Lawilink

VISION

Change the world through a mutual exchange of information, nurturing skills at national and global level.

MISSION

Lawilink exist to be the largest media house in Malawi and the SADC region through media training and inclusion of the marginalised society.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Lawilink is a media non-partisan, non-governmental organization established and registered in February 2015. Lawilink is a sister organization to Zimlink. The core business of Lawilink is to empower and civic educate the masses through high quality low cost media services. Lawilink supports grass roots organisations & communities utilising; film production, websites, social media & articles while promoting the rights of the citizenry. Lawilink is representing the marginalized regardless of social status in the society. Currently the organization is operating in the southern region of Malawi through University student’s volunteers (Blantyre polytechnic) also the community volunteers from Ndirande & the surrounding areas. Lawilink has a board of directors that provide policy direction & board of trusties overseeing the practices. The executive management and part time staff that are involved in the daily affairs of the organization and community volunteers that are involved in the implementation of particular organized activities on social cross-cutting issues. Lawilink has professional accounts staff that overseer financial transactions of the organization.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

I.       Provide low cost in media services, film production and websites
II.    Train, educate and monitoring to all age groups irrespective of sex culture or ability
III.    Online magazine made up of contributions from volunteers
IV.    Teach in schools, colleges and universities
V.     Empower and include Lawilink principles
VI.   Remain at all times neutral, non-political and non-religious where representing all groups in the global community
VII. Fully support the free exchange of information and knowledge such that our content is openly shared
VIII. Support open copyright on all materials and promote this at every opportunity
IX.    Support human rights and cross-cutting issues
X.     Support democracy and good governance
XI.    Youth empowerment
XII. Capacity building/technical orientation and skills training
XIII. Civic education at all levels
XIV. Advocacy on environment and women development

STRATEGIC ACTIVITIES

I.     Training in video camera handling, still/mobile video shooting
II.     Advertising (designing and marketing)
III.    Events coverage
IV.    www.lawilink.org
V.      Youth empowerment
VI. Human rights
VII.    Workshops
VIII.   Festivals

AREA OF OPERATION (geographical coverage)

Lawilink has in the past 12 months concentrated its activities in the Southern Region of the Country namely; Nsanje, Chikhwawa, Blantyre, Phalombe and Zomba.

ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE

I.         Set up an office base in Nyambadwe locations along Magalasi road
II.       Registered with the Registrar General’s office
III.      Registered with CONGOMA
IV.      Trained Blantyre polytechnic students in filming and photographing
V.        Trained students on how handle video cameras and video shooting
VI.      Provided career talks in both primary and secondary schools
VII.     Interviewed public figures & grass roots organisations
VIII.   Coverage of events such sports games, traditional village advocacy meetings & cultural ceremonies.
IX.      Introduced Lawilink online magazine & Facebook page with over 20,000 & 7000 users respectively.
X.       Conducted Two festivals for people with Albinism in Phalombe
XI.      Working with youths from the deprived community of Ndirande.

CHALLENGES

Lack of stable funding

FUTURE PLANS

I.      Activating new projects on crossing cutting issues (climate change, human rights, women and girls empowerment.
II.     Staff development in various skills (upgrading)
III.    Raise more financial resources through advertising and proposal development
IV.     Strengthen the advertising section for more income and sustainability of Lawilink activities
V.      Conduct annual general meetings with Lawilink members
VI.     Conduct board meetings for effective good governance
VII.   Establish regional offices for wider geographical

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MALAWI – LAWILINK

Malawi is a landlocked Eastern African country that covers 118,480 km² with an estimated population of 17,738 678, as of 1 January 2016. It is one of the least developed nations in the world with an economy largely based on agriculture. The majority of the population live on less than a $1.00 usd a day. Despite this, in recent years, there has been some evidence of economic growth, and improved education and healthcare provision.

