to pay for two facilitators, trainings, monitoring and evaluation, supplies, and program supervision, and guest speakers/experts. We didn’t want to disappoint you, our valued donors and working with buildOn guarantees that entire communities benefit from this education!
More about buildOn
buildOn is a non-profit organization that empowers primarily urban U.S. high school students through in-class and intensive afterschool youth service programs. In addition to tremendous contributions of community service in their own cities and neighborhoods, buildOn youth actually build schools and bring literacy to children and adults in developing countries around the world. buildOn programs are designed to build confidence and real-world capabilities in American youth while also empowering communities world-wide in Africa, South America, and South East Asia to overcome the cycle of illiteracy, poverty and low expectations by opening the door to education.
http://buildon.org/
If you are dissatisfied with your donation to this project and would like to reallocate your donation to another GlobalGiving project, please contact Alexis Nadin at anadin@globalgiving.org by Friday, October 28th.
Co- Founder Ryan Renner will no longer be serving as Executive Director and Raina Kumra, Founder continues her full time work in the Administration as LUM closes its doors until further notice. We are very proud of what we have achieved thus far and want to continue to act responsibly towards achieving our goals.
Many thanks,
Raina Kumra
