by admin | Apr 11, 2020 | BLOG
At 78 years old, Alefa didn’t have a private bath. It’s hard to imagine. During her lifetime she had a husband and 6 children, death took them all. She was left a widow, partially paralyzed by a stoke. With no other choice, she moved in with 4 grandchildren who do their best to care for her. They work in the rice fields for day wages to support themselves and Alefa.
In all her years and all her experiences, Alefa has never had a private bath. The bush outside her home had always served this purpose, but now elderly and partially disabled even this task became difficult, embarrassing. In Alefa’s words, “I am of age, I cannot keep helping myself in the bush. I need privacy, and this is so shameful.”
One day a church in the Y-Malawi Church Network visited Alefa while doing door to door evangelism. When they realized Alefa’s situation they decided the best way to show the love of Jesus was to do something. They gathered others together and built a new latrine for Alefa. Nothing fancy, but her own private bath. Alefa could not believe the church had done this, “The coming of this church to construct this latrine for me is a big relief. Now I believe that God indeed visits his people, he has just done that to me.”
Serving others doesn’t take money, status, or an invitation. It just takes being open to simple ways you can share the love of Jesus with others.
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by admin | Apr 4, 2020 | BLOG
The Apostle Paul wasn’t dealing with COVID-19 when he wrote Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” Yet, his words are good counsel.
What if we take Paul’s words to heart? We can spend our time thinking about what we cannot do, how the world has changed, and how it used to be, or we can decide to turn our focus to what we can do.
At Y-Malawi we choose to be proactive and continue moving forward to serve the people of Malawi in this crisis. Below are some of the things our teams are doing.
- Distributed thousands of hand washing stations. With no running water, hand washing is difficult but these stations make it possible.
- The Vocational Training Center has made many thousands of masks. These are being distributed at no cost to those who cannot afford.
- Y-Malawi teams have held education training sessions for between 5 and 10 thousand people. These share basic knowledge needed to help stop the spread. Sessions help people understand the risks associated with large cultural events like marriages and funerals.
- We have distributed soap free of charge to those who cannot afford. Teams are even working on making soap at the Vocational Training Center to give more people a vocation and increase distribution further.
- With children unable to attend school, abuse in the village has reared its ugly head. Literally thousands of teenage girls are already reported as pregnant. Y-Malawi partners are holding campaigns to educate children and teens about abuse, what it is, and what to do about it.
- Our partner World Relief has taken on the role of leading and coordinating efforts for all NGO’s working in the area. This to create a synergy of efforts and improve impact.
- With children falling behind in schooling, we are taking education directly to the village with teachers visiting on a rotating basis to not only help children catch up on education lost, but to act as an advocate for those now alone.
God has given us another opportunity. This is not the time to quit, this is the time to move forward and show the world what the love of Jesus looks like. If you want to help click the button below any amount will help. May God bless you for doing so!
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by admin | Mar 26, 2020 | BLOG
It was a battle. A battle between hunger, death and love. Late in 2019 the hunger season in Malawi began. Very quickly it was evident that this season was going to be bad. It was a perfect storm of sorts. Storms and pests converged to damage life giving crops. The food ran out early in the season, people were going to die.
Then a miracle. The Y-Malawi family came together to provide help. During the peak of the hunger season (January, February and March) Y-Malawi fed thousands who through no fault of their own were starving. Not starving like having missed lunch. Starving because they had not eaten in days with no hope of food coming. Comments from those helped tell the story, “God has not forgotten us,” “I could not dream of this day coming,” He has sent you to rescue us,” and “Now we know that there are others who care.”
New crops are growing now. The battle is nearing an end. Hunger tried to have it’s way, but the Y-Malawi family would not allow it. People have felt the love of others, they have felt the love of Jesus. They will not forget you made a difference. Click the button below to watch a video about the 2020 Hunger Response.
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by admin | Mar 26, 2020 | BLOG
She was abused at 15 and had her first child at 16. Her name is Judith. Living at home, she tried to return to school after having the baby, but life had now become too difficult. Her mother was single. There were other siblings in the home. Judith had to work in the fields for day wages trying to help make ends meet.
