COUNTRY
Malawi is a small country in Southeast Africa, inhabited by almost 20 million people. Its population growth is one of the largest in the world. Statistically, one woman gives birth to more than five children. Most Malawians are afflicted with poverty.
Malawi is one of the countries most affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Although the government refunds antiretroviral medicines, many people do not want to undergo testing or treatment. What is more, a large percentage of sexually active people do not decide to use contraceptives. As a result, thousands of children are orphaned, and many are born already infected with HIV.
Poverty and diseases mean that many children, especially orphans, are unable to finish school. Only a little over 60% of Malawi’s population can read and write.
ORGANISATION
Marie da Silva established Jacaranda Foundation when she found out that the school in her home village in Malawi was to be closed. Since its establishment in 2002, the Foundation has been providing free education, healthcare, and meals for children in most difficult situations, often including orphans.
John Samson is one of the people whose fate was changed by Jacaranda Foundation. Orphaned and infected with HIV, John was left on his own. He had to beg on the street and walk to a distant hospital for antiretroviral medicines. The Foundation allowed him to fulfil his greatest dream – go to school. John described his story in an essay entitled The day I wore my best clothes. The text won a competition organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society in 2012, and John was invited to a ceremony in London, where he had the opportunity to meet the Queen of the United Kingdom – Elizabeth II.
PROJECTS
Kulczyk Foundation is supporting educational projects of Jacaranda Foundation.
