November 2013 update:  Eston & Grace are at IPC11!

(Still Seeking 1,830.49 USD)

We didn’t quite raise what we needed to send both Malawian representatives, but we sent them anyway knowing that additional donations will trickle in to cover the costs.  Last minute we had trouble securing flights and ended up paying 2,000 USD more than we’d planned.  We need 1,830.49 usd more, assuming the pending donations come in as promised.  We’ve not yet gotten an update from the IPC11 participants yet, but as soon as we do we will share it onwards.

 TOTAL committed:   7,319.51
Total received:  5,294.51
Pending donations:  2,025.00
 donations still short:    1,830.49
Flight, 2 people: 5,900.00
IPC11 fees, 2 people: 2,250.00
cash (500 each): 1,000.00
TOTAL Costs paid out:  9,150.00

 

September 20 update:  

We still need a bit more support to reach our goal of  9,000 USD.IMG_0136IMG_0139

We’ve reached just over 6,000 USD.  We know we are going to succeed in supporting both Grace and Eston so we’ve used the first donations to start buying the tickets before prices go up any further.  We’ll work hard to raise the other costs (food, lodging, local transport, visas, conference costs – all running at bare minimum, nothing fancy just healthy and safe!)

So keep those funds coming in, share onwards.  www.NeverEndingFood.org/Donations

Here is a bit of information on Eston Mgala and Grace Chimphonda:IMG_2976LisaMekis

1) Eston Mgala:  He is the man with his hands outstretched in this picture.  Here he is with some of the apprentices that he mentored and c0ntinues to support as they start living differently.  This is in Kusamala’s zone 3 that they are improving on each year.  Eston’s application for IPC11 says it all best:    The Nordin Family first introduced me to permaculture in early 2009 at their Neverending Food Permaculture Demonstration site outside Lilongwe. It was that day when I decided to focus my career in permaculture and pursue a PDC with Mr. Nordin. These events lead me to become one of the founding members of Nature’s Gift Permaculture Center (NGP), now managed by Kusamala Institute of Agriculture and Ecology (KIAE). I have been involved in the development and management of NGP from its inception in 2009. I am currently the Director Community Outreach and Operations and a permaculture lead trainer. My work is threefold: I train people in permaculture, help them to demonstrate in their own villages and support this development through community outreach.   It is important that NGP has a representative attend IPC 11 because I feel very strongly that advocating and demonstrating permaculture in Malawi will lead to sustainable development by working with nature. Through the preparation of IPC 9, the NGP vision and design were created. The people involved were from many sectors of the Malawi permaculture community and included: the Nordin Family, Walter Mugove Nyika, June Walker, Sam Baluti, Hope Thornton, Mada Siebert, Joseph Chawawa, and Eston Pembamoyo. Through their inspiration and support of resources, time, energy, knowledge, love, encouragement, and advice we have been able to transform NGP into a leader of permaculture demonstration and training in Malawi. In the past 5 years we have been involved in many grants and projects which have lead to the training of hundreds of Malawians in schools, colleges, local and international organisations, government staff, local community members, interns and volunteers. I have had the opportunity to meet people who are doing permaculture in America, Europe, Australia and other African countries. However, the only other country I have visited is Zambia to see Kasisi Agriculture Training Center. I see that attending IPC11 would be a great moment in my life and offer the opportunity to meet and network with different people, learn from them and what they have achieved in their own country, while also sharing about what is happening in Malawi. For the 5 years that I have been involved with permaculture, the people I have shared with and learned from have given me strength and courage which lead me to have a strong voice in my country.

2) Grace Chimphonda:  Practicing permaculture personally and also helping other people embrace the ethics of permaculture in Malawi. I am also a Board Member of Kusamala Institute of Permaculture in Malawi which is helping to empower the communities in understanding environment friendly agricultural practices and conserving the environment, ie designing solutions for a sustainable future.   Attending IPC11 will widen my knowledge in permaculture and to see what other people are doing and also to share on what we are doing in Malawi.

Thanks for doing what you can to support Malawi in this – here’s hoping we can get another 4,000 USD as quickly as we got the first 5,000 so that both of these excellent candidates can attend.  It will be ideal if we can have a male and female for different perspective and impact on return to Malawi.

———

We’d REALLY like to have every Nation in the world that is implementing Permaculture attend this year’s International Permaculture Convergence.  This is the eleventh convergence, hence the acronym:  IPC11 for this year’s event.

Some nations struggle to have the cash to make trips like this.  In Malawi we’ve been trying to fund raise 7,000 USD to send one woman and one male to the convergence and we’ve gotten about 5,000 USD to date.  If we raise more than we need we’ll contribute all excess to other nations.

Can you help?  If so, visit our recently updated Donations page and give whatever you can and share the message onward – please and thank you!

www.NeverEndingFood.org/Donations

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