World Connect
Job training and self-reliance programs to help women overcome employment inequality
Location: Malawi
Sponsor: JJ Ramberg and Ellen Goldberg
World Connect: Grantee in 2021 and 2022-23
World Connect was founded in 2003 and has been investing to support projects across the Global South where the lack of resources has made it difficult to overcome poverty. Its founding principle underscores the belief that local leaders are in the best position to understand community needs and identify projects that can positively impact the lives of the residents.
Hundreds of programs in more than 40 countries leverage that philosophy and have been able to drive significant improvements in health, education, and economic opportunity affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Importantly, supporting that sense of self-reliance has proven to sustain results.
Recognizing that women in these communities often face inequality, many World Connect projects focus on impacting the lives and opportunities for women and girls. 95% of the projects World Connect has invested in have achieved intended goals and the vast majority (85%) sustain that positive impact after two years. Project ownership has been proven to sustain the impact of such projects and address the inequality these women have faced in the past.
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GRANT SUMMARY AND PURPOSE
2021: $30,000 supported four income-generating projects in Malawi. The funding will cover machinery and transportation costs as well as job training, instruction, and role modeling for all participants. These women will learn how to operate the machinery that will improve the productivity of poultry and maize farming.
2022-23: $30,000 supports the construction and furnishing of a Childhood Education Center, a primary school and a library which will benefit 2,360 students annually once completed. New school infrastructure is expected to encourage student attendance, enhance teaching, lead to increased government funding, and improve education quality. New facilities will also benefit the communities by providing meeting space and library access.
IMPACT
World Connect finds local leaders who understand community needs and can identify and carry out projects that positively impact populations living in poverty. Projects create opportunities, especially for girls and women, to attend school, master skills and maintain employment that will improve the standard of living for them and their families.
