Project Malawi. Taking care of the warm heart of Africa

Scenes from a forgotten land where AIDS takes its toll every day and mothers helplessly watch their sick children suffer: Malawi, one of the African countries where HIV/AIDS constitutes a true humanitarian catastrophe. Documenting the faces of Malawi is the poignant reportage made by the internationally famed photojournalist Luigi Baldelli and one of the leading journalists of the Italian daily Il Corriere della Sera, Ettore Mo, on assignment for Fondazione Cariplo. This work is on show at the exhibition titled ‘Taking care of the warm heart of Africa’ running from January 21 through February 27, 2015, at Philanthropy House, Rue Royale 94, Brussels, Belgium, the headquarters of the European Foundation Centre. Mothers are a key focal point of this exhibition. Ten years ago Fondazione Cariplo and Intesa Sanpaolo launched a joint project in the African country, Project Malawi, to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The potent action deployed under this project for over a decade resulted in some 18,000 pregnant women being visited/tested and 7,600 children born healthy to HIV-positive mothers. The action was based on the DREAM (Drug Resource Enhancement against AIDS and Malnutrition) protocol developed by the Community of Sant’Egidio. In addition to this action, Project Malawi also includes food and health counseling and education, help to orphans, support to local small entrepreneurs and microfinance programs. Thanks to this project 700,000 medical visits have been delivered to the local population, 24,500 patients have been treated with antiretroviral therapy, 4,000 children have been regularly participating in the activities of over 70 child care centers and more than 1,000 small entrepreneurs have been supported and trained. The implementation of the project in Malawi has been entrusted to four NGOs: Community of Sant’Egidio (health and AIDS treatment), Save the Children (orphan care), CISP (local development and microfinance), MAGGA-SAM - Scout Malawi (education and prevention). These NGOs work in close collaboration with government authorities.

Fondazione Cariplo has allocated some €7.5 million to Project Malawi.

Photos: Luigi Baldelli

Text: Ettore Mo – Corriere della Sera

Curator: Luca Arzuffi – Fondazione Cariplo

BROWSE THE REPORTAGE – Invitation to the exhibition