Maloto Inc

Kwithu Womens Group (aka Kwithu CBO)Kwithu, which translated means "home", was formed in 2005 by an inspiring group of women who came together to provide assistance to the large number of orphans living in the outskirts of Mzuzu, Malawi even though they themselves had limited means. The Kwithu Orphan Feeding Program was originally conceived to provide hot meals to these orphaned children at a temporary, make-shift community center consisting of a dirt floor and a thatched roof. In 2010, Maloto provided funding for construction of a permanent building to replace this temporary shelter. This new structure has allowed the group to greatly expand its capacity and feed many more children. The feeding program now serves hot, nutritious meals to over 300 children three times a week. For many of these children, this is the most nutritious food they will receive all week. Kwithu is a dynamic, community-based organization and has greatly expanded its activities and its reach. In addition to the feeding program, the Group now operates a number of other initiatives for vulnerable children and families in the community, including:before- and after-school tutoring and recreation programs for over 270 children, an HIV/AIDS information and education service, which supports more than 60 HIV+ children and their families and conducts information and education campaigns in the broader community,an early childhood education program which provides two full-day learning programs for 60 children, ages 3-5 years, providing scholarships for over 70 local orphans and vulnerable children to attend local secondary schools and Malawian Universities, andthe development of income-generation projects for women in the community who often bear the burden of providing for their families alone.The Group also owns and operates its own garden, which not only provides food for the feeding program, but also produces excess produce that is sold in local markets and given to the neediest of families within the Group.

Mzuzu International AcademyIn 2003, Malotos founder, Anna Msowoya, and a group of local community leaders in northern Malawi identified the lack of educational opportunities created by the critical shortage of secondary schools as one of the most urgent challenges in the region: Malawi has lost a generation to HIV/AIDS and cannot afford to lose another generation due to a lack of education. They raised over $600,000 and, in September of 2010, Mzuzu International Academy was opened with 35 students the first internationally accredited school in northern Malawi. In 2013, Mzuzu International Academy expanded to include an international primary school. Currently there are over 375 students attending school at Mzuzu Academy. At this time, Maloto provides a small annual operating subsidy to Mzuzu Academy, which is primarily supported by tuition and boarding fees. Maloto provides scholarships to over 20 local vulnerable children to attend Mzuzu Academy. Maloto also provides some funding for capital improvement projects as needed.