In 2014-15, parts of sub-Saharan Africa, including Malawi, experienced flooding and then drought, both of which helped destroy crops across the country and region. Keep in mind that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has Malawi ranked as the 5th poorest country in the world for 2021, and such poor nations have incredibly limited numbers of options to handle large-scale emergencies such as national famines. The 2014-15 famine saw some 500,000 children who were severely affected by hunger, to the point where for months at a time they were not in school and instead had to help their families and villages find food. At one point the President had to tell citizens they should eat roots, and find insects and field mice to eat.
These types of situations do not get much press in wealthy countries such as the United States. There are not significant national interests the U.S. has in Malawi, and so coverage of countries like Malawi is often overlooked. Mark Vondracek learned of this situation when he met Andrews Nchessie in Dubai, at the first summit for Global Teacher Prize Ambassadors. Andrews and Mark were in the inaugural class of 2015 Top 50 Teachers in the Global Teacher Prize. Andrews was looking for help with his situation back in Malawi, and a few teachers decided to help by raising funds while a model was developed to help schools in their efforts to feed children and keep them in school so they may learn and problem solve, as they are the next generation of leaders in the country.
The underlying goal was to figure out how schools would be able to keep students fed so they could continue to attend and learn even in the dry season and also whenever the next drought and famine hit that region of Africa. Check out the solution model that was developed, implemented, and continues to provide for schools to independently be proactive in feeding children throughout the entire school year, and not have to fully rely on the government (and there can be corruption in government and foreign aid that comes in), foreign aid, or even other villages. It is imperative for the schools and villages to be self-sufficient and self-sustaining indefinitely, where famine will never again happen to these communities, and this goal was also at the forefront of thought when the model was developed. Ideally, there will be no third-party between taking donated funds and getting them to the people on the ground making positive change and progress happen.
Here is a video summary of the problem and model:
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