In Chichewa, ‘tingathe‘ means ‘we can’. Tingathe is also the name of a non-governmental organization which helps to provide vocational training and educational opportunities to youth in the peri-urban areas of Lilongwe, Malawi. Today, they brought 12 students and staff members to Never Ending Food to explore how Permaculture ideas can be integrated into their learning.
The Tingathe Training Programme is a 12-month training course which enrolls people from the ages of 18-35 who are looking for assistance with livelihood opportunities. The course focuses on leadership and entrepreneurial development, vocational skills, business management, financial literacy, computer training, and post-programme career guidance.
Tingathe’s motto is ‘Building Wealth that Sticks‘, so we discussed how the word ‘stick’ in English can be something that bonds things together, or a branch of a tree. In terms of income generation and employment opportunities, the participants were exposed to our resource display which highlights products made from locally available materials. We also discussed how the Permaculture Ethics of Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share can help to guide our economic pursuits to help make them diverse, sustainable, and resilient.
The group had a full tour of Never Ending Food, learning about things like Permaculture guilds, Permaculture zones, composting toilets, worm farming, liquid manure, rainwater harvesting, and many other design ideas. The participants were extremely excited, and I have a feeling that it’s not the last that we will be seeing or hearing from Tingathe!
All donations go directly towards helping to spread Permaculture solutions throughout Malawi. Every little bit helps, and even a little can go a long way!
