Raising Malawi

Last updated

Raising Malawi
Industry Non-profit
Founded2006 (2006)
Founder Madonna
Michael Berg
HeadquartersUnited States
Area served
Worldwide

Raising Malawi is a charity non-profit organization that was founded by Madonna and Michael Berg in 2006. It is dedicated to helping with the extreme poverty and hardship endured by Malawi's one million orphans, primarily through health and education programming. Initially, the "Raising Malawi Academy for Girls" was to be constructed but following an audit by the Global Philanthropy Group, which questioned expenditure on salaries and benefits as well as the management capacity and culture, the charity's school headmistress resigned in October 2010 and the project was scrapped.

Contents

In January 2012, the organisation announced a partnership to build 10 primary schools to serve over 1,000 children in rural Malawi. Children received primary education support, including academic scholarships, school uniforms, and learning materials. They will benefit from the construction of new or renovated primary and secondary schools. In December 2014 it was announced that the organization completed ten schools to educate 4,871 children in different locations in Malawi. The enterprise was in association with buildOn and will benefit children of all sexes and the project was completed within twelve months, six months ahead of schedule. [1]

In April 2013, President of Malawi Joyce Banda expressed criticism of Madonna and her charity, accusing her of exaggerating her charity's contribution and "bullying state officials." Madonna responded by releasing a statement saying she was saddened that Banda "has chosen to release lies about what we've accomplished, my intentions, how I personally conducted myself while visiting Malawi and other untruths. I have no intention of being distracted by these ridiculous allegations." Later, it was confirmed that Banda had not approved the statement released written by her press team and was "incandescent with anger" over the mix-up. Madonna has since further strengthened her relationship with the Malawian government. In November 2014, Madonna and the Raising Malawi team visited the country and met with newly elected President Peter Mutharika as well as several Government Ministers. During the visit, President Mutharika named Madonna the Goodwill Ambassador for Child Welfare. Madonna said in a statement, "I feel a deep commitment and love for the children of Malawi and am grateful for the support of the Government. I look forward to my new role as Goodwill Ambassador for Child Welfare." [2]

Mission statement

Since 2006, Raising Malawi has been dedicated to bringing an end to the extreme poverty and hardship endured by Malawi's one million orphans. Co-founded by Madonna and Michael Berg, Raising Malawi uses a community-based approach to provide immediate direct physical assistance, create long-term sustainability, support education and psycho-social programs, and build public awareness through multimedia and worldwide volunteer efforts.
As a part of its activities, Raising Malawi works to distribute financial support that will help community-based organizations provide vulnerable children with nutritious food, proper clothing, secure shelter, formal education, targeted medical care, and emotional support. We believe in empowering the smartest and most caring of those people, the ones who understand the challenges and the solutions. [3]

Charity fundraiser

On February 6, 2008, Madonna and Gucci hosted a fundraiser on the North Lawn of the United Nations in New York to benefit Raising Malawi & UNICEF. [4] In attendance was Tom Cruise, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani, Demi Moore and Gwyneth Paltrow. [5] On October 29, 2009, Madonna announced on the Raising Malawi website and her own official website that she vowed to match, dollar for dollar, every donation made towards all Raising Malawi projects.

Programs

Education

One of Raising Malawi's major focus areas is funding education projects. Raising Malawi supports the basic education needs of Malawi orphans, including academic scholarships, school uniforms, and learning materials. Raising Malawi sponsors 600 children at a Malawian orphanage with educational funding, vocational scholarships and an HIV awareness soccer program. [6]

Madonna had co-sponsored investments into building a school, Raising Malawi Academy for Girls. The project however was scrapped due to financial & tax irregularities. [7] In January 2012, Raising Malawi announced a partnership with buildOn to build 10 primary schools to serve over 1,000 children in Malawi. Children will receive primary education support, including academic scholarships, school uniforms, and learning materials. They will benefit from the construction of new or renovated primary and secondary schools. [8] [9]

In December 2014 it was announced that Madonna's Raising Malawi organization completed ten schools to educate 4,871 children in different locations in Malawi. The enterprise is in association with buildOn and follows the original announcement of building an Academy for Girls which was scrapped. Instead the schools will benefit children of all sexes and the project was completed within twelve months, six months ahead of schedule. [1]

As of 2020 Raising Malawi and buildOn have built 14 primary schools in rural Malawi and educated community members about the importance of girls’ education. Students who attend these schools no longer have to walk miles to reach a school in a neighboring village, learn math under a tree or study their ABCs under a thatched roof. Today, the Raising Malawi schools serve nearly 10,000 students, fulfilling Madonna’s commitment to making learning and school accessible to Malawian youth. [10]