She dropped out of school and married a man who she thought would rescue her. Instead, the man ran off leaving Judith to have a second child and another mouth to feed. To survive, she moved in with her grandmother, two sisters and her own children. Judith was now 19 years old. With no other option, she returned to the fields, working in the hot sun for day wages. Still a teenager, she had already learned how hard life can be. The family was barely able to have enough food to eat one meal a day.
Then Judith heard that Y-Malawi was registering women for sponsorship in a nearby village. She saw a chance to change things. She registered and could not believe it when just a few months later she had a sponsor. Once sponsored she and her children became food secure. She was able to return to school. Through sponsorship Y-Malawi was able to pay her school fees and provide school supplies. She was walking several miles to school each day so her sponsor gave her a special gift of a bicycle. Judith is doing well and will graduate high school soon!
Her family follows Islam, but through sponsorship Judith has joined a Youth Club, she is reading the Bible daily. Her life has changed from one weighed down with despair to one filled with hope. She is happy and has big plans for her future. In her own words, “I am so happy to be sponsored. My sponsor has said she is praying for me. I will not disappoint. I am the only girl in my village at secondary school, I must be a role model for others.”
Sponsorship is giving girls like Judith hope. Sponsors are creating role models for other girls that will impact not only them, but entire communities.
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by admin | Mar 25, 2020 | BLOG
In the 60’s there was a popular television show called Father Knows Best. While it’s true that fathers do know a lot, most of us depend upon mom a lot too. That’s especially true for those growing up in the village. Mothers play a primary role in running the household and raising the children in Malawi. They are the glue that holds Malawian families together.
This makes mothers a valuable resource in fighting misinformation, keeping children in school, avoiding child abuse, and promotion of safe lifestyle habits. To capitalize on the important impact mothers can have, Nkhoma Youth has taken the initiative to form Mother Groups. Most of the women in the groups are more mature. They have seen and experienced more of life. They understand the challenges younger mothers and children face. They have experienced the same issues in their own families. They can tell stories of both failure and success.
These Mother Groups come together to discuss the challenges young people are facing in their communities. They share thoughts, solutions, what is working and what isn’t. They share resources and connect folks together with others that can help. The best part is that they also study God’s Word together, learning what the Bible has to say about life and living it from a Biblical world view.
Then these mothers go back into their communities and share. They teach young girls about health issues that are normally taboo topics in the village. They counsel parents regarding child protection and the responsibilities of parenthood. They link with pastors and other church leadership to encourage and promote Bible studies. They become mentors, surrogate mothers, teachers and confidants. They are changing their communities from the inside out.
Mothers have always held a position of respect in Malawi, but now they are taking on a new role of leadership. This gives expanded meaning to those making important life decisions as they ask themselves, “What would mother say?”
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by admin | Mar 14, 2020 | BLOG
They come to school barefoot. Sometimes their clothes are tattered. Yet, they come. The children of Malawi are just like children everywhere. They are hungry to learn. Yet, they face challenges that many other children don’t face. Often no paper, no pencils, 150 students to a single teacher, parents that cannot read or write themselves. All of this makes becoming a good student more difficult.
To make a difference churches in the new Church Empowerment Zone have taken up the challenge. So far, they have started 14 new preschools to help students become better prepared for school. To help them get a head start. To help ready them so that they do not become discouraged. To give them hope.
The churches have not only started the schools, they have hired teachers. They have been granted land from village Chiefs. They have recruited mothers to feed children lunch. They have planted Maize to provide ongoing financial resources for the schools.
Working with Fishers, Trainers and Senders (FTS), Y-Malawi is providing much needed support. Each school is visited regularly and provided teaching resources, chalkboards, paper, pencils, and learning aids. Teachers have been trained and are being coached during visits regarding the latest methods to help children learn.
It’s a partnership of community, Village Church, FTS and Y-Malawi that is working. More churches are planning schools. Some even hope to expand beyond the preschool level. One church leader said, “We thought of what our community needed most. We decided on schooling for our children that could make a difference. We did not know how it could be done, we only knew to try. But now it has been done. Our children are schooling. They are happy, we are happy.”
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