Sustainability Projects & Community Development

Shade, Nutrition and Herbal Support for Users of the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital Guardian Shelter

We have been asked by our partner, the local NGO Chira Fund, to help make the guardian shelter opposite the main public hospital in Blantyre a little more amenable for its users by planting trees for longer term shading of the previously completely bare outside spaces.

ecoLODGy would not be ecoLODGy if we would have just said yes to this 😉 but of course, first needed to analyse the real needs on the ground and see how we could integrate permaculture principles – one of them is, to always try harness multiple benefits from an added element to the place – for example by the way we chose a variety, a location for it, etc.

This place is a place of great need and it is not less than heart wrenching, but also in some ways inspiring to spend time here. Our gratitude goes to the Chira Fund team who are actually caring about the people using this facility and have made it already something very different to what it was before, for example by putting in more decent toilet facilities. With our humble contribution, we are hoping to be able to enhance the experience and make those dire times of caring for a sick relative or friend or undergoing an chemotherapy, at least a little more comfortable.

Our activities here include:

• planting 50+ productive (fruit and nut) trees a with companion plant guild (which can be easily expanded later to intercrop vegetables if wanted), 20+ soil enhacing trees and several live bamboo hedges
• establishing a composting area with proper guidance for the local compound caretaker but also any of the users that may feel called to spend the time creating or contributing to some beauty and light in this place
• setting up a medicinal herb nursery for immune boosting support, with signboards and trainer trainings for the caretaker staff

Community Agroforestry Farmers Support Programme

Since 2017, we have been helping 40 farmers and their families in five villages in our surrounding communities to build a better way to farm in harmony with nature while reducing their dependence on expensive chemical inputs, and realizing better prices and discover formerly untapped markets for their organic produce.

This initiaive was possible with the financial support of Naturefund, a German non-profit nature conservation organization, and in collaboration with the local NGO Renew’N’Able Malawi who added a firewood saving component as part of the holistic approach of the project.

Through a series of workshops and refresher trainings spread out over two years, as well as practical demonstration plots that were established by the two cohorts in common work at each of the participants honestead farms, as well as participation in farm and family fairs etc., the CAFP enabled the 40 local community subsistence farmers to switch from conventional field farming to more efficient and diversified organic dynamic agroforestry in parts of their farms. The program included training them as stewards of sustainable land use and conservation in their communities and in the river valley adjacent to the site.

Sustainable Buildings Demo  & Exhibit

Our buildings at site are living examples of integrating local materials and “handmade” techiques into the built space.