I have been a volunteer with VIllages In Partnership for ten years and went on a Friendship trip in 2011. The Charity was relatively new at that time and since then there have been many wonderful changes in the lives of the villagers. All sustainable projects are achieved not only by the work of VIP but by the villagers themselves as they work alongside the volunteers learning how to sustain all that is being taught. The first wells were hand dug by the villagers under guidance, to give everyone clean water. There is now clean water for all the villagers, schools have been built to provide education and scholarships awarded for students who have excelled. Better farming techniques for food stability have been taught. There is health care where there was none and small business opportunities.
The villagers are such joyful people who show such appreciation for all that is provided for them. There is still much work to be done and can be achieved by the generosity of others.
Previous Stories
It is difficult to put into words how visiting Malawi impacted me. It was more than four years ago and the trips are not long yet it left something in me.
For one thing I realize more than ever how unjust the world economics are. We have so, so much while far more have so little and it becomes very real when you witness it. The poverty in Malawi is extreme and is very different from what you see on the news about 'slums'. There is no garbage or homes made from cardboard.......they use bricks made from the earth and have nothing to produce garbage. I am conscious of every none essential I buy. I even feel wrong in buying food for my plants (eg. fertilizer!) I cannot bear to waste water.
My husband and I support other worthwhile charities but because I have seen Malawi first hand I know exactly how the money raised has impacted the villagers lives. I saw immense joy when we have them things as simple as flip flops or toothpaste. And they are helping themselves which is the best part, they truly are working alongside Villages in Partnership.
To anyone thinking of going there I would say, if it's in your heart, definitely make the trip. You truly will see the world in a different light and will see what a difference giving makes.
http://villagesinpartnership.org/
Review from #MyGivingStory
This NGO has changed my life. They are lifting villagers out of extreme poverty with the villagers input and cooperation. You can go on a Friendship Trip and get a real feel for the work. I promise you will leave changed.
The impact that VIP has been able to have is nothing short of amazing. With the construction of a medical clinic and new secondary school, we have achieved more than we ever dreamed possible when we first began our work. We are very different because we have developed personal relationships with the people in the villages we serve, and you can see exactly where the money goes.
Previous Stories
VIP is doing amazing work to support the people in Malawi. Even through the pandemic, we have seen the secondary school completed and construction initiated on the medical clinic. Funding comes from people and partners outside of Malawi but all of the work is prioritized and led by Malawian development experts. Sustainability and reciprocity are core values and it shows in the way the community engages and supports all activities.
Previous Stories
My first experience with VIP was on a medical and dental mission trip. We were so impressed with how VIP was building sustainable projects within the villages and truly partnering with the villagers to understand their needs. Seven trips later and I am still learning and growing from my friends in Malawi!
I have traveled to Malawi twice with Villages In Partnership. Each visit was well organized and deeply inspiring. The VIP staff in the United States and Malawi have a huge heart to care for people suffering through extreme poverty. Well done and very appreciated.
Previous Stories
My first interaction with VIP was when I attended a Friendship Trip to Malawi in 2017. It was a life changing experience for me. VIP staff in the United States and Malawi were professional, competent and caring. VIP has subject matter experts on the ground in Malawi to guide trip members in the rural villages to better understand issues of food security, water quality, economics, and education in a process that respects the Malawians that we visited. I highly recommend VIP.
I first became involved with VIP in 2015. VIP works hand in hand with now 26 villages in Malawi to establish greater independence and well being in the areas of water, food security, education, health care, infrastructure and economic development. VIP conducts multiple friendship trips each year and is all about training and support so that established positive practices, infrastructure, and programs continue and gain strength over time. Through the support of people everywhere, a health clinic and a secondary school have recently been established. Basic supplies and equipment are in the process of being gathered and sent. Villages In Partnership is making a lasting and positive difference among the poorest of the poor and offering hope and a brighter future for thousands of people, among them many children. It is a wonderful non-profit that gives me much joy to support and be a small part of.
I have been to Malawi with VIP twice and have seen first-hand the impact they have had on the villagers lives. From clean drinking water to schools to medical care, every dime that VIP collects goes directly to improving the lives of the villagers. Thank you VIP for doing God's work in Malawi.
Previous Stories
I have been to Malawi with Villages in Partnership twice, in 2018 and 2020. The purpose of our trips was to teach beekeeping to those in the remote villages as a way to supplement their income. The villagers are mostly subsistence farmers and, due to climate change, they have been experiencing years of drought. Their is no safety net in Malawi. If their crops fail, they don't eat. I have seen first-hand the difference that VIP has made in the villagers' lives. In the last 10 years, doing God's work by providing clean water, building schools and medical clinics, and teaching conservation agriculture, VIP has made a huge impact on the villagers' lives, lifting many out of crushing poverty.
