Partner Article

HOPEHIV helping to build Malawi’s generation of hope

Six Degrees Group (6DG) visits HOPEHIV projects that improve the lives of thousands of orphans and vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa

On a recent supporter trip to Malawi, three 6DG employees witnessed the positive impact that HOPEHIV projects are having on the country’s younger generation. Through education, youth clubs, vocational training and microfinance initiatives, vulnerable children and young people in Malawi are being protected and empowered to build a better future for themselves.

HOPEHIV provides support for orphans and vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa whose lives have been deeply affected by HIV/AIDS. They work closely with project partners in both urban and rural communities to provide these children with a network of emotional and social support and teach them the values of education, child rights and economic empowerment.

Six Degrees of Hope, 6DG’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, has supported HOPEHIV since the company’s creation in 2011. In three years, Six Degrees of Hope has raised over £200,000 for the charity. The three Six Degrees of Hope Ambassadors who travelled to Malawi were lucky enough to visit the community projects that they have helped to fund and to listen to the inspirational accounts of the beneficiaries. They visited pre-schools, Kids Clubs’, vocational trainees and a VIP (Village Investors Programme) group which all provide crucial support for orphans and vulnerable children and their guardians.

The team visited several Kids Clubs dedicated to teaching child rights, prevention of HIV/AIDS and the benefits of education. The clubs are not only a safe environment where the children can have fun but also provide a network of people that can protect them. They are run by community members who volunteer their time and energy to teach and play with the children. The 6DG team met Rhoda, 19, who has been part of the HOPEHIV vocational training programme. Having been trained as a tailor, Rhoda now runs her own business. The income from this has significantly improved her standard of living by enabling her to re-roof her house, buy two goats and purchase seed and fertiliser to grow maize. Through training programmes, young people such as Rhoda are given the knowledge and skills to create a more sustainable future for their families and communities.

HOPEHIV’s CEO, Mark Glen, said: “6DG have been such a significant and committed partner to HOPEHIV over the last few years, and we are constantly bowled over by the energy and effort they invest on behalf of our cause. It was a privilege to be able to take three of the team to Malawi, to show them in person the kind of life-changing impact their ongoing involvement is making possible.”

Campbell Williams, Group Strategy and Marketing Director, 6DG, said: “It was an honour and a pleasure to be part of the team visiting Malawi. The trip provided an invaluable insight into HOPEHIV and the grassroots approach they adopt to improve the lives of vulnerable children and young people in sub-Saharan Africa. We saw directly the immense difference that HOPEHIV is making to some very rural communities by providing support, education and training to a generation of hope. Seeing the projects first hand gave us a new understanding of the charity and a new level of determination to support them in their work.”

6DG’s most recent fundraising events, including participating in the London Duathlon, the 6DG Charity Golf Day and the 2015 Ski Trip, have raised nearly £50,000 for HOPEHIV.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Six Degrees News .