Making a difference in Malawi
It is nineteen years since Bóthar opened a dairy plant in Malawi in 2005 and it was dedicated to the late T.J. Maher who was the founding chairperson of Bóthar. In 2017 partners Small Scale Livestock and Livelihoods Program continued to report on the success of the dairy program in the region.
In one village of Msonthi 30 families in the village received Bóthar cows. When Bóthar revisited the village seven years later in they met Rebecca, her two sons and their grandfather Daniel. Before Bóthar, the family lived in an old, one-room house with a leaky thatched roof and mud walls. After, Daniel was able to build what he describes as "a good house made of bricks with a tin roof." As an outcome of the project the village now had ‘ox carts, bicycles and healthy children going to school because families now have a steady source of income.’ But this was not always the case as when Bóthar first arrived there most families were experiencing chronic malnutrition, malaria and diarrheal disease.
Most recently and following the tropical cyclone Ana in 2022, which heavily impacted Malawi, Bóthar worked again with our partners to deliver emergency response and water filters. We continued the response into 2023 when cyclone Freddy again hit the region.
As with all our work, Bóthar’s support of communities in Malawi is possible thanks to the generosity of people in Ireland. In 2023 the World Bank indicated Malawi is the fourth poorest country in the world, with 70 percent of its population living on less than $2.15. On this the 60th anniversary of their independence, Bóthar will continue to support communities in Malawi with your help.
Donate to Bóthar’s work in Malawi online here
Alternatively, contact a member of the Bóthar team
Email: info@bothar.ie
Phone: 061 414142
Freephone: 1800 26 84 63