As part of our holistic approach to tackling poverty in Malawi, we have run a series of skills training courses for local people. The aim is to enable them to gain the skills they need to find employment, as well as to make a positive contribution to lives of their families and communities.

Bricklaying Course

The very first project undertaken by Temwa was the building of a community centre in Usisya. During its construction in 2004, a team of bricklayers was trained in conjunction with TEVET – a technical college based in Mzuzu, north Malawi - and afterwards each member was given a set of tools to help them start their own business. The building is now used for a variety of community meetings and events - by schools, village headmen, churches, youth groups and other NGOs (non-government organisations), and as a base for running educational courses. It is also used as Temwa’s headquarters in Malawi.

Tailoring Course

The second training course organised by Temwa, which was run from the community centre, was a tailoring course. This was also carried out in conjunction with TEVET and resulted in 12 local participants qualifying as tailors. One participant won a scholarship - kindly donated by the trainer himself - to go to a tailoring school in the nearest town.

Horticultural Training

As a predominantly fishing society the people of Usisya rely heavily on the two staple crops of maize and cassava. However, these crops are not very nutritious, nor do they produce ‘fruit’ all the year round. As a result malnutrition is a serious problem in Usisya and, in the three month gap between stores depleting and the new harvest, hunger is common among the most vulnerable, the poor and the chronically ill.

To improve the nutritional status of the population of Usisya training will
increase knowledge among the people of Usisya in the following areas: Agricultural skills necessary to grow a variety of vegetables to supplement the traditional diet, maintaining soil fertility, seed storage and establishing seed banks, basic business skills and education on the value of agriculture/horticulture, nutritional importance of vegetables and fruit and the importance of a balanced diet. There is also a plan to establish a minimum of 9 functioning vegetables gardens, one in each Village Development Committee (VDC) area.

Horticulture for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PWLA)

To improve the health of those PLWA in Usisya, this project will provide 27 participants with horticultural training, establish a minimum of 10 gardens that grow produce that will benefit PLWA one month after the course finishes and to record a significant increase in the amount of vegetables in the diets of PLWA three months after the course finishes.