Help Kumbu migrate to Estonia

My name is Kumbukani Lifikilo Kachingwe. I am a Malawian aged 23 and single. Am a holder of Diploma in Information Technology awarded by The Polytechnic (a constituent college of University of Malawi) in 2013. Since 2014 I have been working on temporary jobs and done internship with institutions biased to Information Technology and management but to my dismay, life has become so miserable. Am failing to fend for myself and even my relatives. To this end, I want to move out of my country to Estonia because of poverty and unemployment. Personal development is influenced by socio and economic activities within the country and in Malawi unemployment rate is at 18.5% (National Statistics Office 2018). With the current economic situation in Malawi, it is not easy for the youths to operate business because lending institutions have little trust in them (youths) due to failure in previous government efforts in creating loan windows such as Youth Empowerment and Development Fund (YEDEF) which was abused and resulted and in more defaulters. The government currently implements Community Colleges concept to expose the youths to various skills development with a view of creating self – employment but the market is not enough to absorb all graduates from such technical entrepreneurship development units. If I don’t take this chance and leave this place, I will remain the same and even become worse. It is better if I explore deep waters and I hope you find my request appealing to contribute towards my life improvement. Born poor is not anybody’s fault but what you do next matters.

Malawi has a population of 17,563,749 million people, and youths constitute 52%. Approximately 74% of the populace live below the income poverty line of US$1.90 per day. Key Causes of poverty in Malawi include high dependence on rain fed agriculture as it contributes about 80% of the country’s GDP but majority of farmers are subsistence rural farmers, with low levels of mechanization and narrowly concentrating on few crops. The agriculture is affected by pests’ attack, climatic change resulting in low yield, hence experiencing prolonged hunger and less returns from crop sales. Another problem is lack of reliable energy sources. The country relies on hydroelectricity provided by the state owned power generation company but to date only 10% of the population are connected to the national grid and with frequent blackouts there is a high cost on businesses and individuals as they have to look for alternative energy sources such as solar and fuel generators, hence creating a huge economic burden. Much as IT is the driving force of modern economies, Malawi has inadequate investment in IT infrastructure. The resultant is highly priced IT services. For example, internet charges are very high while the speed is very slow and because of this many people cannot afford to access information. High population growth, coupled with women high fertility rate (average 6 children per woman) result in many families fail to feed and educate their families. Such increase in population also creates competition of the limited resources that are available such as land for housing and farming. Malawi has a poor environment for conducting business. The environment is harsh for many businesses, as evidenced by difficulties in accessing credit or loans, high interest rates and exorbitant taxes. Corruption is one of the major causes of poverty in Malawi and this has compromised efficiency in both public and private sectors. In some cases, resources allocated to improve economic and social status of the poor are abused, hence don’t reach the target beneficiaries. It is against this background that am compelled to go to Estonia because unemployment is very high in Malawi. More than half unemployed people in Malawi are productive youths below the age of 40 years and I fall in this category. This makes many youths staying idle during their productive years and consequently become a burden instead of contributing positively to the growth of the economy, hence my request for assistance.

I have a passion for Artificial Intelligence and I want to be part of this discipline. However, living in a country whose minimum wage is $100 gross and net around $40, makes savings difficult. During the time of short contracts, I have tried to run small scale business but failed to prosper due to unfavorable marketing conditions, including registration requirements and other policies which don’t provide room for growth. I also wanted to upgrade my qualification but I could not afford $1,300 fees a semester. My only hope is leaving the country and move to Estonia and work on any jobs available so that I can generate substantial income for sustaining life and that of dependents, which is a common characteristic of an African bread winner.

Literature shows that Estonia a place for independent minds, I believe I can fast track my education and compete in the job market there. I understand Estonia is flexible with their visa process and that I can be allowed apply for it when am there or online. I have all the hope that Estonia, the Silicon Valley of Europe, will take me as someone for adding value to its development priorities and that it will enable me to acquire professional skills and knowledge that will propel my passion for artificial intelligence. Estonia has more startups in Europe and i think that makes it a good place to start afresh.

I am crowd sourcing funds with a target of $5,000 to cover all the expenses. The funds will be used to cover flight to Tallinn and local running’s and accommodation shall be arranged with Airbnb hosts. Your contribution will help me travel to Estonia by plane and accommodate me for 30 days. Life is full of ups and downs but I believe with your assistance, things could turn for the better. I have felt hopeless for a very long time and i don't want to feel that way anymore, hoping that one-day life will be bearable and be able to contribute to development of my country of origin, with the exposure and capacity built through my stay in Estonia.

Plane Ticket $1,200

Airbnb Accommodation $25/Night*30 $750

Visa $100

Food and Groceries $2000/30 Days $2000

Job Hunting Expense $950

Total $5,000

One can only do so much depending on the place and resources he/she can get. Africa as a continent has its own priorities and countries in the continent have various agendas when it comes to development and economic reforms. The number of illegal immigrants entering Europe each year is growing significantly, if you take time to learn their stories most of them are just trying to earn honest living and survive so am one of them. I intend to enter Estonia legally and be ready to comply with the necessary conditions for immigrants. I have made this choice not that I don’t like my country which is rich in natural resources including Lake Malawi, Mulanje Mountain and arable land for crop production only that conditions are not favorable for me to excel and be a productive citizen there, unless I get support from outside then come back to provide a meaningful contribution to my society. Given the opportunity and the means I know I can make a difference in own life and that of my kinsmen all I am asking is your help to fulfill this. The internet has made it possible to unite us, come together as one village on the planet Earth and that we can help one another, as brothers and sisters of the same creator. Thank you so much for taking keen interest to read my call for assistance and that your contribution is highly appreciated.

Kind Regards

Kumbukani L Kachingwe

https://www.facebook.com/kumbukani.kachingwe