An Interview with Director Gibozi Tikondwe Mphanzi
“With your support, we work towards ending hunger and poverty by training farmers as well as providing the farmers with irrigation pumps to increase productivity. Thank you!”
What is your background and how did you get involved in your type of work?
I graduated from African Bible College with a Bachelor's Degree in Biblical Studies with a Minor in Christian Education. I then did a Post Graduate Diploma in Guidance, Counseling and Youth Development. Lastly I did a Master's Degree in International Development. For the past 10 years I have been working with orphans, street children and other vulnerable children. However in 2018 I heard about a leadership vacancy at Africa Windmill from a friend and then I applied and got the job.
What advice would you give to donors looking for a place to give?
Please give to where the donations reach the people and actually achieves the intended purpose.
How can donors know that money being donated to your projects is going to the intended recipient?
We take pictures and get stories of the people that have benefited and we share these with donors and other stakeholders as evidence.
How would you handle it if a project doesn't go as expected?
I would be proactive in informing them about the challenges encountered so that they should be part of the decision process.
Are your projects more sustainable or more urgent? Please explain.
Our projects are more sustainable because we teach our farmers to be anticipating the next cycle of farming. We teach them to invest in a number of ventures that could be relied upon when one crop fails. So our farmers combine crop production as well as livestock production. Manure produced from the livestock enriches the gardens where crops are grown, and crop residues are feed and fodder for the livestock.
How long have you been involved with the community?
Over 3 Years
Describe a recent success story in your work.
January and February each year are the most difficult years in terms of hunger in Malawi and some parts of the sub region of Africa. This is because most rural households depend on rain-fed agriculture. For the families that produce their own food crops, it is crucial that they increase the number of harvests per year and the only way this is possible is by investing in irrigation agriculture.
Mercy Kamdambo is a single mother who is a member of Makalani village in Lilongwe District. She is one of the 3,000 farmers working with Africa Windmill Project. As a single mother, Mercy has to provide for all her household's needs. It is interesting to note that out of irrigation agriculture, Mercy has ended all her hunger and poverty. Just this past January instead of her begging for food or staying hungry, Mercy and her children were harvesting a bumper harvest of maize which she had planted late last year using irrigation. As I write, her household has enough food as well as a number of livestock that she sells and uses some for food.Is there anything else you would like potential donors to know?
I am so grateful for this opportunity and I cannot wait to meet everyone in the near future. I know that God has prepared a lot of great things ahead of us.