Villages in Partnership (VIP) works in partnership with the rural villages of the Sakata District, Malawi, Africa, to fight extreme poverty by providing clean water and sanitation, food security, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and economic opportunity. This faith-inspired non-profit/Non-Governmental Organization has been working wonders in Malawi since 2008. I started volunteering with VIP in January 2020, and am proud to be a tiny part of the work that this organization does.
Board has diverse and very experienced backgrounds. Staff both in the U.S. and in Malawi are top notch. VIP is truly moving the people in the communities it serves out of the lowest levels of poverty through its focus on sustainability. Farmers are being trained, businesses are being developed, and schools, clinics, bridges, and irrigation systems are being built. Incredible organization!
Previous Stories
I went to Malawi in 2012 with Villages in Partnership (VIP) and could not believe the impact that VIP was making on the lives of some of the poorest of the poor in our world. I became a Board member the next year and am still a Board member. I have watched the organization grow, adding a diversity of talent to the Board as well as to the staff both here in the U.S. and in Malawi. VIP's focus is all about sustainability - building schools, health clinics, wells, economic infrastructure, and knowledge - so that the villagers in Malawi can rise out of the lowest levels of poverty. It is truly an amazing organization.
I’ve volunteered with VIP for several years and even had an opportunity to see the great work they’re doing on a trip to Malawi. The approach they have for working in direct partnership with the villagers is incredibly effective. Their work involves expanding access to clean water, education, medical and dental care, and agricultural training. All initiatives are undertaken with input and assistance from the local villages. This is one organization where you can be sure that any donation that you give is being used directly to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the world!
I have been a supporter of VIP for 10+ years. I am also a volunteer and have been witness to the great work that has been planned and implemented by this great organization to the many communities they work with through their numerous sustainable programs. They are true advocates for the people whom they serve wholeheartedly. It is a joy & privilege to watch VIP grow it's outreach, I am happy to be along for this ride!
Villages in Partnership is an amazing organization. They seek to make sustainable changes in one of the poorest countries in the world, Malawi. I have been volunteering with VIP since 2011 and even had the opportunity to travel to Malawi to witness the change first hand. Check out their webpage to see the approach and be sure to support their good work!
This is a beautiful organization that has committed to an area of some of the poorest people in the world in Malawi. They thoughtfully approach all the root causes of
extreme poverty together, with a long-term perspective. The best part of VIP is how they treat the villagers they serve with respect, love, and dignity. They provide expertise, education, and resources to help the villagers lift themselves out of poverty - a hand up, not a hand out. Check out VIP. You will be amazed and inspired.
I have been volunteering with Villages in Partnership (VIP), a mission partner of my church, since January 2020. VIP's mission - fighting extreme poverty in the rural villages of Malawi, Africa - is important, and the needs they serve are staggering. Since VIP incorporated in 2012 as a nonprofit, they have made a real difference in the lives of the over 19,000 residents in their 26 partner villages: for example, they have drilled 43 boreholes (for clean water for the villages), built a secondary school, taught conservation agriculture practices to farmers, introduced beekeeping and other trades to provide new revenue streams, lead biannual medical mission trips to treat thousands of villagers, and completed many other initiatives, working side-by-side with villagers.
My part in their work is small: I help with their annual report and other donor-focused communication, and participate in planning for various fund-raising events, but from my vantage point I see not only what they've accomplished, but also the respectful way they partner with the villages to identify and prioritize needs and determine how best to work together to address them. VIP also works with villages and Malawi government to assure sustainability of their projects, long after the nonprofit has moved on to other initiatives: for example, villagers are trained to maintain and repair borehole wells, and the government hires teaching staff for the school.
I can highly recommend this organization as a deeply committed team of professionals who are saving and changing lives in one of the most impoverished corners of the world.
I have been apart of VIP for 10 years. I have seen the impact they make on the daily lives of the villagers. Wells dug, schools built, farmer training, health care accessibility only to name some of the powerful impact it has had and continues to have.
Villages in Partnership has changed not only my life, but the life of thousands on the ground in Malawi. I have been involved with VIP for three years and have visited Malawi twice and seen so much progress in such a short time. The organization continues to grow and evolve, furthering the mission of expanding access to water, education, healthcare, food and financial security, and improved infrastructure for the villages in the catchment area.
The philosophy of VIP is different than that of so many other non-profits combatting poverty. Instead of giving the villages wells, food and money, VIP empowers people and teaches the villagers so that they can maintain their own wells and enhance their farming methods to increase production. This is what makes VIP such an amazing organization!
