Baobab

FC Students Create Baobab Initiative in Malawi

The Baobab Initiative is an independent enterprise that benefits Makumba Village which is in Zambia near the border with Malawi. The town is affectionately called Baobab Village because of the immense Baobab tree that stands in front of it. The Baobab tree is best known for its ability to store over 120,000 liters of water in its trunk in order to survive the harsh conditions of drought. This initiative began as a result of an Academic Travel conducted by Professor Anne Flutti in October, 2003, to Malawi and Zambia to learn about an organic farming method known as “permaculture,” a contraction of the words permanent and agriculture.

In meeting with Chief Ovet Daka, the leader of the village, Franklin students realized that without education and adequate food, the lively and affectionate village children faced a difficult future. “The students wanted to do more than just give the children t-shirts,” remembers Flutti, Professor of Biology at Franklin College.

The Baobab Initiative was begun in October, 2004, by Laura Marsala, Justin Niles, and Danielle Benent and joined in June, 2005, by Max Budnikov, Michael Garcia, Chelsea Stephens, and Jarett Gilbert. The students devised a plan to raise funds and to help the villagers help themselves. A much-needed infrastructure has been set up, and resources to start the people of the village on their journey towards prosperity have been offered.

During Professor Flutti’s special Academic Travel to Baobab Village in June, 2005, the garden that had been started by Franklin students and based on “permaculture” was found to be flourishing. Even more incredibly, all the children were regularly attending school. Over the past several years, Franklin students have been helping to send the village children to school. Of approximately 30 children supported by the initiative, 17 are of school age and most of them are within the top 15% of their classes.

The efforts are ongoing. The next big educational project is to provide a scholarship fund for the older students who have an interest in furthering their education. For example, Judith, an orphan “adopted” by Chief Daka, would like to become a nurse. Future plans also include the delivery of avocado and fruit tree saplings as well as a chicken coop with chickens, which will help promote a balanced diet for all the villagers. Meanwhile, surrounding villages are showing an interest in forming community gardens and farms, and one of the oldest boys of the village has begun to tend his own garden. “I am incredibly excited about these positive developments and have committed myself to their endurance,” says Lauren Gagliano.

The initiative has continued to grow both in accomplishments and Franklin College student participation since the special Academic Travel in 2005 and now boasts over 30 members. There is a Board of Directors, including Professor Flutti and Franco Gallarate. Selection of new officers and a new organizational structure based on committees are planned for next semester. Currently, a group of committed students continues to work on promoting the name and cause of the Baobab Initiative throughout the Franklin College network and in the Ticinese community in conjunction with alumna Laura Marsala ’06, Head Coordinator, Max Budnikov, Financial Officer, Michael Garcia, Communications Officer, and Lauren Gagliano, Volunteer Coordinator, who are the co-organizers of the Baobab Initiative at Franklin. “Right now we are working on multiple fundraising and public relations events,” says Gagliano.