FANTAH

Changemaker: Ali Saidi

Country of Implementation: Malawi

Due to an increase in natural disasters in Malawi, particularly in the commercial city of Blantyre, Saidi and friends -- through a youth organisation called Busy Youth Organisation -- started a project called FANTAH (Fighting Against Natural Threats Against Humans). Through the organisation, among other things, the youth took a step in a tree-planting campaign around Blantyre rural areas. The organisation worked directly with youth through 20 youth Community-based organisations and traditional leaders and planted trees in 20 different sites within Blantyre townships. The initiative targeted school children, church groups, Muslim groups, traditional leaders and the 20 communities who were beneficiaries. Apart from these tree-planting campaigns, the youth were involved in capacity-building and empowerment workshops on how to create tree nursery beds and how to manage the nurseries and the trees once planted. The youth were also taught how to deal with natural disaster emergencies.