New Business Opportunities in Malawi

Links has partnered in areas of training, resourcing and networking with Abundant Life Centre (ALC) in Malawi for over five years now. Moses Njobvu, the director of ALC, saw there was a need to empower business owners with inclusive and accessible capital, so they approached Links to help them introduce new Micro-Enterprise Development schemes in four communities, to expand ALC's already existing and successful business groups.

After twenty selected candidates across the four communities completed the MED training course, four new MED committees were established to run a large community-led loan scheme. The scheme is targeting those who run small-scale businesses and are often excluded from other loan schemes. Individual loans are as small as £60, yet providing enough capital to expand an existing business or start a new one.

Amazingly, after the first six weeks of the scheme going live, fifty businessmen and businesswomen are now equipped with training and loans. ALC has already seen 30% of these loan amounts being repaid across the four communities.

ALC are grateful to Links UK for helping to make people's lives better than they were before. The area these communities are in have very busy markets with lots of competition. But they believe, with these accessible loans and ongoing business training as well as encouragement to the MED borrowers from the committees, they will be able to access markets the most vulnerable weren't otherwise able to reach and pull themselves, and their families, up out of poverty.

You can follow more of the great work ALC is doing on their social media platforms.