Micro enterprise opportunities for life beyond fistula

Animal Husbandry

Goats are fantastic animals, and can provide milk, meat and money for the rural families that keep them.

• They are easy to take care of and are suitable to the landscape, as they graze on weeds and shrubs
• They require less space than larger animals and have a shorter reproduction cycle making it easier to rebuild population numbers if they drop after a drought
• They are easier to work with than large livestock
• They can be a vital source of income, not just producing meat and milk, but also value-added products such as cheese and butter, which smallholders can sell at market
• They produce manure that can be used to fertilize crops,which makes them even more useful for smallholder farmers

Thanks to the generosity of supporters, our Fistula Care Centre in Malawi is piloting a goat rearing project to support former patients. In 2022 we identified 4 former fistula patients living in the Salima district and provided them with micro finance training, information on animal husbandry and three vaccinated kid goats (two female and one male) with a view to them raising and breeding domestic goats.

Tea Room

Malawi is known as the warm heart of Africa due to its friendly and kind hearted people. A tea room is a local restaurant where tea and buns are sold any time of the day, usually from as early as 5am to 8pm. Tea rooms are common in the central region of Malawi and everything is sold at an affordable price.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters, our Fistula Care Centre in Malawi is piloting a Tea Room business as another income generating activity to support former fistula patients. We identified five former fistula patients living in Mitundu, Lilongwe district and provided them with micro finance training, training in scone and tea making, customer care and team room management, to equip them with the basic knowledge required to establish and run a successful tea room.

Vegetable Garden

Vegetable farming is the growing of vegetable crops, primarily for use as human food. Vegetable farming is known to be a profitable business in Malawi.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters, our Fistula Care Centre in Malawi is piloting a Vegetable Gardening initiative as another income generating activity to support former fistula patients. The idea is for every participant to be given all the necessary materials to start their vegetable gardening. This project is running in Lilongwe district and seven participants have been selected to participate.