by admin | Jan 18, 2024 | BLOG
One of Y-Malawi’s greatest testimonies is the Vocational Training Center (VTC) located in Nkhotakota. What started out as a way to train a few Malawians of a useful skill they could use to make money and sustain themselves has now turned into a booming success. The VTC now runs a store as well, selling products made by the students attending the training sessions.
This center teaches the trainees skills such as carpentry, welding, tailoring, as well as artisan skills like making bracelets and necklaces. Once the trainees have completed their course, they’re given capital, which is funded by donations, to start their own businesses. With the amount of products being produced during training, the VTC has opened its own store where they sell the products. The money earned is used to improve the VTC itself as well as pay the employees and trainees that work there.
Moving forward, the 2024 vision is to expand the store by constructing a new building in the front of the property to better display the products being sold. No matter how far we advance in life, the Lord teaches us that there is always room for improvement as discussed in 2 Peter 1: 3-11. So in keeping with that theme, Y-Malawi hopes to continue growing its ministry through the VTC as the year progresses.
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by admin | Jan 18, 2024 | BLOG
Can you imagine coming second place in a race where there are one hundred other participants? That’s what Caroline did! Caroline is a Malawian girl in standard 6 (4th grade). She is among almost one hundred other students, yet she was ranked as second best according to her grades in all of her classes. In her gratitude, she attributed her success to the Y-Malawi youth program known as Reading Corners.
Reading Corners welcomes all children no matter their learning level to teach and help them practice their reading and writing skills. Run by Y-Malawi volunteers, the program gathers every week with over a dozen children in attendance to essentially tutor them so that they can better succeed in their academics.
Caroline’s testimony tells us that these programs are having a real impact on these children’s lives as well as their futures. By providing them with a place to harness their potential, they all have a chance to achieve their goals and dreams. Thanks to your donations, Reading Corners continues to thrive with materials such as pencils and markers for the children. Continue to keep us in your prayers so that more children can succeed as Caroline has, after all, children are the future.
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by admin | Jan 9, 2024 | BLOG
Have you ever considered something as simple and mundane as doing your homework as a blessing? To these girls, it is. Girls in Malawi face many obstacles in their pursuit of education. The weight of household responsibilities falls fully on them which leaves little time for them to focus on their schooling.
Once they are able to complete said responsibilities, many are required to walk great distances to reach their school due to a lack of schools in their area. The journey to school is not only long, but also dangerous as many girls have reported frequently being harassed by men. These obstacles make it so that the girls are discouraged from attending school which increases the drop out rate of young women in high school.
Y-Malawi works to prevent such situations and one way they have done so is by building Home Safe. Home Safe is a house in Nkhotakota, located strategically near a school for the sole purpose of providing secure housing for girls so that they have easier access to their education. This house shelters 13 girls, all of whom attend school. Over the years, through your donations, things like beds, tables, bookshelves, and lightbulbs have been added to the house so that the girls can effectively complete their work.
The photo above is a testament to how far this project has come. The girls are now able to attend school easily while comfortably doing their homework in Home Safe. This testimony teaches us to be more appreciative of the simple and mundane tasks in our lives because even they can be counted as blessings. 1 Thessalonians 5: 18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
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by admin | Jan 4, 2024 | BLOG
Hebrews 13:7 reminds us to imitate the faith of our leaders, but in a world where not all leaders are good spiritual mentors, it’s important that we follow those who remain in the Lord’s Word. Such leaders can be found in Dwangwa, an area that has several villages and many chiefs. Chiefs deliberate on village affairs and generally lead and influence their people. Recently, a group of 18 chiefs from Dwangwa gathered and began holding Bible studies together through Y-Malawi.
During one of their sessions, they read Proverbs 13:22 which says “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.” As a response to this lesson, it was decided that they would plant trees so that their grandchildren could reap the fruits. Y-Malawi provided the saplings needed for the project and in total, the chiefs planted 850 trees.
In doing so, not only did the chiefs lead by example by demonstrating their faith, they also invested in all of their villages by planting trees that will benefit everybody in the future. It is our hope that when people see their chiefs being proactive in their faith, they will see Christ through their work and come to Him. How are you leading by example in your community?
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by admin | Dec 13, 2023 | BLOG
In the same way that everybody goes to work every day, so did Jesus! He was a carpenter who did wood work for a living. Y-Malawi’s Economic Empowerment Program works to provide that same opportunity of a sustainable job for Malawians. This program helps many Malawians in their businesses so that they can independently provide for themselves and their families.
Earlier this year, the program provided start-up materials for a woman named Tulayi Maulidi and her small business. She runs a corner shop that sells convenient products for her village. It is through this business that she is able to support herself and her family.
Thanks to the program’s contribution, Tulayi’s corner shop is progressing well. She’s even able to purchase new items to add to her revenue so that she can boost her business. The profit she gains from running the shop, she buys food and other basic needs for her family.
This is a testimony to the effectiveness of the Economic Empowerment Program truly working and touching people’s lives. Your prayers and words of encouragement are vital to this program because they help us to keep working. In the same way, your actions towards economically empowering the people of Malawi are just as vital and helpful. As James 2:15 says “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
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by admin | Dec 12, 2023 | BLOG
Maybe you never thought about it, but God was the first farmer! Y-Malawi partner Fishers Trainers and Senders includes teaching Farming God’s Way in their Bible study curriculum. This innovation teaches class members different agricultural methods that they can apply in their own farming. Frank joined this group as an effort to aid the financial challenges he and his family were experiencing. After a few weeks of attending, Frank started his own small farm with one acre of land, where he planted watermelons.
This is new because most Malawians only plant corn as subsistence farming. They depend on this corn as their primary source of food. Frank is expecting big results from what he has learned. He is holding on to the faith that his efforts will prove to be fruitful. He has already started thanking the Lord for the opportunity to learn more about farming. His faith has pushed him to even encourage his peers to dive into the unknown as well. They are trying new farming methods too.
James 2:14 says “What good does it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” Frank has perfectly emulated this principle of acting upon what he believes. He is praising the Lord before the harvest, believing that God will provide as he has promised. Then he is acting on those beliefs. We can all take a page out of Frank’s book and apply this same principle into our lives.
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