Approximately 50% of Malawi’s population is between the ages of 10 and 29, and this proportion will continue to grow over the next 10-50 years. Malawi’s future is without a doubt dependent on its youth. Unfortunately, many of Malawi’s young are poorly educated and do not have access to resources that will develop their potentials. Many are unemployed. However, there are a number of initiatives both government led and at grass-roots level, that have been initiated to prioritize youth development in key areas such as education, science, health, empowerment and technology.

The Lawilink Hub contributes actively to youth development in education, training and media technology. In particular: computer training, magazine designing/publishing, photography, business management and videography. This model has already been tested with our sister NGO Zimlink which has a successful track record operating in UK and Zimbabwe.
There is a huge potential in Malawi, the Lawilink hub adds to the drive to empower Malawi’s youth and highlight the potential of Malawi to transform the SADAC region. It opens up Malawi to opportunities in other countries and benefits from increased employment, training and education.

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Our operation in Malawi is empowering & enabling citizens by supporting government initiatives, eradicating poverty and creating employment. Lawilink is an international brand as such we are at the forefront of coming changes to Africa. Made up of over 200 staff from all over the world with experience in many different fields this contributes in the way we operate as an organisation. Lawilink is unique in the way it operates no other company in the world dose what we do the way we do it. Lawilink leads incorporates mutual exchanges with the communities and companies we work with. Citizens who have access to education and technology live longer, are almost certain to find employment or start business’s and create a future we can sustain.

Lawilink presents the opportunity to join and work with an organisation that will catapult Malawi and generally the SADAC region to another level. Lawilink is set to be one of the largest media and community interest organisations in southern Africa and the world. Our understanding of the world we work in is reflected by the diversity of our organisation’s personnel. Our members are derived from students, non-professional and professional individuals ranging from consultant oncologists, BBC/Aljazeera media staff, business entrepreneurs and authors. We are constantly giving back to our communities by training youths how to use media tools as a source of empowerment. This can be exhibited by our successful and on-going projects in Zimbabwe, the UK and Malawi.

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Lawilink is the sister of Zimlink which has already taken the UK and Zimbabwe by storm. Our teams are predominantly and purposely made up of the local people so the skills learnt will benefit the local communities for the long term. We believe that the skills should be given in the communities we work as this has both an economic and educational impact on the labor force in that region. Our argument is: Why bring labor from Europe, America and Asia when Africa has the skills and labor needed to run projects for Africans by Africans!

Since the launch of the Lawilink online magazine on Friday the 12th of June 2015, the interest from the global community is increasing at a remarkable pace. The Facebook page now has over 7,000 fans and is growing by the day. Lawilink is following in the footsteps of its sister organisation Zimlink, which has successfully operated on a similar model both the UK and Zimbabwe. The award winning Zimlink site now has over 60,000 online views with the Facebook page at 30,000 likes, out ranking most of the national press radio and television in Zimbabwe. Lawilink is a registered NGO and non-profit organisation, all proceeds are used to fund the Education, Training, low cost media and projects in the community.

Lawilink promotes the free exchange of information & knowledge with local people through film, media and photography. Lawilink main objectives are to facilitate a dialogue between Malawi, the UK and the rest of the world through media. The organisation provides laptops, cameras and training to on-going projects in Zimbabwe, Malawi & the UK; Lawilink will be spreading this model to other Southern African countries once the model in Zimbabwe & Malawi is established and proven to work. We have an online magazine/s, online channel/s and website/s with British, Zimbabwean & Malawian editors and teams who work to bridge the gaps between sectors of society, particularly the younger and older generations.

Lawilink at all times remains, neutral, non-political; empowerment and inclusion are our over-arching themes putting us in a unique position. Lawilink fully supports the free exchange of information and knowledge and as such our content is openly shared. We offer joint copyright on all material and promote this at every opportunity. Zimlink already provides video and website services at no cost to other organisations who do not have the facilities or means, whilst at the same time training the members of those organizations enabling them to become self-sustaining.

