Villages in Partnership

Fighting Poverty in Malawi

Project Update

Cash Crops: Solar Irrigation Systems are Creating Opportunities

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Malawian farmer celebrating his onion cash crops.

For the first year, Malawian farmers in VIP’s partner villages are making significant profits. For those who are unaware of the seasonal split in Malawi, this is an unusual time for harvest. The rainy season ended back in March 2022 and they have not received rain since. However, these farmers are able to grow crops, even during the dry season because of the Solar Irrigation System put into place 3 years ago with the support of the VIP family. 

It takes time for people to learn and adapt new strategies. The first year after installation of the Solar Irrigation Systems, all farmers insisted on growing maize because that is their staple food and they wanted to supplement their household needs.

Malawian farmers harvesting their cash crops.

The second year, after VIP offered agribusiness training and exposure to farmers from other areas of the country, who grow cash crops, several of the farmers took a risk and grew tomatoes and watermelons. They made huge profits and their success convinced all the farmers to grow cash crops!

This year, 100% of the farmers grew cash crops such as watermelons, tomatoes and onions. The profits enable them not only to purchase supplemental maize and other household needs but to make asset investments; investing in livestock that will multiply and be sold in the future, purchasing bicycles that will be used for bike taxis and water pumps to use on fields near a stream, these farmers are investing in their futures. The Solar Irrigation Systems that the VIP family helped to fund are creating opportunities for our brothers and sisters in Malawi! Our most recent Friendship Team had the blessing of participating in the harvest and loading the truck to go to market.

Friendship Team helping to harvest and load the cash crops to go to market.
Children eating harvested watermelons.

The Shipping Container Arrived!

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Our shipping container arrived! After running into delays at customs that required our amazing Malawian staff to get support from their Government, all of the supplies donated by our supporters have finally made it to our partners in Malawi. These donations have provided supplies that are not accessible in Malawi. They will go towards schools and children’s education, our demonstration farm, and the brand-new Khanda Health Center.

Through the generosity of the VIP family, school science labs have supplies, the demonstration farm has tools, and the Khanda Health Center has life-saving medical supplies. With construction finishing up–and now with proper supplies–the Khanda Health Center is slated to open later this year.

The delivery of the container would not have been possible without our partners at Worldwide Logistics Group. Their support for VIP has been a huge blessing. They not only transported the 40-ft shipping container but also stored equipment at their warehouse and helped to organize all of the paperwork. We can not begin to express our gratitude!

This was our first shipping container, but it will not be our last. If you are interested in donating specific items to be transported in a shipping container, please reach out to us directly at our office in Allentown, NJ, or contact Sarah Moore directly at sarah@villagesinpartnership.org!

Women Find Empowerment in Saving: The Story of Chrissy Paundi

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Chrissy, a member of a Village Savings and Loans group, stands in front of a maize field.

         Today, I got to meet with another couple from VIP’s impact area in Malawi, Chrissy and George Paundi. Chrissy, a beautiful woman with a wide smile, greets me over the zoom screen in Chichewa, the local language. We exchange the usual formal introductions. I know just enough Chichewa to make it through the first 30 seconds of introductions. Then I have to call on my good friend and VIP staff member, Violet Matimati, to translate! We talk about the success she’s found in saving for her family’s future. Even across the screen and over our language barrier, our smiles help us connect. She reminds me of everything I love and miss about Malawi. 

How Chrissy Saves

         Chrissy is a member of a Village Savings and Loans group (VSL). She explains that along with the VSL, VIP has built schools, constructed bridges, and also supports a bible study in her village. In addition, VIP is providing school fees for her son who is at Mulunguzi Secondary School in Zomba town. The VSL is a group of women from the same community who meet and pool their money together to make loans to one another. They begin by each depositing an amount of money into a box. Each woman is allowed to take loans from the box which they are expected to return with interest. They continue saving and loaning and in the end, each woman gets a significant payout according to the amount she invested. Through the VSL, people learn how to save and manage money. By taking out loans, they can start small businesses and have some security to pay for necessities in moments of crisis.


