Madison, WI — WorldWise Microfinance (WMF), the 16-year old antipoverty nonprofit based in Madison, has launched a new program to stimulate small business growth in Malawi, the fourth poorest country in the world.
WMF is partnering with The Centre for Child Development and Research (CCDR), the Malawi-based NGO represented in Dane County by UW doctoral student Isaac Phiri.
CCDR supports community economic empowerment initiatives in Lilongwe Rural and other districts in Malawi. The organization is focused on women’s empowerment and creating sustainable livelihoods. The new microloan program supports the work they are doing with farmer organizations to strengthen women’s participation in agriculture, develop female leadership, and support community-led economic resilience through sustainable farming.
Malawi is a landlocked African country of 22 million people, 70 percent of whom live in extreme poverty. It’s an agricultural economy with seasonal fluctuations in rainfall, so smallholder farmers struggle to maintain a consistent income.
“We want Malawian farmers, most of whom are women, to be able to diversify their sources of income and build a cushion against droughts and floods,” according to WMF president Tom Eggert.
Eggert says the new Malawi program follows the pattern of WMF lending programs around the world, where the key is a vibrant relationship between the nonprofit and leaders from the target countries. CCDR head Phiri agrees:
“Meaningful livelihood begins when communities are trusted as leaders of their own transformation, and microfinance is not only about loans; it is about restoring dignity, strengthening relationships, and creating opportunities for families to build resilient futures together.”
