EMPOWERING WOMEN IN AFRICA TO REALIZE SUSTAINABLE CHANGE THAT NOURISHES THEIR FAMILIES & COMMUNITIES

Welcome to Join My Village – a new approach to fighting global poverty through the empowerment of women and girls. General Mills and CARE® are proud to join forces in this unique program. Together, we’ve already launched successful agriculture and economic development programs that have shown positive impact in the lives of women and families in Malawi. Join My Village takes this shared commitment to nourishing lives and communities to the next level by inviting you, and millions of others, to join us and help make an even greater impact.

Starting Out
In Year One, Join My Village will focus its efforts on approximately 75 villages in the Kasungu region of Malawi. We plan to take a two-pronged approach to fighting poverty. First, we will promote women’s economic empowerment. Not only will this help women in Malawi to meet their families’ needs, it will create new opportunities for them to participate more fully in society. Second, by improving education for all, and focusing on the education of girls in particular, we will help strike a serious blow to the vicious cycle of poverty.

Join My Village capitalizes on the natural link between economic development and educational opportunities. By engaging households and communities in both efforts simultaneously, CARE’s work through Join My Village ensures that improvement in household income translates into better food and nutrition, which in turn positively impacts children’s school attendance and performance. As households increase their savings and crop yields, they will have more resources to pay for school fees and materials, and more time to contribute to promoting children’s education and learning.

With your support, General Mills is aiming to release up to $500,000 for CARE’s work in Malawi through Join My Village. $200,000 is already working hard in the Kasungu region of Malawi. Another $250,000 can be “unlocked” by taking part in simple online activities, such as joining a village team, answering a quiz question, or inviting friends and family to get involved (up to $25,000 per village team). The remaining $50,000 will be released in matching funds as participant donations come in (up to $5,000 per village team). Match ceiling of $500 per donor.

The projects supported by Join My Village will provide a foundation on which the participating communities in Malawi can build for years to come. Specific goals include:

• Establishing at least 150 village savings and loan associations (VSLAs), impacting 2,400 members and their families
• Supporting School Management Committees (SMCs) serving approximately 15 primary schools
• Providing at least 150 new reference items to schools
• Providing at least 150 four-year scholarships for top female students to attend secondary school
• Constructing at least three school sanitation blocks that include separate facilities for boys and girls
• Building at least 15 houses for female teachers

Looking Forward
Even as we launch Join My Village, we are already looking ahead to the future. How can we help ensure that these initial 75 villages can overcome poverty over the long term? When will we be ready to expand to more communities in Malawi, other parts of Africa, and beyond? As you can see, we’re thinking big. That’s what Join My Village is all about: Small actions that add up to real change. And we need your support, enthusiasm, and ideas to bring this exciting vision to fruition.