On The Ground in Malawi: Goals and Funding

Steady project expansion over the years

The project goals include a set of detailed methods on how to promote wildlife conservation and the well-being of people at the same time. As for money, the project relies on two main supporters: individual donors and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Project goals

In 2002, WWF Finland initiated a 3-year project, funded by Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs, extensively titled Conservation of Endangered Species of Fishes and Forests of Lake Malawi National Park: Environmental and Economic Strategies.

The goals are to:

• create economic opportunities for local villagers
• develop a fuel briquettes and hand-made paper business
• foster an ecotourism industry 
• develop an environmental education programme for the local population 
• initiate a complete faunal survey of the fishes of Lake Malawi National Park (LMNP) 
• to produce educational materials for both tourists and locals, including posters and a guide book of the fishes of LMNP 
• to increase awareness of the bilharzia disease 
• to develop a fish management programme.
  

In 2003, WWF Finland decided to expand its conservation programme in Malawi. Funded by Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the second project includes Liwonde National Park and is entitled Sustainable Economic Strategies to Combat Famine and the Invasive Water Hyacinth in Liwonde and Lake Malawi National Park. This project focuses on:

• new issues related to health
• aquaculture, using native fish species 
• a fisheries management programme for the Shire river 
• evaluate effectiveness of a 100-metre no-fishing zone in Lake Malawi National Park 
• expand WWF briquette-making and paper-making project into Lilongwe National Park (LNP) 
• experiment with water hyacinth as composting material 
• raise awareness about the endangered black rhino within the Sanctuary 
• expand environmental education 
• initiate cooperation between Finnish and Malawian schools.

Donations multiplied by the Ministry
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland covers 80 % of the costs of the project of WWF Finland in Mangochi Region. The remaining amount is paid by WWF Finland, with most funds collected mainly as donations given to WWF Finland for this purpose. Every donation is of real help for the project and greatly appreciated. (You can also make your own direct contribution to this work via the WWF Finland site.)

The sums provided by the Ministry are tied to the sums used by WWF Finland . For every euro that WWF Finland puts into the project, the Ministry will give four euros. This means that your donation will, in effect, be multiplied by five: for every unit of your currency that you give, the ministry will give four more.