Dzaleka Small Business

The Need

More than half the population of Malawi lives on less than $1.00 a day. Estimates say as high as 85% of people still live as subsistence farmers, surviving season by season by growing the food they need for household use. Limited capital often means that businesses or ambitions never take off.

But this does not mean there are not any good business ideas or entrepreneurs in the community. We have met many people who are operating successful businesses in the area, who employ multiple people and give back to their churches and other community initiatives in many ways.

The Strategy

Our local partner agency, There Is Hope provides us with initial vetting of business proposals submitted by refugees and people from the surrounding host community. We then work together to prioritize and select business proposals that receive startup funding from IAFR.

Together with There Is Hope, we monitor the progress of supported businesses over the course of 1-2 years, including personal site visits with recipients during our regular trips to Dzaleka.

The Goal

Our goal is to invest in 3-5 businesses each year in the Dzaleka region. We estimate each small scale investment to be $800 or less.

The Opportunity

You can make a direct impact in the life of a refugee or host community family by financially supporting their business development goals.

Progress

We are working on a progress update now.

Location Served

• Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Malawi