Eagles will build a solar irrigation system for 30 farming families in Malawi. The families will be able to eat throughout the year and sell extra food to pay for school fees and medical bills. The farming families will provide food for 12 surrounding villages. We will train the families to maintain the system and ensure ownership through a participatory process that shifts mindsets from dependency to determination, using local resources, including the sun, to solve their own problems.
Food insecurity is a major and increasing issue in Malawi. This year alone, 3.3 million Malawians will require food aid to prevent starvation and 37% of children under the age of 5 are chronically malnourished. The district of Balaka is especially vulnerable and increasingly hit by natural disasters as a result of climate change. Locked in a cycle of disaster and survival, farmers struggle to send their children to school or pay medical bills, creating a feedback loop that locks them in poverty.
Solar irrigation will continuously water just under 6 football fields, powered by the sun. The solar-powered irrigation system gives a reliable water supply to farmers making two harvests per year possible and increasing their long-term food security and income. We will comprehensively train the farmers in planting the right crops and maintaining the equipment. We will guide them on their way to become self-sustained entrepreneurs and changing their mindsets to unleash their potential.
The 30 farming families who will cultivate the irrigated land will be able to eat three nutritious meals a day as well as supply food to the 12 surrounding villages. Selling their harvests, the families will make at least $120 annually per family for at least 20 years. This new and continuous income will allow their children to go to school and medical bills to be paid. The families will be taking action as a community for a common goal and withstanding natural disasters together.
