Rainforest Alliance
In Malawi

‘I used to do farming without any knowledge, but now I am able to practice good farming. I also learned how to manage the income I get from tea farming. In five years’ time, I see myself building a very big house with iron sheets. I see a change and I will establish other tea farms.’

– Nyalugwe Veronica, Tea Farmer

With support from Rainforest Alliance, from February 2020 – March 2021 Sunshine Cinema designed and implemented the second phase of a two-year project to promote sustainability, local innovation and poverty reduction in southern Malawi. This was done through a combination of film productions, screenings, peer-training workshops, information dissemination and capacity building.

At the centre of the project was a series of short films made by our production company Makhulu Media focusing on local agricultural practices promoting sustainability, financial security and gender equality.  We hosted a range of large-scale solar cinema screenings launching the programme. The project was driven by two SBAs, Jordan Sontho and Prisca Kunsida, who received training and mentorship support in multimedia production, media distribution, community mobilisation and impact evaluation.

In collaboration with the likes of Ethical Tea Partnership and Greenpop, the initiative targeted farmers in the tea-growing regions of Mulanje, Chiwalo, Sukamyele, Zedi, Zambakoma, Nalipili, Makwasa, Thyolo, Nasula, Mpala, Chutengu, Nkambe, Kukhumba, and Mphinda.