Masks for Malawi
Donate $1 = Give 1 Mask
Your Donation
Produces Masks
Every $1 pays for the materials, wages, and distribution of one face mask in our community in Central Malawi.
Donations can also be made to supply a new sewing machine for a seamstresses or apprentice that currently lacks their own machine.
Supports Local Entrepreneurs
All masks will be produced locally by our partner seamstresses, some of which will be recruited from our FEM for Women Program. Their wages enable them to make more than 5x the average Malawian daily salary!
Spreads Information
Money will go towards spreading information about mask wearing and COVID-19 prevention sanitation and hygiene in both population centers and rural villages in Central Malawi. Learn more about our initial response to COVID-19.
Program Sustainability
Orant is committed to sustainability in all its programs and this time around it is no different.
To ensure that we can continue producing masks even when donations stop coming in, we will charge a small fee for the masks ($.14-$.42). This will also encourage local competition for mask production and not undercut other producers as it might if we were giving the masks away for free. This approach means that donor money will be recycled through our program multiple times – Your donation keeps on giving!
New seamstresses that join the program can choose to receive a sewing machine on loan, which can easily be paid for at 0% interest over the course of two months, while still collecting more than double the average Malawian daily wage. Our business support team will help them set up mobile micropayments through a local bank to ensure that they are never under pressure to make their payments, and they are supported the whole way trhough.
In addition to empowering local seamstresses with a steady income and access to new sewing machines, we will offer further business guidance and access to discounted textiles that we purchase in bulk. This way, once the program ends or the demand for masks decreases, they will have the proper resources to expand their small business!
Orant Charities Africa (OCA) is a Malawian NGO dedicated to building stable local communities by empowering women and the poor with holistic and data-driven programs.
Our Motivation
On July 23rd, OCA detected its first active case of coronavirus on campus. Currently, Malawi has 5,000 cases, with numbers growing faster than government and health officials can acquire and administer tests. Inadequate testing, weak healthcare infrastructure, and lack of proper sanitary facilities makes the coronavirus threat all the more immanent.
We believe that the most efficient and effective way to prevent the rampant spread of coronavirus in and around our community is by providing face masks for as many people as we can, and by spreading information about proper COVID-19 prevention sanitation and hygiene to the surrounding areas.
World's First Virtual Reality Fundraiser
Join us on September 11th at 1pm ET for the World’s First nonporfit VR Fundraiser, hosted by Orant Charities with VR Startup, Waves of Virtual Reality, in AltSpaceVR. Come see the virtual world that we have constructed to talk learn more about our operations and get closer to them through virtual reality.
We will also be hosting an information session on Facebook Live on September 8th at 1pm ET to introduce the platform and explain how anyone can join us live for the fundraiser on September 11th.
