Malawi, Bhubesi Pride Foundation

Bhubesi Pride Foundation (BPF) works in rural Lilongwe, Malawi to help children fulfil their potential and uplift themselves and their communities.  Malawi suffers from extreme poverty, with 40% of the population (19.65 million) living on less than 1 dollar a day, and 80% of the population struggling with severe food insecurity, exacerbated by the extremely high inflation rates in Malawi.  This puts immense pressure on families and communities and has detrimental consequences for children, particularly for girls.  Most girls don’t have the chance to finish high school, and almost 50% are married before the age of 18, meaning the possibilities for them to learn and achieve their potential are extremely limited.  Girls face severe gender inequality and violence on a daily basis, with 34% of women reposting cases of physical violence, and 14% reporting sexual violence.  The tough conditions faced in most communities means there is little access to healthcare services, and this causes Malawi to suffer with some of the highest rates of HIV in the world.  This problem worsened significantly following the pandemic, as Covid caused a 35% reduction in HIV testing, leading to 21,000 new infections in 2020 alone.

BPF runs three programs at their sports and community centre in Lilongwe to give children ways to overcome these immense challenges. Their Sport For Development program (S4D) uses rugby and netball to create positive shifts in the behaviour of children, empowering them to work hard to uplift their community. Players have an opportunity to have a bright future through the Clubs for Development & Personal Growth programme, which helps players develop social and emotional core competencies while progressing their sports skills. BPF tackles the high rates of HIV/AIDS through their Supplementary Education programme, which teaches children about HIV/AIDS & SRHR, helping young people understand these issues, improving the situation in the local community.