A Harvest of Hope for ASAP Africa

ASAP is honored and blessed that A Harvest of Hope, has chosen to support ASAP Africa again this year. The 2nd annual event, held in Newport Beach CA in June, was a great success. The creative energy, hard work and positive momentum created by this annual event is truly inspiring. Words cannot express our gratitude!

LIAT + VS&L = Food Security

Africa is the only continent in which food production has failed to keep up with the growth in population. In Malawi, where shortages of the staple food, maize, hunger and malnutrition result in high infant mortality, improved crop production techniques are a high priority.

This is why ASAP Africa Malawi's "Chimvano pa Chuma" - Unity for Economic Growth" - program integrates low input agriculture and organic farming techniques with village savings and lending skills training.

Click here to learn more about low input agriculture and organic farming, and the challenges faced by subsistence farmers in Malawi.

Zimbabwean Constitution Survey

Today Sokwanele is launching an online Constitution survey that aims to gather views from Zimbabweans everywhere, including the millions of Zimbabweans who live in the Diaspora and who have been largely excluded from the constitution-making process. Please help us to spread the word about the availability of the constitution survey by spreading the word to Zimbabweans you know.The survey can be found online at www.sokwanele.com/zimbabweconstitution/survey.

Unconditional Money in Malawi

A World Bank study that put money in the hands of girls and their parents in Malawi's poor southern region make us ask - are conditions necessary?

An average of US$10 per month was handed out to a group of girls participating in the study on condition that they attended school 80 percent of the time so to remain eligible for the stipend. It made no difference to the outcome when no conditions were imposed - the girls participating in the study attended school 80 percent of the time, and in both cases the school drop-out rate also fell by 40 percent. Click here to read more. As with these women pictured above in ASAP's Internal Savings & Lending program, when rural families have access to discretionary household income, it is most commonly used to educate the children. This is not mandated - but for parents to desire a better life for their children is universal. Click here to read more about this life changing micro-finance program.