Before leaving for break, students involved in Mizzou for Malawi cashed in more than $1,400 for impoverished areas in Africa.
Founded in 2008, Mizzou for Malawi is a student-run non-profit organization dedicated to improving education for orphan youth in the southeastern African nation of Malawi.
In its few short years, the group has funded the construction of a school in the Pothawira Village in Salima, Malawi, Steering Committee Co-Director Rebecca Dunn said.
The organization’s goal in Malawi is to establish school systems by hiring teachers and providing supplies for students. In doing so, Mizzou for Malawi has established a relationship with the village and its inhabitants, Steering Committee Co-Director Kara Perconti said.
“We have a direct connection with the people there,” Dunn said. “We have had former directors visit and see the work that has been done, meet the people of the Pothawira Village, and they have played with the orphans.”
The week before classes let out for spring break, Dunn and her fellow directors spearheaded a fundraiser called Change for Change in conjunction with Russell Elementary School.
Russell Elementary students learned about the poverty in Malawian villages such as Pothawira and what they can do to help children their age who are not as fortunate as them.
The group wanted to highlight for the kids just how great the disparity is between Russell Elementary and schools in Malawi, Perconti said. Volunteers hung posters around the school and talked to children about Malawi, yielding a response greater than what anyone had expected.
Within the first two days, the grade-schoolers had raised more than $500 for the cause.
“We had a fifth grader who donated $100 from her piggy bank,” Perconti said.
By the end of the week, the children had raised a total of $1,418, vastly exceeding what they had hoped.
“They were so excited,” Mizzou for Malawi volunteer Allison Schnitker said. “The teachers had talked to them before and when we asked ‘So how many of you guys know about Malawi?’ they all raised their hands. It was so cute and funny.”
Next week, some players from the MU men’s basketball team will pay fifth graders at Russell a visit as a reward for raising the most money.
Mizzou for Malawi does various charity events throughout the year, including a night 5K run scheduled for April 15.
“We do it all for the orphans,” Dunn said.