Ambassador Eastham Hands Over Self-Help Projects in Likoma

In 1903 Anglican missionaries assembled a labor force and materials to erect St. Peter's Cathedral, an architectural wonder on dazzling Likoma Island in Lake Malawi.  Along with oversized baobab trees, sandy beaches and the luxury beach lodge Kaya Mawa, the Cathedral remains a major tourist attraction on the Island today.   

Very little on the Island has changed since Scottish missionaries discovered it in the 19^th Century.  Tourism is expensive, with boat and air charter the only means of accessing the island.  Generator electricity, installed three years ago is not available 24 hours.  The Island’s 10 automobiles, most of them owned by institutions, ply the dirt road that runs the coast to coast length of the 17 square kilometers island.  For many years, the island hosted a substantial number of refugees from the Mozambican civil war, who put a strain on its limited resources.

Due to inadequate arable land, not enough maize or cassava for nsima is grown to meet local demand.  Consequently, food is ferried from neighboring Tanzania and Mozambique by the Ilala, resulting in recurrent food shortages.  Brick must be imported from Mozambique, and land telephone lines are very limited.  In the abundance of Lake Malawi fresh water, Likoma still struggles with a shortage of potable water today.

“In spite of all the setbacks the Island is facing, such as the impact of HIV/AIDS, poverty and food shortages, people still live a happy life full of faith in the Lord,” said Father Fanuel Magangani of St. Peters Cathedral.

A few years ago 72 year-old Jonathan Sajiwandani, who holds a PhD in gerontology returned to the Island after spending 38 years teaching universities in the  United Kingdom.  Dr. Sajiwandani, author of Learning by Doing and Emancipation was shocked by the information he read in the Likoma District social/economic profile and was moved to join others to form the Lake Malawi Project (LMP) to encourage local communities to work in village groups in tackling problems such as HIV/AIDS, food insecurity, gender discrimination, illiteracy, transportation and lack of soil conservation methods.  LMP requested funding from the United States Ambassador’s Self Help Fund to run a 10-year district-wide agricultural program that would address food insecurity problems in Likoma and facilitate movement between the Island and mainland by floating a boat transport service.

In August of 2005, the Ambassador’s Self-Help Fund granted $16,975 (aprox MK2, 300,000) to the LMP.  The Makungulu Village Chigayo project received $7,375.00 (approx MK980, 000.00) to purchase a maize mill, construct a boat and undertake boat-hiring services. The Likoma Village Demonstration Gardens project received $9,600 (approx MK1, 300,000.00) to buy treadle pumps, a manually operated oil press, two bicycles and farm equipment for demonstration gardens that would benefit 12,000 farmers in 10 villages on Likoma and Chizumulu Islands.  LMP co-financed both Self-Help projects by way of paying staff salaries, providing additional farm equipment and by providing overall technical and managerial assistance.

United States Ambassador Alan Eastham visited the Island and handed over the projects to the people of Likoma on December 11, 2006.   Speaking during the handover event Member of Parliament for the area Dr. George Nga Mtafu said Likoma Island was a neglected small rural area in the wilderness.  Dr. Mtafu said: “we are a group of people here left to fend for ourselves.”  The parliamentarian asked the Malawi and US governments to run a "Marshal Plan" that would transform the Island.  He asked Ambassador Eastham to continue serving as the US Ambassador “but also become an Ambassador of Likoma Island to the club of Malawi government’s cooperating partners.”

Speaking after he had inspected project sites, Ambassador Eastham said he hoped that the projects would enable people of Likoma make money out of them.  He, however, expressed concern over the lack of a business plan to market LMP products.  “So my charge to Lake Malawi Projects is to develop a business plan for each of these activities to make sure it works for the benefit of the community,” said Ambassador Eastham.

The Ambassador’s Self Help Fund was established in Malawi in 1966, as a way to address urgent development needs at community level.  In the past five years the U. S. Government has funded over 67 self help development projects with a total funding of US$585,100 (MK62, 605,700).