When you picture the idea of an resort hotel in exotic Africa you probably don’t think about people in need. But sometimes the two can come together, as is the case with Maji Zuwa. Maji Zuwa is a combination of a resort hotel, an orphanage and a center for the community.
It was started by Matt Maroon, an American who went to Malawi for a year of service but has ended up dedicating his life to helping the people of this impoverished country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fs1laBn1rA&feature=plcp
It is perhaps routine to think of Africa and poverty but in Malawi things are particularly grim. Of the 15,000,000 people who live there, over 1,000,000 are orphans (for reference that is the same as having over 20 million orphans in the United States.
In their own words Maji Zuwa is
Maji Zuwa, meaning “water and sun,” is a social entrepreneurship venture encompassing a guesthouse lodge, conference facilities, and economic empowerment office located on the northern beach shores of Lake Malawi, near the village of Chilumba, in the peaceful country of the Republic of Malawi, Africa.
The resort offers visitors a chance to combine vacation with volunteerism
The lodge strives to build working relationships with the local population and visitors. Maji Zuwa and its partners work to lift the people of Malawi out of poverty using their own abilities and talents rather than hand-outs. We connect Westerners with the culture & economics of Africa while building relationships and exchanging ideas. Maji Zuwa does all of this while committing the business to act fairly and never taking advantage of local people, constantly striving to empower Malawians to lift themselves to a higher social and economic condition. Simply put, we strive to uplift and most importantly do no harm
When you look at causes like this it is amazing to consider how a simple donation in amounts relatively minor to the average American can mean the world to someone in need.
With that thought in mind, director Ben Blair has set out to make a documentary about Maji Zuwa, seeking to make more people aware of the cause and to encourage them to donate to them.
Here Ben discusses why he has chosen to make this film
As Ben points out, for the price of a phone the life of a person is changed forever.
I don’t often use my place here at TMV to ask for donations, but this is a cause which I think is well worth giving to.
You can go here to donate
Isn’t it worth giving up a little bit from your life to change another’s forever ?