Chiswick Charity Seeks IT Expert

Volunteer sought for Microloan Foundation's Malawi project

The MicroLoan Foundation, a Chiswick based microfinance charity providing small business loans and training to women in Africa, is urgently seeking an IT expert to help assess and improve its IT setup in Malawi.

The charity's Malawi operation has expanded rapidly, growing from just one employee 5 years ago to around 50 people at 9 different sites today. This expansion has brought considerable IT challenges in the areas of general IT maintenance, support, server setup and networking.

The charity is now urgently looking for an enthusiastic volunteer to help improve the state of the IT arrangements in Malawi particularly. To keep overheads as low as possible, MLF in the UK is run by a small core team of 3 staff and a network of committed volunteers.

The role would involve an initial trip to Malawi to assess the status of the current setup and make recommendations as to possible ways forward. It is hoped that the individual would also become involved in training up local staff in IT good practice, building the local skillbase.

The role would suit a retired or part-time IT professional with an interest in Africa. The commitment required is flexible, and could be moulded to suit the schedule of the right person. If you are interested, please contact Joshua Perry at joshua.perry@microloanfoundation.org.uk.

September 21, 2007