Plaza Rotary in Malawi

Malawi Children and Schools Benefit
From Plaza Rotary Projects
Written by Bob Merrigan 

Malawi Children’s Village (MCV) is a village-based project that provides a continuum of services for orphans and other vulnerable children in the Mangochi District of Southern Malawi. The Plaza Rotary Club has been involved in MCV virtually since 2002.

Malawi is a landlocked country in Sub-Saharan Africa that is one of the most densely populated, least developed and most impoverished nations in the world. The country is heavily affected by HIV/AIDS, malnutrition and by malaria; at the time MCV was founded many households, in Mangochi were trying to care for five or more orphans.

MCV was launched by a U.S.-based Board of Directors and based its services on a needs assessment conducted by Megan Schmidt, the daughter of Plaza Club member Bill Schmidt. Bill was a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi in the 1960s.

In the intervening years, MCV has grown into a support program for orphans living with members of their extended family in the surrounding 37 villages. The facility provides shelter, food, safety, health care and education to some 2,500 children from birth to 18 years of age.

Our Club’s support has been a pivotal part of this growth. In launching a fundraising effort in 2001, Bill enlisted the help of fellow club member Elizabeth Usovicz. 

In 2002-03, through the leadership of Elizabeth, who was then club President, the Plaza Club was able to secure a Rotary Discovery grant to assess needs in Malawi.  Elizabeth and Bill subsequently spearheaded the fundraising and application for two Rotary Foundation Matching Grants that provided $40,000 to construct gender-specific latrines at the 24 primary schools serving the 37 villages, in cooperation with the Rotary Club of Limbe, Malawi.

Subsequent support initiatives include:

• In 2009, the club participated with 20 other clubs in District 6040 in a District Matching Grant organized by District Governor Elizabeth Usovicz that distributed more than 1,000 anti-malarial bed nets for mothers and children of childbearing age in the 37 villages served by MCV. As a result of this program, malaria incidence has decreased by 80%.

• In 2010, the Plaza club received a District Simplified Grant to provide malaria medicines to the clinic run by MCV and service the 37 villages.

• Additional U.S.-based Rotary clubs have helped MCV install a water purification system to provide clean drinking water to the MCV campus facilities.