In her talk at the recent NYU Development Research Institute conference on What Would the Poor Say: Debates in Aid Evaluation in New York City, June Arungo, Director of Corporate Affairs at BSL, said that the aid industry is responsible for human resource diversion in Africa. She further pointed out that it is very easy to start an NGO in Africa; all you need to do is to know how to write a proposal. I entirely agree with June on this issue. In addition, most NGOs founded in this way do not really have the interest of the poor people at heart. They serve as an easy way for the founders to enrich themselves. They go for quick fix solutions which do not equip the people for long term self sufficiency. One wonders why donors continue to give such NGOs more money.
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” — Lao Tsu
I am fascinated by NGOs which are not founded based on buzzwords of the day, but rather based on passion for the poor. Such NGOs will always strive to equip Africans with lifelong skills that will lead to their financial independence long after the work of the NGOs is over. I encourage donors to pour more money into such NGOs. Africa Bags, which was started by Todd and Holly Petitt in 2007, quintessentially belongs to this category. Instead of giving poor people charity, Africa Bags gives them a chance to help themselves.
Africa Bags entered into the villages of Kamweko, Viweme, and Nkhata Bay in Malawi and introduced the production of reusable cloth shopping bags. The villages were provided with foot powered treadle sewing machines, cloth and all other items needed to make the bags. They trained small groups from each village to operate the treadle sewing machines. Each bag is signed by the village that created it. These bags are being sold in the US with 100 percent of the proceeds returning to the people in Malawi who made them.
Two years later, the project is having a great impact on the villages involved, with more than 4,000 bags sold in the United States last year. In the five villages that currently participating in the the program, many have used the proceeds from the bags to create community funds that help sustain the village. Some of these projects include raising chickens and selling the eggs, starting a garden to feed orphans and offering micro-loans so others can start businesses. Apart from bags, Africa Bags is also selling numerous wood carvings, paintings and jewelry that have been hand made in Malawi, thereby further diversifying the income sources for the people.
By promoting the use of reusable cloth bags, Africa Bags is literally killing two birds with one stone. Increased use of the cloth bags will reduce the use of plastic bags which are characterized by a wide range of environmental problems.
This must stop!
So by buying an Africa Bag, you will help to economically empower the poor people in Malawi while at the same time helping to reduce environmental degradation. If you are in USA, you can buy these bags from retailers.
One of the bags
Apart from bags, you can also buy handmade art works, and promotional materials such as Africa Bag bumper stickers, calendars, shirts and hats. You can also make a contribution towards the following developments:
- The building of a second Community Development Centre at Viweme Village: The first one was built at Kaweko village.The new center will be constructed by the members of the Viweme village. The bricks will be hand made. This building will not only be used as a center for the production of Africa Bags, but also for other important community development programs including a preschool to help local orphans prepare for primary school. This will be a location for school children to study, community members to have meetings, educational seminars on subjects such as AIDS awareness.
- Sponsoring a new village startup: Donations will provide a new village with a treadle sewing machine, cloth for the first 200 bags, training of the new village, and a sewing kit.
- Buying a roll of cloth: A roll will make approximately 130 bags. By buying this cloth, higher profits will be returned to the villages.
- Giving scholarships: Primary school in Malawi is free. Secondary school is not and is many times the end of education for children. This is especially true for girls. If a girl cannot afford to go to school she is expected to find a husband and to start a family. By donating a scholarship you can put a girl through secondary school for a year.
- Buying a treadle powered sewing machine: By adding another treadle to a village, it will increase the number of bags that can be made each month.
Related posts:
- Dictionaries for Schools in Chichewa speaking Africa
- Free Dictionaries for Pupils in Malawi and in other parts of Chewa/ Nyanja speaking Africa
- Introducing Malawi to Ki-Africa, a Japanese nonprofit organization
- Ashton Kutcher should just send the 10,000 nets to Africa without preconditions
- On issues of fair trade in Malawi
- Mobile Healthcare for Africa:Microsoft’s Request for Proposals 2009
20 users commented in " Africa Bags killing two birds with one stone "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackThis is a fantastic project and I quite agree with you that most NGOs run for the benefit of the founders rather than for whom they were started. I shall do what I can to help.
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that is great to know that all you have to do to start an NGO is to write a proposal, and it’s that easy!
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I really like the whole idea of this project. The bags being produced are reusable which is good for the environment (something that is becoming more and more important in this day in age). The thing I like the most is the fact that all proceeds go back to the people who made the bags and they use it to develop their communities. I would love to see similar projects being launched in other communities around Africa.
Gerri´s last blog ..Design, Make and Sell Products with Ponoko
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What a great way to give back. I haven’t seen this yet where bags are made by the villages and then bought by the USE people. Very good.
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It sounds like a great organization. I always think that getting local involved in projects that will help them make money is the way to do it. Funding these projects provide tangible products, and help them get out of economic poverty.
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I’m for any program that rewards hard work instead of offering a handout. Handouts breed dependence and ultimatly make people weaker. Who can argue with a program that inspires strength and is better for the enviornment?
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HEY IT’S VERY EXCELLENT PROJECT I THOUGHT ABOUT!& THE MOST APPEALING POINT FOR ME WAS THAT THE AFRICA BAGS ARE REUSABLE SO IT’S NICE TO HEAR!
KARSON´s last blog ..BNI Conference (Singapore)
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A really nice move. Personally, I will support this program. By the way, those bags are nice and stylish.
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Lol nice to see you sharing such stuff!
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Really great project to strengthen your local economy and small manufacturers. Thanks for sharing.
George´s last blog ..A Budget Orlando Vacation
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It’s wonderful to be able to give back to people that have so much to offer. It works for everyone. I am a HUGE fan of fair trade good whether it be coffee, jewelry like bracelets and necklaces or clothing.
Talia Phillips´s last blog ..Politically Correct (and Incorrect) Gay Terms
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I fully support this initiative. Giving people a way to help them create their own livelihood is a lot better than just handing them a food care pack.
Glenn Torres ´s last blog ..Mortgage – Definition
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this livelihood project is a excellent model for other developing countries to copy… it’s basically a win win project, it helps people to fend for themselves, the money made goes back to the community and it’s environmentally friendly…
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Man, there is some things that need to be addressed with this.
paul´s last blog ..Michael Jackson Funeral Plans
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Awesome work is done by you people i really appreciate your efforts towards enabling the villages of Africa to financial independence.There are so may people in world who need our help but its sad that people enrich themselves in the name of NGOs,but am impressed by your work, we need more of such people who can work in the interest of humanity.
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What a wonderful idea. I truly hope that all major corporations take notice and ban plastic bags forever.Forcing consumers to make a small purchase for a reusable bag is a step in the right direction thus far.
Bob Walker´s last blog ..Spyware Doctor
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“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
This quote from Lao Tsu…
Its a great impact for people to share our blessings to the community.
And its a way of teaching him how to stand on his own…
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I completely agree. The destitutes need only empowerment and not the doles rolled out to them. Its as plain as daylight as who benefits by these kind of monetary relief given by world bodies like UN. But still these remains unresolved and no one is ready to heed the poor’s voice. Heck! they dont even mind their pathetic condition. All that the middle-men need is money,money and money not the heart of charity. God save these people!
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This is really a good news that’s worthy to spread. There is really pride in one owns hardwork. This is a good start for these people to live a life full of hope. A gift heartily given by the good NGO’s.
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It is all about empowerment, I agree and great quote for this post. Money only solves short term issues, it is training and teaching skill sets for survival which will be the long term solution.
Kevin Quinlan´s last blog ..When to solar power your house
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