Health

About fifty percent of Malawi's population is under 15 years of age, making pediatric care a top priority for the country. [11] [12] Raising Malawi has addressed this need since 2008 by supporting the pediatric surgery program at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, the country's commercial capital. Queen Elizabeth is the largest hospital in Malawi and serves a population of 700,000 people annually. It is also a public hospital meaning services are free. At Queen Elizabeth, Raising Malawi partners with one of only three pediatric surgeons in Malawi, who performs hundreds of life-saving surgeries annually and teaches local medical students and clinicians. Raising Malawi recently expanded its pediatric surgery work at Queen Elizabeth by launching a project with the Malawi Ministry of Health to construct a pediatric surgery and intensive care unit (ICU) at the hospital. The facility will include the country's first pediatric ICU, will double the number of life-saving surgeries, and will improve longer health outcomes for children who are currently dying as they wait for ICU beds. [13] Raising Malawi also collaborates with the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation to bring Grassroot Soccer (GRS), a HIV/AIDS prevention and testing program, into the communities where Raising Malawi is active. GRS is also active in the Mulanje region, one of the highest HIV infection areas in the country. [14]

Girls' School

Following an audit by the Global Philanthropy Group, which questioned expenditure on salaries and benefits as well as the management capacity and culture, the charity's school headmistress was fired in October 2010. In January 2011 it was announced that plans to build a school, the charity's flagship project, were abandoned. [15] In March 2011 the Board of Directors was removed. The collapse of the school project resulted in labour disputes and complicated a dispute with villagers who lost land to the project. [16] It also resulted in a legal suit by former employees at the school for wrongful termination. [7]

Government relations

When Madonna visited Malawi in April 2013, President of Malawi Joyce Banda expressed criticism of Madonna and her charity, accused her of exaggerating her charity's contribution and "bullying state officials". The president's office accused her of being "a musician who desperately thinks she must generate recognition by bullying state officials instead of playing decent music on the stage" and added "For her to tell the whole world that she is building schools in Malawi when she has actually only contributed to the construction of classrooms is not compatible with manners of someone who thinks she deserves to be revered with state grandeur." [17] Madonna responded by releasing a statement saying she was saddened that Banda "has chosen to release lies about what we've accomplished, my intentions, how I personally conducted myself while visiting Malawi and other untruths. I have no intention of being distracted by these ridiculous allegations." Later, it was confirmed that Banda had not approved the statement released written by her press team and was "incandescent with anger" over the mix-up. [18]

Madonna and Raising Malawi have since strengthened their relationship with the Malawian government. In November 2014, Madonna and the Raising Malawi team visited the country and met with newly elected President Peter Mutharika as well as several Government Ministers. During the visit, President Mutharika named Madonna the Goodwill Ambassador for Child Welfare. [2]

Documentary film

In May 2008, Madonna hosted the premiere of a documentary film that she wrote and produced, titled I Am Because We Are , at the Tribeca Film Festival. [19] Directed by Nathan Rissman, the film follows the stories of several Malawian children who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS and poverty. [20] The documentary was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival in connection with the 2008 amfAR Cinema Against AIDS gala, [21] and at the Traverse City Film Festival in Michigan. On March 25, 2009, the documentary officially debuted on YouTube and Hulu.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malawi</span> Country in Southeastern Africa

MalawiChichewa pronunciation:[maláβi]; Tumbuka: Malaŵi), officially the Republic of Malawi and formerly known as Nyasaland, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south and southwest. Malawi spans over 118,484 km2 (45,747 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 19,431,566. Malawi's capital and largest city is Lilongwe. Its second-largest is Blantyre, its third-largest is Mzuzu and its fourth-largest is its former capital, Zomba. It was the first capital city of Malawi before being changed to Lilongwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bingu wa Mutharika</span> President of Malawi from 2004 to 2012

Bingu wa Mutharika was a Malawian politician and economist who was President of Malawi from May 2004 until his death in April 2012. He was also President of the Democratic Progressive Party, which he founded in February 2005; it obtained a majority in Malawi's parliament in the 2009 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joyce Banda</span> President of Malawi from 2012 to 2014

Joyce Hilda Banda is a Malawian politician, who served as President of Malawi, from 7 April 2012 to 31 May 2014. Banda took office as President following the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika. She is the founder and leader of the People's Party, created in 2011. An educator and grassroots women's rights activist, she was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and the Vice-President of Malawi from May 2009 to April 2012. She has served in various roles as a member of Parliament and as Minister of Gender and Child Welfare before she became the President of the Republic of Malawi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Callista Chimombo</span> Malawian politician

Madame Callista Chapola-Chimombo is a Malawian politician and the widow of President Bingu wa Mutharika. She served as the First Lady of the Republic of Malawi from 2010 to 2012. Chimombo is a previous member of the Cabinet of Malawi as a National Coordinator of Maternal, Infant and Child Health and HIV/Nutrition/Malaria and Tuberculosis.

<i>I Am Because We Are</i> 2008 film

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malawi–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

{{Use American English {date=February 2022}}

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Malawi</span> Overview of education in Malawi

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in Malawi</span> Impact of the immunodeficiency virus in the African nation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anjimile Oponyo</span>

Anjimile Mtila-Oponyo is a Malawian development worker and education administrator. She has worked in education administration for the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Development Program where they built schools in Lebanon. She received international attention when she was selected as CEO and head of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in Malawi. She is currently a principal secretary in the Ministry of Education in Malawi.

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