Margriet Sacranie: The woman who decided to make a difference

As someone who has lived in Malawi from as far back as 1966 and seen many youths being victims of HIV and Aids, poor harvests, poor economy and other matters beyond their control, it is not surprising that Margriet Sacranie, originally from Holland, decided to do something that would uplift the lives of children in the country.

She is the founder of a charitable trust, Children’s Fund of Malawi, established in 1992 to support medical and educational projects for children.

“This journey begun when Mrs Borgstein and Professor Robin Broadhead from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) came to see me and my late husband[ as representatives of the business community], they needed help with the paediatric ward at QECH. So, we fundraised and people came in to make it a success,” she says.

Ten years went by and a Dutch priest who had returned to his home in Holland asked her (Margriet) to help him reach out to people he previously worked with in Thyolo and Mulanje with food.

Responding to that request, twice every week, Sacranie and others distributed the food to over 2000 people in nine different villages from the two districts with money from the Children’s Fund as well as funds sent by the priest.

However, as luck would have it, a woman from Mary’s Meals came to them and told them that if they could organise a kitchen, her organisation could provide the food. “And eventually Mary’s Meals took over,” she says.

One day as Sacranie drove through the Thyolo-Mulanje Road, she saw a sign post on the roadside which said Children’s Oasis.

“I could not believe it, because I had only seen hungry and malnourished children. So, I went over to see.  What I saw was not an oasis, but an orphanage in bad state. I was heartbroken.

“The person running the orphanage asked for our support. There was a lot that needed to be done such as a new kitchen, dormitories with bunkbeds and beds; electricity, water, clothes and school fees. We pledged a five-year support. The number of children grew from 23 to about 60,” she recalls.

“A Dutch company offered to fund the whole project, but things did not turn out as anticipated due to financial constraints, but we received support from Telecom Networks Malawi (TNM), Universal Industries and the Netherlands Embassy to establish Children’s Entrepreneurial Training Village (CETV). It was years of hard work, but sadly, the pastor of the orphanage who had been very excited about the development, passed away,” she explains.

It took a lot of perseverance and hard work from inside and outside Malawi to finalise the project as she recalls and it was officially opened in October 2014 by then minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare Patricia Kaliati.

CETV has a tearoom where children are trained for the hospitality industry. It also offers training in carpentry, tailoring, hairdressing, bakery, information technology and library services.

“The most exciting department is the renewable energy department where we have solar batteries we hire out. This project was supported by Scotland/Malawi partnership and was eventually given to us.

“We also have windmills providing security lights and have started biogas. We do not have to buy any more charcoal or cut down trees for firewood,” she says.

Sacranie adds that there are a number of young entrepreneurs in the villages trained by CETV, six of which are making washable sanitary pads to enable girls attend school every day of the month.

In 2015 management of CETV was handed over to older children from the orphanage.

According to Sacranie, with support from their families who provided bricks and labour, a total of 76 gowelos (small houses) have been built in different villages in the Traditional Authority (T/A) Mthiramanja for all the children from the orphanage that have reached adolescence.

CETV is open to young mothers, orphans and uncles willing to learn skills to earn a living and take care of orphans, among others. The training is provided free of charge, with just a token amount of K1 000 per month.

The founder stresses, however, that they mean business and that the youth must be willing to go through the training and become entrepreneurs in the end.

“The courses are four months long, during which time students learn skills. At the end of the training, we give them a starter pack and tools or products for them to start the business. For bigger, more expensive equipment, they get micro-loans of up to K200 0000 which has to be repaid within two years.

“We make follow ups of their businesses in [their respective] villages and offer support where they need it,” she says, adding that over 20 different businesses have been set up so far.

Sacranie came from Holland in 1966, following her late husband who was born in Malawi. He was the owner of Central Bookshop. She worked in various disciplines, including at KLM Airlines, Central Bookshop, Netherlands Consul in Malawi and also had her own events management company.

She is a mother of two, a son and a daughter and is also a grandmother.

Although it sometimes gets hard to stay positive, the Dutch woman is happy that they have been able to make a difference in the lives of some of the children they looked after at the orphanage.

“That gives me a lot of courage and motivation to carry on. I feel that everyone can support government’s efforts in making the lives of young Malawians better. Our logo says ‘Give a child a chance, put your heart in it’.

“It is not difficult to put your heart in it when you love Malawi. People in Malawi deserve a helping hand, but it is upsetting to find that charities have been used (sometimes) as a business for some people,” she says.