A local friend called Amos sat down with Alice one day and suggested this project to help the older community in Nkhata Bay. After a day’s work, everybody deserves to be comfortable when they sleep, and after a life time of working, people definitely deserve this. Having a comfortable bed to sleep on is without a doubt something people in the West take for advantage, but here in Malawi a lot of people have nothing but a straw mat.

Alice decided to put this project into motion as they felt the need to help the elderly seeing as they have helped the community around them throughout their own lives. Having grown up in a country with poverty and bringing up generations of children, they have seen their share of tough times. Most of the people we have given beds to have actually lived out the lives of their own children and even great grandchildren.

Since we started this project in 2010, we have visited many homes, and whilst most have no furniture but only their straw mats to lay their heads on at night, they have become damp from the rainy season due to the grass roofs leaking. Waking up in these conditions does not give these old heads a good start to the day with arthritic joints stiffened in agony. Old joints and back aches can be helped if the people are not subjected to concrete floors.

The last three years of this project has gone well and we hope to continue it we into the future. Currently, we have picked one of our staff members here at Butterfly each month for themselves to choose five elderly people in their village who need a new bed. Not only do we provide the beds for these villages but we will also take over a goat as a source of food to share out in he village and also a sack of vegetables.

VOLUNTEERS CAN CONTRIBUTE IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS:

RESEARCHER – If you would like to work on this project, we could do with a hand in researching different villages and the people who are in need of a new bed.

DELIVERING THE BEDS – You can also help by lending a help in delivering the beds to the villages too. We have a truck here so by just coming along with Alice to help her deliver the beds and meeting the community will give you an insight into real Malawian life.

If you are interested in volunteering, please see our Volunteer Package page. If you would like to contribute to this project but you are unable to make it over to Malawi, please see our Make A Donation page.