The Place Where Guinea Find Food
Dwangwa, Malawi … The word “mdyankhanda” means, “The place where the guinea finds food,” and for 173 orphans in villages north of the Dwangwa Trading Center this center is where the children find hope, food and a future. Not only does this Community Based Development Association spread its wings to care for the orphans in the villages nearby, they also serve 25 members of the aged community, along with 11 people with mobility issues.
This agency started through a financial grant from the Malawi Project on 18 August 2001. It was given to Robert Chilemba, a former associate of the Project in the central region. With the funds earmarked for community development Robert and a group from the local villages formed the Mdyankhanda Orphan Care Center. With a catchment area of over 15,000 people the center finds itself, from time to time, overwhelmed with the needs of this rural area of Malawi.
Mobility Unit for Bertha
During the recent famine the Center requested assistance from the Malawi Project for food aid. Wilson Tembo responded with enough fortified rice to feed 1,260 people. At the time the food was delivered, Wilson learned about a young girl in the village and her near death meeting with a Cobra. Bertha Jere (7-years-old) was outside one day when she was attacked and bitten by a poisonous Cobra snake. They rushed her to the capital, but by then the poison had damaged her leg to the point that any effort to save it would put her very survival at risk. The medical teams at Kamuzu Central found it necessary to amputate the leg so that she could survive. This, however, left her unable to get around, or even go to school.
Mr. Tembo sought to remedy this situation by allocating one of the first mobility units shipped to Malawi from Mobility Ministries in northern Indiana. Today she hand peddles her way to school and to other points around the village so she can spend time with her friends.
Mining Semi-Precious Stones
The Center is currently focusing on mining semi-precious stones, which are abundant in the area. These can be sold in both the local and the world market. The Center is working to obtain picks, 14-lb hammers, stone chisels, shovels and other needed supplies to open their mining and processing efforts. Licensing has been obtained, and research on what they are looking for has been acquired, therefore all that remains is the hand equipment to begin operations.
Fruit Trees and Drip Irrigation
In the area of agriculture they are seeking assistance with drip irrigation systems so they can expand output. They also need assistance in acquiring fruit tree seedlings to plant throughout the villages. These various strategies represent the standard agenda for this Orphan Care Center continually looks for ways to make a difference in the lives and future of their children, elderly, and needy.