Malawi Aid Schwindegg e. V.
Helping people to help themselves
Byodo is also involved in international social projects. Supporting Malawi-Hilfe Schwindegg e. V., which was founded in 2019 by 1st Chairman Konrad Ess and others, is particularly close to the company’s heart. From the first project – the construction of drinking water wells – the association’s support developed into an overall concept that offers the people in the village of Ngala help to help themselves today and in the future. Byodo stopped sending printed Christmas cards a few years ago and donates the money saved to Malawi-Hilfe Schwindegg e. V.. Through personal contact with Konrad Ess, we find out first-hand which projects our donations go towards, what they achieve on the ground and how one measure fits perfectly into another.
Farmer training for a better harvest
The people in the village of Ngala live from small-scale farming – they feed themselves on the one hand and earn money by selling their produce on the other. Malawi Hilfe Schwindegg finances a 3-week training course for so-called Farmer Clubs organized by the Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit. Here they learn “Good Agricultural Practice” and can then implement the knowledge directly in their fields. In return for funding the training, Malawi Hilfe Schwindegg obliges the farmers to supply one bag of maize per year for the association’s school meals. They also have to cultivate the land provided by the municipality, the harvest of which also benefits the school meals. Malawi Aid finances seeds and fertilizer for this. School meals are another important concern for the association, as they have been proven to help pupils achieve better results. The food on offer ensures that children come to school more often, stay longer and don’t simply leave lessons because they are hungry.
Social and sustainable - a second life for Byodo laptops in Malawi
In the meantime, Malawi Aid is also supporting more and more students with their studies. In addition to qualifications, you also need financial resources and equipment such as a laptop and smartphone to study at university. This is where Byodo gets involved again: we donate our used and still functional laptops and smartphones to Malawi Aid. Our partner company Agotech IT-Systemhaus GmbH refurbishes the devices free of charge. Konrad Ess then delivers them personally to the students supported by the association during his regular trips to Malawi. A solution that is both social and sustainable for everyone involved. In fact, two former students are now employees of Malawi Hilfe Schwindegg and coordinate the association’s work on site. And that’s not all: the current students also take the knowledge they have acquired about seed production, natural fertilizer production and soil improvement back into the community, where the farmers benefit from it. This closes the circle and people experience real help for self-help.
“That’s right, these are precisely the issues that organic farming also deals with. The example of the village of Ngala shows that these ecological measures are part of regenerative and sustainable food production. This is another reason why we are very happy to support Malawi Aid and the outstanding work of Konrad Ess,” says Stephanie Moßbacher, Managing Director of Byodo Naturkost.
How it all began...
A chance meeting between Byodo owner Michael Moßbacher and Konrad Ess, 1st Chairman of Malawi Aid, marked the beginning of their joint commitment. Michael Moßbacher and his partner Andrea Sonnberger, also a Byodo owner, are still enthusiastic about the work of the association and regularly support Malawi Hilfe Schwindegg with private funds.
