For #ThrowBackThursday we are thinking back to our last trip to Malawi when we got to spend some time with one of our most incredible team members. Everyone who works with us at Blossom &Berry is truly special to us but to have someone based out in Malawi and helping manage “Little Blossoms Project” is really amazing.
So firstly, let us tell you a little about Little Blossoms Project…
Gayle Berry of Blossom & Berry has created a partnership with Kathryn Marshall of Little Baban Baby Massage to establish, fundraise and manage the Little Blossoms Project as a result of working alongside Love Support Unite Africa Foundation and Tilinanu Orphanage in Malawi (registered charity number 1162406).
Love Support Unite Africa is a volunteer foundation with a difference. Originally founded by Alice and Nina Pulford to sustain Tilinanu Orphanage Malawi and ensure it remained completely non-profit, the volunteer foundation has allowed LSU to dream much bigger than they ever anticipated. Now bringing about powerful and lasting change across Malawi through its outreach projects, this is an organization built upon people, not proceeds. LSU is all about putting the heart and soul back into volunteering. Each placement is tailored to the individual volunteers own specific skill set, with the individual involved in every stage of the process; from deciding on the area the project will focus upon, to planning, implementation and continuation. LSU works alongside the Tilinanu orphanage to implement it’s outreach projects.
LSU’s work has changed many lives in Malawi and the Little Blossoms Project will be a permanent sub-project within Love Support Unite’s goals to focus on women, carers, mothers and babies and the wider family unit.
This particular guy is an incredible person and an asset to the Blossom & Berry Team, he heads up the day to day running of Little Blossoms Project.
So, it is with great pleasure that we introduce you to Prince Mlongoti. Prince is the incredible individual who helps guide the local groups to grow and develop. Prince has a real passion for female empowerment and the independence and success of the local communities in Malawi. Prince has a real love and passion for his country (Malawi is a wonderful place so full of promise and light) and he cares deeply for the access of the baby massage groups that he oversees. Prince has recognized how profoundly impactful baby massage can be to bring people together,”Baby massage-the program is very good and it is the first of its kind in Malawi, therefore there is a need to expand the program into more communities and across Malawi. [The baby massage groups transform] lives of mothers and children tremendously, also for communities.”
This is what Prince had to say about his work with Little Blossoms Project Malawi:
“My major success will be measured by the change that will be seen in the communities where mothers and babies lives will be uplifted through baby massage, safe motherhood, farming and women enterprise. As a Project manager of little blossoms Project, I have managed to establish, teach and maintain the women groups. I have also helped to monitor and train other teachers,Implement and monitor some projects and manage funds and donations meant for the day to day running of the organization, managing funds and monitoring the Baby/Mother shelter project at Chipwaila village and the farming project- managing funds for this program.”
Through your incredibly generous donations of clothes, toys and other valuable products, the women of the baby massage groups can take these donations to market to sell. This way they can earn money to feed themselves and their babies, their extended family and learn to manage funds to turn their little enterprise into a success.
We are so glad to know Prince and we hope you are now too. . . . .