Dear Madonna

Dear Madonna,

We are truly grateful for the attention that you have brought to our country. Through your personal life and care for your son David, your fundraising, and now with your new documentary film, I Am Because We Are, which examines the AIDS crisis in Malawi and the effect it has on our families, you have alerted the world to a crisis in our homeland. Your foundation, Raising Malawi, which uses community-based programs to provide assistance and outreach, has inspired others to lend a hand, as volunteer agencies have begun to receive an unprecedented amount of requests to take part in service projects in the country.

But there is another crisis in our country -- the crisis of poverty -- which exacerbates the AIDS crisis. Because we believe in your interest in Malawi, we are asking you to take a look at the struggles encountered on a daily basis by Malawi workers who simply want to provide a living wage for themselves and a better future for their children.

We represent 13,000 security guards who work for the British-owned multinational G4S, Africa's biggest multinational employer, representing 68% of the security business in Malawi. Our workers -- who guard big corporations, government offices and NGOs -- are paid on the average only $30 USD per month, a quarter of a living wage. Even with the seventeen hour days that most of the guards work, this is not enough to survive.

Many of the G4S workers must walk ninety minutes each way to and from work, live in homes without electricity or running water, and cannot afford to meet their children's school or medical fees. A G4S guard in Malawi would need to work for 7,583 years to obtain the annual pay given to the firm's chief executive, UK-based Nick Buckles, whose latest salary exceeds $2.19 million USD.

Last summer, G4S recognized the Textile, Garment, Leather and Security Services Workers Union in Malawi, and in October, our union and the company started to negotiate an agreement for G4S workers there. But the company offered a wage increase which does not even keep up with the cost of living.

Our workers simply want justice. We believe that G4S, as the largest multinational in Africa, has a responsibility to work with us to achieve this.

Madonna, please join us in shedding light on the plight of these workers who deserve dignity and hope. Join us in the fight to get a living wage and decent working conditions for the parents of Malawi. The best way to end AIDS in Malawi is to give the workers in our country a chance to earn the dignity that a good job should provide.

Comments

[noneIn2008]

Watch out what you ask for. The Hollywood types get involved they will ask for a boycott of companies making goods in you country to force the companies to comply. This will cost everyone their jobs.

[ZimboChick]

Well said Mr Chuma. Problem that frustrates me daily is that people get caught up in the hype and instead of treating the cause, treat the symptoms. One way or another we are going to be colonised for a while!

[KristenfromMA]

I'll be interested to learn if Madonna responds to this plea. Unlike her 'Raising Malawi' project, it doesn't seem likely that 'Kaballah' has anything to gain from helping out in this situation.