New baby twins

Last week on the 28^th of July we went to Chimbalanga area to share the gospel and do sport games with a group of visitors from America and the local village people. This was organized by PB+J. While most people walked around in the villages to share the gospel I decided to go to the borehole to get water needed for the games later that day. I found some girls to help me carry the water as the borehole was a far walk.
On arrival in the village the chief informed us somebody died the night before so most people would be attending the funeral. However he allowed us to organize the sport games so the children could join. At the borehole we found many women talking about the funeral. With my little understanding of the local language I could follow the conversation. The women were talking about the mother who died and left two little babies.
Back at the gathering place I asked a translator if he could confirm the story and indeed I understood them correctly. I asked the girls who helped me carrying the water to bring me to the babies. I found two precious little babies lying in a hut next to the dead body of their mother. I asked the grandmother to explain to me what was happening and so she started talking.

The mother of the little baby boy and girl was the fifth wife to her husband. Together they had 5 children. The husband has a total of 25 children between all the different wives. He takes no responsibility and doesn’t support any of his wives. The mother was the only daughter in her family so there are no aunts to help her with the children. The grandmother is old and HIV positive. There are a few uncles but Malawian culture says they don’t need to take care for children of other women and so they don’t.
The chief joined the conversation and I asked him who is going to care for the babies. The answer I got was terrifying. The father wanted the babies to die and informed the family he wanted to bury them alive together with the mother. Malawians believe that if the mother dies soon after the birth of twins you have to bury the children with the mother. If not you will be bewitched.

It could not be a coincidence that I was in the village just a few hours before the children would be buried with their mother. God sent me there to save these two little, innocent babies.
I asked the chief and grandmother if they agreed with the father. They asked me to please take the babies and so I did.

This is why my house is so important. It is not an orphanage but prenatal infant care program. Providing care for those desperate in need. I’m currently discussing the future for these two children with the family. It is difficult for the grandmother to allow adoption as it is not very common in Malawian culture. However it will be very difficult for her to care for them as she is already caring for the older three siblings too.

Adding the two new babies there are 12 children in my house now! The extension to the current house is highly needed.

Love,

Nicole

Farming God’s way

As briefly mentioned in my previous blog every Wednesday there is a qualified trainer from Lilongwe coming to teach people in my program about farming God’s way.

When I admit a new child or family in my program I often supply them for a long period of time with food because they have nothing to eat. As it is not possible and also not my goal to just feed them I’m very happy with this opportunity.

Most Malawian families grow maize, soya, beans and groundnuts. How much of each they grow is mostly depending of the amount of land available. As most people have a very small piece of land most families only plant maize and a small amount of soya. Most Malawians drop out of school at a very young age and therefore farming is not learnt at school but at home. You copy the farming techniques from your parents and grandparents. However the farming techniques they are using are very poor. There is only one raining season per year and families are completely dependent of their harvest therefore changing these farming techniques is a very difficult task. Most families harvest nothing or very little food because they cannot afford the fertilizer. With the current way of farming fertilizer is needed as the ground is exhausted.

A while ago Daniel started teaching around 30 people at my house. They had to arrange their own transport to my house and back home, which means for some people several hours of walking to join the training. There are no allowances involved. In the beginning people were not very enthusiastic but because they trust me they decided to join and listen. One week they would come, the other week they stayed at home. I kept encouraging them and they decided to join more frequently.

Last week I went together with the trainer Daniel for a field visit to see if they were practicing at home what they were learning at the training. I was a bit scared to go because I thought they would never change their farming techniques so easily. Many organizations tried to teach the people how to farm different however they always fall back into their own way of farming.

Last Friday my hart was filled with joy! Every person we visited did what we asked him/her to do. They all told me we trust you, without your help we would not have anything therefore we are not scared to change. We know you love us and you are sent by God to help us. I’m so proud at all of them! I thanked Jesus so many times this day because all of this is only possible because of Him. I feel so blessed He is giving me the opportunity to improve so many different lives. I forever thank Stand as one ministry from Canada for providing a teacher. He is a very patient and qualified trainer with a great passion for Christ and teaching.

We asked all people to make their own compost. They could choose to make a compost pile or compost pit. How to make the compost they learned at the lessons in the previous months. They had to collect all materials themselves; grass, leaves, branches of trees, maize stocks, animal droppings etc. Also we asked them to cover their fields so the sun is not going to burn on the sand for several months. 

Attached some pictures of the field trip.

Love,

Nicole

God keeps growing my family!

