Since day one the web project has taken a socially responsible attitude towards doing business. We started close to home by checking our carbon footprint and making our offices as eco-friendly as possible, and now we are lucky enough to be able to provide some help to others.
Africa has always loomed large in the background of the web project; Mike was born in South Africa and Nick has spent a number of years travelling and working as a journalist in Africa. So when we decided to sponsor a charity; we knew exactly where to look. And it didn’t take us long to find an innovative and forward-thinking project which is making a real difference to peoples’ lives.
Nyumba Ya Thanzi (which translates as ‘The House of Good Health’) is a UK-based charity working in the Salima District of Malawi. Their central philosophy is that local Malawians are the best people to help themselves, but they often lack the necessary financial support. It also means that every single penny that is donated goes straight to work on the ground in Malawi.
Nyumba Ya Thanzi operates a number of projects including a Nutrition Centre for HIV positive children in Senga Bay. In the western world HIV is classified as a chronic disease, while in many parts of Africa HIV remains a killer disease. With access to good medicine, a nutritious diet and emotional support, Nyumba Ya Thanzi is providing 25 Malawian children with a real opportunity to manage their disease.
The Nutrition Centre was conceived by local villager Richard Moyo in early 2008 with the following goals:
To encourage HIV positive parents to take their children for tests
To provide a nutritious diet and thereby help the immune system to function
To provide a travel fund to facilitate regular hospital visits
To provide emotional support and help fight the stigma of HIV
It’s a straightforward approach that’s having a dramatic impact on the 25 children who use the Nutrition Centre as well as the wider community. And Richard’s already got bigger plans, including building a sanitation block and planting a market garden.
Having visited Nyumba Ya Thanzi the web project took the decision to provide a monthly financial contribution and commitment to support future fundraising. We were sincerely impressed with The House of Good Health and encourage everyone to find out more, and make an online donation.