Mulanje Mission Hospital, Malawi
As a charity we identify projects where renewable energies can be utilised for the benefit of the organisations we support. Not only do we involve ourselves in projects in N.Ireland but also abroad.
Action Renewables is privileged to be involved with Mulanje Mission Hospital (MMH) in Malawi. MMH provides public health and primary care services to about 88,000 people living in 72 villages in their local catchment area of Mulanje. Patients from across Mulanje district and much further afield visit MMH for outpatient, inpatient and HIV/AIDS services.
There are three schools at Mulanje Mission: Apatsa, the primary school and the community day secondary school.
In 2022 Action Renewables donated £14,000 to MMH towards the installation of solar panels and battery storage. Under their Sustainable Livelihoods Programme, the hospital works towards uplifting the general living conditions in the catchment area. The programme operates from the Thandizani Resource Centre.
Using the Model Village Approach, rural communities are engaged in conservation agriculture and are empowered to develop sustainable sources of income. Examples of activities are agroforestry, beekeeping and honey production, solar fruit drying, soil and water conservation, riverbank protection and the development of small-scale irrigation schemes.
Two Action Renewables staff members recently visited Mulanje Mission Hospital in April 2023 – you can read about their trip here.
Cookstoves Project
The economy in Malawi is based around farming and almost all use a traditional three-stone fire for cooking. These fires exacerbate deforestation, cause respiratory disease and are a danger to children who are frequently burnt by them.
With no electricity, gas, or funds to buy other types of cookstoves, a team from the charity, Ripple Africa designed a fuel-efficient cookstove that can be made from mud bricks, and burns approximately one third less wood. These cookstoves not only support the drive to prevent deforestation, but also lower carbon emissions from the reduction of fuel required. Nsima is a daily traditional staple Malawian dish made from maize flour and water and seen being made in the photo opposite on a more efficient cookstove.
The cookstoves are know as Changu Changu Moto (Fast Fast Fire cookstoves)
Action Renewables will help fund and partner with Mulanje Mission Hospital (MMH) as part of the extensive MMH Sustainable Livelihoods outreach programme to build 12,000 cookstoves this year in Mulanje and surrounding villages.
Please watch the video below to find out more: