Muslim youth in Blantyre have launched a revolving fund initiative that is expected to raise about MK100m within a year.
Making the announcement during an iftaar program at Iqra Islamic Propagation Centre on Sunday, the chairman for Muslim Youth Concern organisation Khailu Dickson said that the initiative is intended to alleviate the suffering of the Muslim youth who are finding it tough to make ends meet due to souring poverty levels in Malawi.
Dickson lamented that with the high rate of unemployement in Malawi, most of the youth are trekking to South Africa in search of some source of livelihood, leaving behind wives and children in abject poverty, a situation that he said, is unhealthy to the Muslim community.
“We are tired of the exploitation and harrassment that Malawians are exposed to in South Africa that makes the situation even worse back home here; being husbands and fathers, they are not able to fulfil their dreams which made them to go there (to South Africa) in the first place,” said Dickson, “making the wives vulnerable…. as they still have to fend for their families.”
Speaking later to Malawi Muslims Official Website, Dickson explained that the aim of the fund is to pool financial resources that will be used to teach technical skills to the youth so that they can become self-employed and minimise the human resource migration.
“We want the youth to learn technical skills like tailoring, driving , carpentry, agriculture and other entrepreneur skills so that they can become financially independent to look after their families and develop their country.
“Once they start making a living, they will be asked to pay back to the fund so as to benefit more youth in the process without going to seek interest laden loans from the banks.” he said
He further revealed that there will be a one year fund raising campaign where the funds realised will never be touched until 27 Ramadhaan next year where they will then check how much they will have managed to raise.
Dickson said that the Muslim Youth Concern organisation will open a bank account in the name of Muslim Youth Revolving Fund wherein well wishers will be asked to make donations of any amounts that they can afford.
“Well wishers should not be shy to donate even a MK50, to us that will be a plus,” stated Dickson, “if all Muslims in Malawi were to contribute the MK50 each, we can manage to raise a substantial amount of money to kickstart the project.”
On issues of accountability, Dickson said that they have approached the national Chairman of Muslim Association of Malawi Sheikh Idrissa Muhammad, the Trustee of Muslim Association of Malawi Sidik Mia, former vice president of the republic of Malawi Dr Cassim Chilumpha and the Treasurer General of the Muslim Youth Concern Hassan Twaibu to become trustees of the fund.
He therefore appealed to all Muslims irrespective of tribal or racial differences to embrace the project and donate generously so that the Muslim youth should not be wasted but should become financially independent and trusted members of the community.
