Amanda Henry in Malawi

The volunteer

“It’s both surreal and very exciting to see development dollars from ‘the true north, strong and free’ at work here in Malawi,” says Engineers Without Borders volunteer Amanda Henry. The University of Alberta graduate currently volunteers with EWB partners at Plan International on projects to improve access to clean water and adequate sanitation in rural Malawi.

Founded more than seven decades ago, Plan International is one of the world’s largest development organizations. The agency currently works in 49 developing countries throughout Africa, Asia and the Americas. Plan operates long-term projects in Malawi to improve food security throughout the drought-prone nation.

The challenge

In Malawi, nearly 65 per cent of the population lives well below the poverty line, which is regarded as about 16 US cents per day. The majority of Malawians rely upon subsistence farming to eke out a living – growing crops including maize, sorghum, cassava, rice and cotton. Plan is working to introduce high-yield crops, such as soybeans, fruits and vegetables in increase food production.

The opportunity

The organization also helps improve the plight of Malawian children. To that end, Amanda has been visiting schools in rural regions as part of the School Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion project. Amanda and her Plan colleagues inspect the construction of ventilated improved pit latrines (VIPs) to ensure efficient and adequate progress. Amanda will continue to expand her role with Plan Malawi to deepen her commitment to international development.