By Lorna Siggins, The Irish Times 23/12/2008
MALAWIAN WOODCARVERS have worked with south Galway transition-year students to raise funds through the sale of handmade Christmas cribs.
The first batch of cribs has already sold out, to the delight of the students from Gort Community School, Co Galway.
The stables were constructed by the students, while carvers from Liwonde in Malawi made the figurines and sent them to Ireland.
The project was initiated by the students as part of a young social innovators' programme, based on the theme of "making our world one world".
The students made contact with Galway-based non-governmental organisation Zikomo Ireland, which has been supporting development initiatives in Malawi since the food shortages of 2002.
Money raised from a school cake sale was sent to the woodcarvers in Malawi to pay for the commission.
According to the students, all funds raised from the sale of up to 30 cribs will go directly to Zikomo Ireland projects.
Founded in Galway by three women with Malawian connections, Zikomo Ireland has worked with 11 community groups in Malawi on beekeeping training and other initiatives, including the supply of water pumps. Some 22 farmers in the Machinga area of southern Malawi have taken part in the honey production training.
Margaret Geraghty, one of Zikomo Ireland's founders, said the organisation focused on community empowerment rather than direct aid.
Malawi is a former British protectorate in southeastern Africa, and is ranked one of the poorest states in the world, with a population of 14 million living in an area the size of Ireland.
Zikomo Ireland has also worked with community representatives in Malawi to build two community resource centres, used for adult literacy classes, food distribution, preschool education and healthcare.
For more details on Zikomo Ireland and the Gort transition-year project, see www.zikomo.org