Malawi is a potential creative hub for Southern Africa, with its prime geographic location and links with other nations. We can contribute significantly to the development of social media in Malawi and the SADAC region. The work force is strong, eager, and educated. Young people coming out of higher education hungry for change, for a chance to shape their world, and this potential can be developed and their drive accelerated given a portal for them to showcase their abilities. Our flexible business model can adapt to meet these needs.

Lawilink was created by Zac Darkes. Zac has grown Zimlink & Lawilink with a family of volunteers based in the UK Malawi Zimbabwe and the rest of the world since November 2013. Without any funding, an online magazine/website receives 200-1000 hits per day, a Facebook page is growing at a rate of 200-800 likes per week, and a YouTube channel, Zimlink TV, has received over 17, 000 views to date, with over 60,000 views from the online magazine.

Lawilink located its HQ & training centre in Blantyre Malawi. We are using film and photography to empower individuals, organizations and communities to work together, creating better understanding of the Geo-social community. By joining together, we can learn, transform and create new links. Lawilink source’s local technology where possible and promote business and social links with the United Kingdom (UK) and the rest of the world.

Blantyre City the oldest urban centre in Malawi, established by the Scottish Missionaries in the 1870s. Blantyre city offers a number of economic opportunities but lacks resources to meaningfully implement its strategies and provide the required basic social infrastructure and urban services required for economic development to take place. Over 65 percent of the city’s population lives in informal settlements which occupy about 33 percent of the land in Blantyre. Poverty stands at 34 percent while unemployment stands at 18 percent. Improved governance, management capacity and job creation/training are seen as major factors needed for reducing poverty in the city. Given the underdevelopment in Malawi, the location of Blantyre within a 7-hour drive of the capitals of Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Blantyre offers a prime location, as Malawi’s second largest city & commerce capital with its mixture of low to high income groups, sprawling high-density ghetto communities. Blantyre’s failing economy and lack of development was the main consideration when locating our HQ there. Lawilink can reach out to the youth and develop a solid base in which to provide education and employment Lawilink is already doing this. Lawilink by 2018 will seek to establish a larger centre in the rural area to the south of Blantyre.

Lawilink can grow, nurture local talent and skills regardless of the disruption created by the current economic crisis. What is missing is a portal that can link the activities for all communities. There is much to gain from the active presence of a platform that can showcase and share the creativity and skills of all communities. Such a portal can propel growth and help introduce those featured to a whole new audience. This is what Zimlink & Lawilink aims to provide. Lawilink harness the power of media to provide a platform where the creative, entrepreneurial and enterprising skills of the Malawian, Zimbabwean and Malawi/Zimbabwe-UK communities can be showcased to the international community. In the process Lawilink will grow, nurture and support the communities’. In essence, we will link Zimbabwe, Malawi, Malawi/Zimbabwe-UK, and anyone affiliated with the communities to the rest of the world through media & education.

Part of our mission is to become the preferred organisation that artistes and events managers choose to provide digital media coverage. The organisation is guided by 2 principles: empowerment and inclusion. Lawilink is open to everyone, every skill and every social group, allowing mutual growth – of the individual and of Lawilink. The organisation hopes that our driving principles equip others with skills that can change lives, and allow different communities to interact, connect, share and understand the creative sphere around us. Lawilink provides media coverage for artistic, cultural and community events of in Malawi, UK and Zimbabwe. In doing so, Lawilink works with volunteers, particularly the youth These volunteer’s unique opportunities of being able to either apply their theoretical knowledge or acquire relevant skills ‘on the job’ at no cost to them. In Malawi, equipment will be provided free of charge. Ownership of equipment will be aided by providing training in the care and maintenance of equipment.

Over the past three years Zimlink & Lawilink has actively worked with well over 1500 different organizations, individuals and events providing support. All Lawilink and Zimlink coverage is featured on the Zimlink – Lawilink online magazine’s which over the past 24 months alone has generated 200-800 hits per day. This comprehensive magazine showcases performing arts events, poetry, short stories, health and beauty. Articles are written by a team of volunteers who are passionate about their areas of interest and about sharing.