Overview:

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Bhubesi Pride Foundation (BPF) works in Malawi to help children fulfil their potential and uplift themselves and their communities.  Malawi suffers from extreme poverty, with 40% of Malawi’s population (19.65), living on less than 1 dollar a day, and 80% of the population struggling with severe food insecurity.  This puts immense pressure on families and communities and has detrimental consequences for children, particularly for girls.  The majority of girls don’t have the chance to finish high school, and many are married before age 18, meaning the possibilities for them to learn and achieve their potential are extremely limited.  The tough conditions faced in most communities means there is little access to healthcare services, and this causes Malawi to suffer with some of the highest rates of HIV in the world.  This problem worsened significantly following the pandemic, as Covid caused a 35% reduction in HIV testing, leading to 21,000 new infections in 2020 alone.

However, Atlas and BPF are on a mission to change this.  With the support of Atlas and other partners, BPF has constructed a sports and education community centre in rural Lilongwe that is providing essential services.  By using rugby to engage the children, BPF is helping the children realise a brighter future.  Through assisting the children in school, teaching them about health and wellbeing, and promoting gender equality, BPF is inspiring children to fulfil their potential and help their communities.

Impact:

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Almost 2,000 young people have already benefited from BPF’s community centre, and with the support of Atlas, this only continues to grow.  BPF and Atlas are helping children increase their education to overcome the problems they face.  This is causing transformational effects in the local community and is creating positive changes for the children of Malawi.