Kamweko village was the first village that Africa Bags visited. On May 6thof 2007
Todd and Holly were welcomed by 30 members of the village. The members of the community showered us with their joy over
the Africa Bags project and the opportunity it provided them with. Kamweko village consists of approximately 200
people that live within a 3 mile area. Of these 200 people, 70 of them are children and 50 of these are orphans.
These orphaned children have been taken in by others from the village who barely have the means to provide for themselves.
Besides subsistence farming, the villagers of Kamweko earn money by collecting fire wood and carrying it
over 4 miles to the town of Mzuzu to sell. The villagers carry large bundles of wood on top of their heads, walking
over 4 miles, often without shoes on their feet. This days work will only earn them $1.00 to $2.00 for their
hard labor. The villagers of Kamweko hope that their partnership with Africa Bags will put an end to the days
of hauling firewood for money.
Joseph Chavula is a product of Kamweko village. He has helped to create the
plans for Africa Bags to build a community center within Kamweko. It will be used by the villagers as a central meeting
point for gatherings and fellowship. The villagers will also use the building for Africa Bags production. In making
the center, the villagers will provide all labor needed on the project. They will also make all the bricks needed to construct
the building. The bricks are made from local dirt and then dried in the sun. A kiln is then
constructed out of the bricks themselves and a fire is started inside of the bricks. After a couple days of the
fire's heat the bricks are ready for use. Land for the building has been donated by the chief of Kamweko,
Bright Chavula. Africa Bags will raise funds from donations for the metal roof, concrete floor and solar panels for
electricity. Fund raising will be done in steps with the roof being the first phase.
Kamweko has also set up a project committee. It will be in charge of overseeing the building of the community center
and of bag construction. The committee is also responsible for dispersing funds to the village. Africa
Bags will work closely with the project committee to make sure that the funds issued to Kamweko will go to the most urgent
needs of the village.
One enterprising lady from Kamweko has begun to make
necklaces out of beads and a locally grown seed. We look forward to selling these necklaces on our web site as soon
as we get the first shipment in.
Another important development that has happened
recently is that most of the families of Kamweko have been able to buy government subsidized fertilizer. This fertilizer
can increase crop yields by up to 50%. This is an example of how Africa Bags has tried to help those in Malawi to help
themselves. Plentiful harvests will be a great first step in reducing hunger in Kamweko.
