by admin | Mar 13, 2020 | BLOG
Her mother died of HIV/Aids last year. Her name is Shakira. Before her mother died she was sponsored through Y-Malawi’s program to empower women and girls. While alive, Mom received food and proper medical care to extend her life. The Father left long ago, so this help enabled Mother to care for her five children.
When Mom died the Y-Malawi team was right there by her side, praying and comforting. Y-Malawi paid for her funeral and proper burial. Now Shakira and the other children are staying with their Grandmother. She is elderly and can hardly care for them. The good news is that Y-Malawi has not left the children alone. This picture was taken while a Field Representative was delivering food. Shakira wears the only clothes she has. Her bother is in the background.
When they realized what was happening the entire village came to thank the Y-Malawi team. They sang songs of praise to God for what He is doing through Y-Malawi. They sang songs of praise to God for what He is doing for this family and for the people of their entire community.
Jesus cared for vulnerable children like Shakira, He calls us to do the same. Want to sponsor someone like Shakira? It’s easy, just click the button below learn more.
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by admin | Mar 13, 2020 | BLOG
A Chief is like a king. In the village the Chief makes all decisions. He or she (there are women Chiefs) will approve your marriage. They tell you where you can build a house. They settle disputes in the village. They handle those that break the law. Nothing happens in the village without the Chiefs knowledge. They are very powerful.
This is the story of Chief Chatanga, he is pictured here with his wife. Born into a family that follows Islam, through the Chiefs Ministry of Y-Malawi, Jesus has been calling to Chief Chatanga and his family. Not long ago he became a follower of Jesus. As a new Christian, Chief Chatanga is holding and attending Bible Studies. When his friends came to ask why he is no longer attending prayers he replied, “You should be led as you wish, but for me, I must follow my heart’s desire and that is now Jesus.”
Others are now coming to follow Jesus too. It’s because of the leadership and testimony of Chief Chatanga. God is using the Chiefs Ministry and Y-Malawi to not only change the lives of Chiefs, but of entire communities.
Click here to learn more about Y-Malawi Click here to donate and help us open hearts for change! Click here to watch us and subscribe on YouTube!
by admin | Dec 20, 2019 | BLOG
For the majority of girls in Malawi, life does not have a lot of choices. You may get the chance to go to elementary school, but less than 3% of girls ever graduate high school. Most families expect girls to learn to cook, gather wood and water, take care of children and work in the fields. Before age 18, half of Malawi’s girls are already married. 84% of births (that are recorded) are from teen mothers. Most girls have few dreams. They accept the idea that their fate has already been set for them by someone else. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
For almost 2 years now Y-Malawi has been working to empower women and girls in the community of Nkhotakota. It is one of the poorest districts in Malawi. During that time nearly 500 girls have been rescued from early marriage. Some of those girls have gone back to school. The fuel that is powering this program is sponsorship. 50 some girls are now attending high schools. Y-Malawi is paying their school fees, providing schooling supplies and even helping with food and lodging for those who must travel long distances to class.
But is all of this really making a difference? Are girls really being empowered? Are lives really changing? To find out we visited some of the girls at their school. We asked them a just one question. What do you want to do when you finish school? Frankly, the answers surprised even us. Not one of the girls gave thought to not going on to college. They have big dreams. Their goals included airline pilot, lawyer, doctor, even President!
These are the women that will impact the future of Malawi. They will influence not just the course of their own lives, but those of their families, churches, communities and nation. It won’t happen overnight, it may even take a generation, but it is happening, and we feel blessed to be a part of it.
Click here to learn more about Y-Malawi! Click here to donate and help us open hearts for change! Click here to watch us and subscribe on YouTube!
by admin | Dec 20, 2019 | BLOG
At 18 years old, Cosmas was a 7th grade drop out. His life was going nowhere. Then a relative insisted he attend a Sunday School hosted by World Relief, a Y-Malawi partner. He went reluctantly. The first day the instructor thought he was on drugs. The second day he began to listen. The third day, he made a decision to follow Jesus.
The instructor told the class that they should bring a Bible. Cosmas didn’t have a Bible. He didn’t know where to get one. All he knew was that if this was God’s word, he needed to know what it said. He determined he would find a Bible. With $3.37 in his pocket, Cosmos started going door to door in search of a Bible. He was overjoyed when someone agreed to sell him one.
It took every cent he had. It didn’t have a cover. It was missing Genesis and Revelation, but it was the word of God. He started reading. He started praying. He started changing. He started memorizing scripture. He became a top performer in class. Even sharing with others what he was learning in his daily reading. His instructor was so impressed she bought him a new Bible. One with a proper cover and all of the books!
This once lost boy, was now filled with hope and a sense of purpose. Cosmas story does not end here. This is just the beginning. Now he is sharing what he has learned with everyone he meets, everyone who will listen. He shares with children, youth and even his elders. He has gone back to school. He takes his new Bible and his new tools with him wherever he goes. Cosmos is an example to us all.
His life demonstrates the power that we can harness in God’s word. The Holy Bible.
Click here to learn more about Y-Malawi Click here to watch Cosmos story on video Click here to donate and help open hearts for change!
by admin | Dec 5, 2019 | BLOG
She could have escaped poverty, instead she chose to fight it. When Apatsa (black dress, on the right) graduated with a university degree in Community Development, she could have gone anywhere. Less than 10% of Malawi’s population have a college degree. Less than 2% of women do. Her degree is extraordinary, and so is Apatsa. She decided to return to her village in order to make a difference for the community she grew up in.
Apatsa isn’t alone. This past month Y-Malawi added four new Community Facilitators to the staff working to empower women and girls in Nkhotakota. All four are educated by Malawi standards. Like Apatsa, Khumbo (white blouse opposite Apatsa) has a degree in Community Development. Both Ida and Thokozani (center) have high school diplomas. Most importantly, all four carry certified love for God and others.
In their new role they will be visiting and monitoring the progress of sponsored women and girls. Amazing progress has been made by those sponsored already, but this new team will help achieve even greater accountability and results. Since they live in the communities in which they are now working, this team will be the face of Y-Malawi as we continue empower women and girls, while sharing the love of Jesus.
They will travel utilizing a bicycle and communicate with cell phone and other internet tools. We are so excited to have these four on staff. Our empowerment program for women and girls is continuing to grow. With this new talent we are positioning to make an even greater impact for those most vulnerable and for the kingdom of God.
Click here to learn more about Y-Malawi Click here to empower a woman or girl Click here to view our YouTube Channel
