Projects

Literacy and Numeracy Program

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The organization is implementing a pilot project called Literacy and Numeracy Skills (L&N) Project at Masasa Primary School in Mzuzu City The project aims at promoting learning among learners by forming reading clubs and establishing small libraries in schools. These are both primary and secondary schools. The rationale behind reading clubs is that it has been discovered that some learners understand better when they are taught by their fellow learners, and the reading clubs present learners with a good platform to share what they have learnt in class and make others understand better what teachers intended to communicate. Through these clubs, learners are also taught how to use libraries and timetable. Considering that behavioural changes have an impact on the learning process of a child, the project is designed in a way that it systematically disseminates behavioural change messages on drug and substance abuse, sexual harassment, human rights and responsibilities, sexuality among other relevant awareness messages.

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Computer Educational Program/Doorstep End User Computer Skills Training

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About Capacity building on literacy through universal education and training, REHAAT-INITIATIVE focuses on computer literacy through a project known as Computer Educational Program/Doorstep End User Computer Skills Training which takes on board both teachers and learners in public schools in Malawi. This computer program is designed for teachers in both primary and community day secondary school. Our intense interest is to empower the under privileged (in our case the under privileged being those learning in public schools) on computer literacy for a global village life where the socio-economic development and industrial growth of nations is based on individual intellectual network, that is information and communication (knowledge sharing) which is done with ease through the computer networks (on the internet) the world over. If teachers are trained in computer and ICT-related skills, they can easily transfer those skills and knowledge to learners and they can also use the skill to prepare academic work for learners. Mostly, the skills can be used to form tests and examinations as most teachers take examinations to stationery shops for typing which compromises the privacy of examinations.

As a humanitarian organization, we also put much attention on food security and livelihoods. In this thematic area, the organization supports agricultural activities in rural and peri-urban communities targeting youthful and women farmers. Apart from food production, the organization links these farmers to formal and sustainable markets for their produce. Farmers should not just practice subsistence farming but also grow crops for commercial purposes. For this to be achieved, these farmers need to be trained in sustainable agricultural practices and supported with farm input and equipment. This support also enables them to produce quality produce that can fetch good prices on the international market. This thematic area aims at promoting economic activities in rural areas such as establishment of rural mini factories, rural financial cooperatives and general rural industrialization.

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Under this area, our first partner is World Connect through which the organization is supporting Lusangazi Horticultural Farmers Group in the outskirts of Mzuzu City which is mostly composed of women. The group has been supported with treadle pumps, sprayers and seeds. The organization also needs more partners to cover other communities it is working with. These are areas like Kamwe in north Mzimba in which we have partnered with 11 youth clubs.

Climate Change and Environment are concerns the modern world should seriously work on. In its early years of operations, REHAAT-INITIATIVE raised nurseries of tree seedlings and distributed them to its immediate communities for free. This was aimed at replacing the trees that had been wantonly cut down due to rapid urbanization in Blantyre City in the Southern Region of Malawi. The organization believes that tree seedlings need to be raised for at least two years before they are transplanted to increase their survival rate. The organization is working on similar projects to sustain the environment and mitigate the effects of climate change.

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The part of environment includes water, sanitation and hygiene programs in both urban and rural communities. Clean cities and clean water are some of the priorities of the organization. The organization is also coming up with initiatives that could turn waste into productive materials for home and industrial use.

Computer Program for a girl child

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Unlike boys, girls are rarely exposed to technological knowledge that could help facilitating their learning at both secondary and tertiary levels. This is because girls are mostly at home doing house chores and boys are given space to stay out of home even after darkness has fallen. These free trainings aim at equipping girls with computer knowledge and skills that would help in their learning processes as they further their studies. Education at tertiary level requires that learners have computer knowledge for reading and assignment writing purposes. However, in Malawi, most of the learners reach tertiary level without knowing computer usage and this negatively affects their academic performers. More disadvantaged are girls, who are not much exposed to computers due to the cultural mind-set that girls are supposed to always stay at home. This is the reason our computer training program prioritizes adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in the computer program.

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Computer program for Youth Empowerment

This training program increases the employability of young people that just have basic education qualification. This program targets youths from vulnerable and poor families that cannot afford to continue with their education beyond secondary school. To mold them into employable people, these young men and women are trained in computer end-user which equips youths with skills that would enable them get employed in secretarial jobs, in stationery shops, data entry jobs, computer supplies shops among others. The training also inculcates a spirit of entrepreneurship in these youths so that some of them are able to start their own computer-based businesses. During the training, the boys and girls are attached to organizations as part of internship in which they apply the skills in business and work setup.

We intend to expand this program by adding courses in video production, photography, computer and phone repairing, graphic designing and web development. We plan to construct a training centre in Mzuzu which will also house the organization’s offices. Additionally, under this program, the organization plans to start delivering online lessons which can enable it widen its base and reach out many youths in Malawi.

The organization prioritizes promotion of the rights of socially-excluded and minority groups. A lot of organizations have focused their work in urban areas which has led to congestion and duplication of projects in urban areas. REHAAT-INITIATIVE put much focus on the grassroots human rights organizations and civil society. There are numerous cases and incidences of violation of human rights in rural and remote areas which require that grassroots CSOs and other rights-oriented organizations are empowered in advocacy, reporting mechanisms on gender-based violence, governance, budget tracking in local public institutions, promotion of girl child education, and general coordination of advocacy work at grassroots level. The organization prioritizes working to strengthen the network of grassroots women-led and youth-led human rights organizations.

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The organization also believes in dialogue and peace building. In times of conflicts, it is working hard in positioning itself as an organization that would facilitate dialogues between conflicting sides starting at regional level up to national level.

The organization has incorporated COVID-19 response programs in its core activities. The first response that was conducted is the donation of COVID-19 protective equipment to Lusangazi community through the Msika wa Mlimi project with financial support from United States Agency for International Development through World Connect.