NEWSLETTER – APRIL 2022

MZUZU AIDS ORPHAN CARE PROGRAM CANADA – MALAWI

SMILES OF HOPE AND JOY!

In the summer of 2005, the Church of St. Peter’s Cobourg received an urgent appeal from the Church of St. Mark, Mzuzu. St. Mark’s was attempting to feed 250 AIDS orphans once a month, but was in financial distress and unable to keep their commitment. The current orphan care programme grew out of this original request. The parishes of St. Peter’s and St. Marks have successfully created a unique program to ensure that these children will grow and thrive in their own rich indigenous culture.

From that time until the present, St. Peter’s has cooperated in funding a series of long- term projects for weekly feeding each Saturday and health and dental care. Through generous annual donations, monthly sponsorships and fundraising we are able to successfully meet the financial needs of the children on an ongoing basis for all 250 orphans.

Even a small contribution can bring big changes in the lives of our children. We have supported child headed households, and many Grandmothers as they bear the family burden of care for young lives. Our children do not go to orphanages, but are part of

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their own communities as they go to school, receive medical help, and learn new skills as a means of bringing new hope and reducing poverty in their lives. The children receive gifts of food, clothing and other important items in individual packages, and the Mother’s Union volunteers manage the secondary school children’s needs similarly. Also, skills training continues but with the same cautions applying for the children involved.

The feeding program and HIV supplements are still the main focus of the program. But health and dental care are funded and we are able to support ten children at secondary school and four young people who are taking post-secondary studies. There is a tailoring program and some young people are making masks for the parish and general community. Recently a skilled volunteer is again teaching tin smithing to several young orphans.

Latest News from Mzuzu in April 2022.

Here are some very moving letters written in their own words by some of the older students –

THE SAD AND HAPPY MOMENTS IN MY LIFE

My name is Chipo Sangano. I was born in 2004. I lost both my parents when I was very young and have been raised by Grandparents. Even though they are poor, I thank God that they have managed to raise me with love. I do pray to God for their protection.

I am a big girl and doing well at school, waiting to write Malawi School Certificate of Education Examinations, working hard to achieve my goal of becoming a Medical Doctor. Happy and healthy because of you good people from St. Peter’s Cobourg, Canada, through St. Mark’s Care Mzuzu, Malawi. I salute you all. May God continue to bless you.

Apart from the food the Orphan care also provides us with tailoring training and I am proud that I can make my own dress, school fees, books and writing materials, uniform, upkeep money and healthy care. Once again, I am proud of you good people. God bless St. Peter’s Cobourg, Canada and St. Mark’s Mzuzu.

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THE JOURNEY TO MY LIFE

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I am Shadreck Mwale a form 3 student at Secondary school who has been always aiming to become a Medical. I am the last born of 10 children in my family. 8 children did not continue with education due to lack of school fees, following the death of our father to me. I am greatly thanking the Church here in Malawi, Canada and the entire supporting team. It is not difficult for me to continue with school because of the support from Canada. It is my plea to you that you continue doing this to me and other orphans. There are a lot of school dropouts in Malawi due to unavailability of people like you. May God continue to bless you and increase the number of years to your life. God bless St. Peter’s Cobourg, Canada.

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CHALLENGES OF MY LIFE BEFORE ST. MARK’S ORPHAN CARE RESCUED ME

My name is Seba V. Banda and I am 17 years old. I was brought up in a family of four children. In 2012 my Father died in a car accident and since then we have been raised by a single parent (my Mother). Life was unbearable after I lost my Father but luck came on my way when St. Mark’s Orphan Care registered me. Apart from getting food, health care, I am also privileged to learn how to do tailoring work. Four years ago, I was selected to Katoto Secondary School, now I am in form 4 waiting to write Malawi School Certificate of Education this coming September. All these years things were not difficult for my mother because all school necessities were being taken care of by the Orphan from fees, uniform, books, writing materials as well as upkeep money. I am working hard to pass with good grades so that I can be able to further my education up to university level.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for helping

me and other Orphans here in Malawi. It is my prayer that God should continue to bless you all there in Canada.

THE LATRINE PROGRAM

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The latrine program is an independent project that falls under the umbrella of the MAOCP program. Almost 70 latrines have been built: four at St. Mark’s church and the remainder at homes throughout the city of Mzuzu. The latrines benefit the orphans of the feeding program and their families. People or animals often fall in the old pit latrines, and they overflow and contaminate groundwater during major rains. The new latrines reduce disease, sexual assault and keep the local water sources clean. The

photos show before and after. This latrine build was for two orphans in the program (Gift and James) but others in the family benefit. Their old latrine was quite good in that it had a solid structure surrounding it, usually they are completely surrounded in old
tarps. The man on the right in the new latrine photo is Project Manager Paul Kamlaza and he’s doing the key handing over ceremony. They have to be locked to prevent the neighbours using them.

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Our story, from 2005 until now, has been a narrative of hope, growth and finding opportunity for positive change for the orphan children. Many young lives have come through our Mzuzu program and are now adults – adults with useful skills – in spite of difficulties they have faced.

Our Malawian and Canadian teams rejoice that we have been able to sustain the many children in their struggles. We love each child and pray and seek to encourage them as they make their future choices. At. St. Peter’s and St. Mark’s, Mzuzu, we would seek to reflect the teaching of the Lord Jesus, to love one another. In a way, each of us has perhaps, a distant parental role to follow in this.

You, our donor family have generously opened your hearts to support these young lives.

Thank you so much for all you are doing. Sincerely – Colin Turnpenney and MAOCP team.

You can see from the above letters and report that the Mzuzu Orphan Children’s Care Programme in Malawi, is carrying out vital care work supporting these orphaned children and families. The ways your gifts can support the program are shown below:

$100

• Purchase 5 family sized mosquito nets to prevent malaria

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• Pay an instructor to teach tailoring for 2 months
• Annually make children smile at Christmas with gifts of soap, sugar, salt and oil
• Purchase new shoes, blankets and used winter clothing for 5 children
• Feed one child every Saturday for 3 months$200
• Provide funding for sick orphans to have hospital visits for 2 months
• Purchase lamp oil for 10 students for one school term (to study at night)
• Fund new green agricultural and self-sustaining feeding initiatives
• Purchase shoes and clothes locally for 20 children$300
• Provide special Likuni Phala feeding for one month for HIV children to reduce mortality rates and maintain health
• Provide school uniforms for 5 students
• Provide emergency drugs for 250 children for 2 months
• Fund for orphan crisis relief as needed$400
• Send one child to secondary school for one year – for uniforms, tuition fees, books and one daily meal
• Tailoring training for girls and boys for 5 months
• Additional cost of blankets annually$500
• Funding a nurse and doctor bi-weekly on Saturdays for priority orphan health check-ups for 2 months
• Purchase of vegetable seeds and plants for small local kitchen gardens.
• Special costs for emergency hospital visitsCrisis ReliefIt became apparent that many of our children have serious needs that do not fit into the current areas of care. An example, is of two little brothers whose family hut burned down, leaving them homeless and vulnerable. With our help they now are part of a caring family in Mzuzu.Gifts are under the umbrella of St. Peter’s, Cobourg as a registered charity … # 10803 8563 RR001.For more information please visit our website: www.mzuzuchildren.com For further contacts: Colin Turnpenney, Coordinator, MAOCP, St. Peter’s, Cobourg (colinv@bell.net)