In a few short years, the VSL has helped Chrissy and her family improve their economic well-being.

         Chrissy joined her VSL in 2012. In 2014, she began to see significant life changes. She began by purchasing 2 goats with the money she had saved. Goats provide food and nutrition but can also be a source of additional income if you sell them once they have grown. A few years later, Chrissy and her husband bought iron sheets for her roof, a large improvement from their former roof. They have also been able to send funds to their son at Mulunguzi Secondary School to pay for food and other necessities. In a few short years, saving with the VSL has helped Chrissy and her family improve their economic well-being.

What’s Next for Chrissy and George

         Most recently, they bought a motorcycle. In the United States, we think of a motorcycle as being a luxury vehicle. But for Chrissy and George, the motorcycle is a fast, economical way to bring goods to and from the market versus walking or riding a bicycle. George explained that while they have not begun to use it as a bike taxi yet, they plan on beginning this in the future as a means of extra income.      

         As the conversation closes, I am left reflecting on many things. The way a small group of women can come together and create so many different opportunities by saving funds together. How a simple program like the VSL, allows women to gain financial empowerment and improve their lives. I realize that this program has not only provided material goods for Chrissy and her family, but allowed for their son to stay in school, Chrissy to feel more empowered, and their family to thrive.

Read more about Economic Development in Malawi >

Worldwide Logistics Group Devoted To Partnership With VIP

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By Beth Cohen and Jordan Heinzel-Nelson

Bob Kloss (left) and Grant Stiles (right) work with Boy Scout Emmanuel of troop 53 (center) to load bee hives into the warehouse where WorldWide Logistics will store them until shipment

Worldwide Logistics Group (WWL), a global logistics and supply chain management company, will donate warehouse and shipping services to help support Villages in Partnership (VIP). VIP is an organization whose mission is to help impoverished villages in Sakata, Malawi. As VIP continues to secure much needed supplies for Malawi, WWL will receive, store, pack and ship the donations. Upon arrival, WWL’s agent will arrange custom clearance and delivery of items to various Malawian villages.

Worldwide Logistics Group will collect and process donated supplies using their warehouse in Cranberry, New Jersey. They will containerize and move items by ocean when they receive all donations.   

“We are passionate about moving goods around the world, but when we can be part of shipping resources to Malawi, it takes our passion to the next level,” said John Rapczak, general manager of NTDS and the WWL warehouse in Cranbury, New Jersey. “This endeavor is very meaningful to every employee involved.”

How Partnering with WWL is Improving VIP’s Outreach

VIP’s beekeepers sent the first items donated, beekeeping equipment, that will arrive at the WWL warehouse this week. The equipment will aid a group of Malawian beekeepers who harvest the honey and sell it. It will also assist a group of Malawian women who have started a beeswax candle company with help from Villages in Partnership.

Villages in Partnership has a unique outreach approach. They work with villagers to understand their needs. Next, they mobilize support in the West to provide resources and expertise. The entire village works with Villages in Partnership to build a solution and when the project is complete, the villagers take ownership. Each project helps build an entire community.

“We are excited to see the fruits of this partnership,” said Liz Heinzel-Nelson, Executive Director of VIP. “For years we have dreamed of sending supplies over to Malawi to help propel these projects forward. The partnership with WWL has made these dreams a reality.”

Other possible donations expected are hospital beds, medical equipment, microscopes to fill High School science labs and books.

“Once we receive all the expected donations, we will get them containerized and moving as quickly as possible.  We’re excited to be involved in this project” Mr. Rapczak said.

In addition to the shipping support, WWL has sponsored VIP in their annual Water Walk fundraiser. This year, the Water Walk raised over $360,000 through the help of sponsoring businesses like WWL.

If you are interested in providing resources, please contact Ms. Heinzel-Nelson at liz.hn@villagesinpartnership.org