Maloto Inc
Feed • Educate • Empower
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
As one of the poorest countries in the world, Malawi has been hard hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Losing an entire generation of teachers, community leaders and parents means that the approximately 800,000 orphaned children left behind face enormous social, health and economic challenges. Chronic, widespread poverty hits children and women the hardest. Food insecurity remains a significant challenge and malnutrition is the single greatest contributor to child death. The education system is in a state of crisis. Drop-out rates are high, especially for girls. School fees, the cost of books, and uniforms prohibit many children from attending school. Without access to education, children do not achieve basic numeracy and literacy. Without a safe place to spend their days, they are vulnerable to child labor, abuse, and early marriage. Gender inequality and discrimination against those affected by HIV/AIDS remains widespread and is a major challenge in achieving better lives.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Kwithu Community Based Organization
Kwithu CBO, founded by 20 women committed to feeding 20 orphans once a week, now feeds 350 children, three times per week. Kwithu CBO pioneered one of northern Malawi's first Early Childhood Development programs, which currently serves 40 pre-kindergarten aged children. Kwithu CBO provides feeding and after-school tutoring + test prep for +125 children, as well as scholarships for almost 100 students to secondary school, as well as HIV/AIDS community outreach programs that reach over 4,500 people.
Kwithu Kitchen Women's Cooperative
Kwithu Kitchen Women's Cooperative launched in 2013, and has matured into a fully functioning tomato canning business. Owned by the original Kwithu CBO Women, the business provides a potential future employment opportunity for the students and a source of empowerment for the women. The tomato products are sold in local markets, restaurants and hotels. The initial investment helped to build the kitchen and canning facilities, with the long-term vision of providing income for the women and support for the Kwithu CBO programs.
Mzuzu International Academy
MIA was opened in 2006 with 35 students and is now the only internationally-accredited K-12 school in the northern region of Malawi. Today, over 120 primary students and 130 secondary boarding school students, receive a high-quality college-preparatory education. 10 of the original 20 Kwithu CBO orphans have graduated from MIA, and are attending college. In a country where only 1% of the population attends college, this is a truly remarkable achievement.
Where we work
Awards
Most Inspiring 2021
The Egmont Trust
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Maloto, meaning "dreams," is dedicated to bringing positive and lasting change to Malawi.
Maloto's mission is to transform the lives of vulnerable populations living in extreme poverty, by providing women and children with the opportunity to reach their full potential in an actively sustainable way.
Maloto's vision is to create educated, empowered and productive communities in Malawi and to provide an opportunity for Africans to help Africans.
Maloto values the insights of knowledge of local communities, working directly with local partners to ensure development is relevant to people's lives and therefore sustainable. Rooted in the belief that local solutions are needed for local problems, Maloto seeks to provide financial and technical assistance to three local partners in Mzuzu, Malawi to develop and support programs for nutrition, education, and entrepreneurship.
With our local partners, Maloto seeks to provide nutritious meals, educational opportunities and a safe place for children to learn and play; to provide access to life-saving care for those affected by HIV/AIDS; and, to create economic empowerment opportunities for women which in turn benefits families and lifts up communities.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Maloto works with three local organizations - Kwithu Community Based Organization (CBO), Mzuzu International Academy (MIA) and Kwithu Kitchen - to "feed, educate and empower" by providing a continuum of services that can be accessed throughout a beneficiary's lifetime. We believe in local solutions to local problems and use a participatory approach to development that focuses on self-reliance. Solutions generated by community members ensure that development is relevant, builds on local knowledge and is sustained.
•Feed: We believe that all children should be able to grow up well-fed and in good health. Healthy children develop strong minds and bodies, which helps them succeed in school and become productive members of society. We provide health and nutrition programs at Kwithu Community Center which includes a feeding program that provides balanced meals to over 350 children three times each week; community outreach activities to help HIV+ children and their families access critical health services and nutrition information, and a food distribution program for the community's most vulnerable households.
•Educate: Education is at the heart of our work. We support educational programs at Kwithu, including a high-quality early childhood education program, scholarship packages to local schools, and critical after-school tutoring and recreation programs. We also provide full scholarships for the brightest students to attend Mzuzu International Academy and Malawian universities.
