Madonna's 'Raising Malawi' Is One of Several Players Searching for Programs that Work in Africa

Madonna and her daughter Lourdes turned out last night for the New York premiere of Nine at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Theatre. (Photos via Daily Mail UK).

Meanwhile, Madonna’s adopted country was in the news last week, with the NYTimes writing about funding orphanages vs. direct cash payments to families in Malawi. Continue after photo of Madonna and Lourdes.

Financial aid and philanthropy researchers say that orphanages are a very expensive way to lend support to children and villagers in countries like Malawi. With cash allocations of $4 to $20 a month given directly to families, financial donations are leveraged much more effectively, according to researchers Candace M. Miller of Boston University.

It seems that Malawi is becoming a test case country for aid researchers, because of a cooperative political body and Madonna’s visible presence in the country.

To be clear, there is no criticism of Madonna or the orphanages she supports in Malawi like Home of Hope, which supplies three nutritious meals a day, new school uniforms, sensible black shoes and a decent education, according to the NYTimes.

In reality, Madonna’s visible presence in Malawi creates interest around the effectiveness of programs, which researcher Miller says are best leveraged when financial aid goes directly to a responsible family member. A program can look after two dozen children in the care of eight families for the $1,500 a year it costs to sponsor one child from Home of Hope.

I repeat that Madonna did not invent the Charity of Hope orphanage and her charity Raising Malawi also supports outreach centers for kids. The charity’s executive director, Philippe van den Bossche says that orphanages were not the best solution but were needed when families could not or would not care for children.

How $13 Changes Lives via Candace M. Miller of Boston University

This 2008 Concern Worldwide film highlights the cash transfer program in Malawi, which uses technology to deliver money directly into the hands of the poorest people in the country. See BU Today website for more information about the program.

Cash Transfers in Malawi

In an effort to understand what’s working and what isn’t in the world of aid and philanthropy, we will be closely following efforts in Malawi. It seems that while Malawi is a desperately poor country, the government has a very innovative mindset on sponsoring programs that could serve as a blueprint for future successes in Africa. I see Malawi as an open aid and development laboratory in Africa. Anne