It is a while ago I wrote a blog. It is not always easy for me to find time to sit down and write a story. There are 10 children currently living with me and they definitely keep me busy! Beside them there are another 150 children in the home-based care program. Every Wednesday a professional trainer is teaching around 40 parents/guardians of children admitted in my program about Farming God’s way. The trainer is sponsored by Stand as one ministry from Canada and I’m very thankful for this opportunity. The people learn different farming techniques so they can increase harvest and eventually become sustainable again. In the previous years I have been trying to teach some families myself however due to a lack of time and limited knowledge I’m very happy a professional trainer is doing this job now.
While I’m writing this story I’m in the hospital again. Mika was admitted last week with cerebral malaria. During the day we went to the hospital and were send home with medication. During the night however his situation became critic. I rushed to the hospital and he got admitted immediately. That night he convulsed several times, I watched him all night. He was put on oxygen and stayed unconscious for another two days. Right now he is recovering and doing much better however still sleeping most part of the day. I praise the Lord He took care for little Mika because things could have gone much worse.
In the last few months a lot of things changed in my family.
Esinta lived with me for 7 months. Her mother died when she was 1 year old and she was diagnosed with TB. I assisted the family caring her back to health. She is now living with her father.
Another 5 children joined my family!

Eneless and Jonas are sister and brother and were living 5 hours walking distance away from Nkhoma hospital. The area were they were living is very rural and healthcare is not easy accessible. Both were born HIV positive however only started on medication after several years. The mother who became HIV positive somewhere before getting pregnant of Eneless delivered both children in the village and was therefore never tested. About one year ago she became very sick and was found HIV positive. The HIV was already very advanced and February of 2016 she died at home in the village. A week before the grandmother of Eneless and Jonas died. The 12 years old sister continued taking care for her little sister and brother however couldn’t manage. On top of that the village decided that they did not wanted these children because they are HIV positive. They had no place to go so I decided to take them into my house.  On arrival in my house they were very sick. They were immediately admitted in the hospital and diagnosed with stage 4 HIV, Tuberculosis and severe malnutrition. Both are greatly improving at the moment. 

On the picture Eneless when she arrived in my house and Eneless after 3 months staying with me.

Mika joined our family several months ago. He was born to a mother who is mentally unsound. The grandmother was taking care for him however couldn’t manage anymore because of the severe status of the mother. She is very aggressive and difficult to take care for. She was beating Mika. Mika is currently 9 months old. He is a very handsome and happy boy. Please pray for a good recovery so he can come back home soon.

Joshua is the smallest in our family. His mother died during childbirth at the traditional healer leaving 9 children. The grandmother was trying to take care for all children however couldn’t manage. The father who is very supportive is currently taking care for 2 children and the grandmother for 6 children. The youngest one is in the Africare house and will start living with his father when he is around 8 months old.
Zenet also joined our family a while ago. She is a girl of 11 years old. She is coming from a very poor family. Her brother died earlier this year because of severe malnutrition. Zenet was living with her grandmother because her other remarried another husband. This husband had no interest in Zenet so she was abandoned from the family. He grandmother kept her at home very sick. For months she was not able to walk or do anything. When I got her out of the village she was immediately admitted in the hospital and given a blood transfusion. Her hb was only 4. She also had severe malnutrition. Zenet is a very energetic girl and is currently discovering a whole new world now she is able to go to school.

Love,

Nicole

hunger season

The family Kangunje lives in rural Africa. The family has 6 children, both parents are farmers. The family is incredible poor. Their house is a very small round mutt hut, basic facilities as a toilet and a bathroom they do not have.
Last year they only planted one type of crop; maize. Because they could not afford fertilizer or manure they only harvested one bag of maize. Their food supply finished last year may. Since May the parents are trying to look for daily jobs to buy some food for the children however they failed. On Sunday the 24^th of January Lukas Kangunje died because of severe malnutrition.
Lukas arrived at Nkhoma hospital Saturday the 16^th of January. He had severe oedema in both extremities. He was very weak and barely able to walk. The mother said she wasn’t able to find jobs and Lukas did not eat anything for 4 days. He was immediately admitted and started on high calorie milk and fortified peanut butter. However everyday Lukas became weaker.
He developed severe diarrhea and the days before he died he could not sit or hold his head up anymore. Lukas is in a safe place now. Like a good friend said; he is in the arms and the comfort of our Lord. Our Lord will take care of Lukas now but he will be missed.

Everybody in the family is malnourished and stunted. I started helping the family immediately, without help more children will definitely die. I provided them with the Fedwell Phala made and donated by Stand as one ministry. All children eat 3 times a day a cup of phala now. A big thanks to everybody who contributed to the Fedwell Phala project! The mother asked me if I could help her with Zenet, her 11 year old daughter, she was also sick so I send a bicycle to the village to pick her up. She also got admitted at Nkhoma hospital for severe malnutrition and severe anemia. She received blood and chiponde from PB+J.

This family is not the only one; there are many more families in the same situation right now because of the poor harvest last year. Please pray for these families. If you would like to donate to fight the hunger please go to www.africarefoundation.com.

Love,

Nicole