•Empower: Providing women with access to economic participation is a critical step toward ensuring the wellbeing of a child and ending the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Maloto supports income-generating activities of Kwithu Women's Group, including the Kwithu Kitchen. a women-led tomato canning cooperative. We also support community education and outreach effort to empower HIV+ children and their families to access quality medical care and information, and to speak out against stigma.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Maloto is an American nonprofit that raises funds to feed, educate and empower women and children in Malawi. By supporting grassroots, women-led efforts, Maloto provides holistic support for the community through a series of three related initiatives which include:
1. Kwithu CBO, also known as Kwithu Women's Group, was founded on the promise of creating a loving and supportive environment for vulnerable children in the Luwinga neighborhood of Mzuzu. In addition to our original feeding program, the women of Kwithu CBO also pioneered one of northern Malawi's first Early Childhood Education programs; provide after-school tutoring and test prep; provide scholarships to secondary schools and colleges; and, provide an HIV/AIDS Community Outreach program that reaches over 4,500+ people per year to provide access to HIV prevention education, testing and treatment.
2. Mzuzu International Academy (MIA) is the first internationally accredited school in Northern Malawi and was built to address one of the most significant challenges facing Malawi - access to high quality primary and secondary education. MIA offers it's students a diverse, vibrant learning community in state-of-the-art facilities with highly qualified teachers, many of them Malawian-born. In small co-ed classes of no more than 25 students, a broad UK-based curriculum that places a high emphasis on English and Math skills, prepares the students for the Cambridge IGCSE Examinations, opening the door to higher education for our students. There are also many opportunities for students to participate in enriching programs such as STEM camp, debate team, French Club, community service, sports teams, and music classes.
3. Kwithu Kitchen, a women-owned food processing cooperative, was founded by members of the Kwithu Women's Group in partnership with Maloto. Tomatoes are a staple crop in Malawi, an ingredient used in many dishes. During the rainy season, Malawians can go for months without fresh tomatoes. By preserving tomatoes, the Kwithu Women created a local solution to a local problem, selling canned and pureed tomatoes to markets, restaurants, and hotels. The women have a sustainable source of tomatoes from their own greenhouse gardens at the Kwithu CBO, and through partnerships with over 100 local farmers. As a result of their ingenuity, the demand for Kwithu Kitchen tomatoes continues to grow throughout the region.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2004, Maloto's founder, Dr. Anna Msowoya-Keys, gathered 20 women, each committed to feeding a hot meal, once a week to one vulnerable child for a total of 20 original children. The women called themselves the Kwithu Women's Group, "kwithu" meaning "home" in the local language of Tumbuka.
In 2006, the Kwithu Community Based Organization (CBO) expanded services to accommodate the growing number of children being fed, and to provide after-school tutoring. Dr. Keys understood that feeding was just the first step, but to change the trajectory of the children's future in a positive and sustainable way, quality education was vital. Dr. Keys also began to raise money to build a school, Mzuzu International Academy, on land donated by the Government of Malawi.
In 2007, Dr. Keys founded Maloto, the U.S.-based funding organization. Maloto functions as the umbrella organization that provides resources for its three grassroots programs in Malawi: Kwithu CBO, Kwithu Kitchen, and Mzuzu International Academy.
In 2010, Mzuzu Int'l Academy opens with 35 secondary students in two classes of freshmen and sophomores. It is the only internationally accredited school in Northern Malawi. At Kwithu CBO, an Early Childhood Education program begins with two classes of twenty 3 and 4 yr olds.
In 2013, the original Kwithu Women launch Kwithu Kitchen, a tomato canning cooperative business with the goal of both providing income for themselves and to support the feeding and education programs of Kwithu CBO.
In 2014, the first class of Mzuzu International Academy graduates.
In 2016, 8 children from the Kwithu CBO graduate from Mzuzu Int'l Academy. Kwithu CBO provides scholarships to 94 children to secondary schools. Also, of the 20 original children fed in 2004, four now attend Malawian universities and one is studying at a U.S. college.
In 2017, the Kwithu CBO after-school program feeds over 350 children one hot meal, 3 days a week, and provides tutoring in math, English, and computer skills. There is also a "teen" club for HIV+ youth to provide social and psychological support and access to healthcare. An HIV/AIDS community outreach program reaches over 1,000 families (over 4,500 individuals) to empower children and their families with access to quality medical care and information.
In 2019, Mzuzu International Academy has over 250 students (120 primary day students + 130 secondary boarding students). After graduating from MIA, ten of the original 20 Kwithu CBO students are now in college. This is a truly remarkable achievement in a nation where less than 1% of the population move on to higher education. Maloto has raised well over $8,000,000 to date in support of Kwithu CBO, Kwithu Kitchen, and Mzuzu International Academy.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Maloto Inc
Board of directorsas of 01/18/2024
Ms. Claire Johnston
Phlyssa Koshland
Jacob Koshland
Claire Johnston
Victoria Harmon
Meredith Brokaw
Gina Paoloni
Liza Sica Nugent
Kate Moran
Andrea Cuvelier
Rose Allen
Claire Koshland
Nelson Chikusa
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 04/06/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.