Miami University Team Makes A Difference

    "It was well worth it." This was the conclusion after a group of 21 volunteers from Ambassadors for Children, including 13 students and 1 faculty member from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, endured the 20+hour air flight journey to Malawi. Everyone instantly fell in love with the people and the culture.
   
    During their two-week stay, this group of volunteers worked and spent time with the children at Mtendere Village. The group not only raised $6,500 for the Village, but also dedicated their time to turning one of the empty buildings into a beautiful and inspirational library. The children of Mtendere and the volunteers from Miami painted side-by-side, while other staff from Mtendere were hard at work building the bookshelves. 

    Over four hundred books, donated by the Miami University Chapter of Ambassadors for Children, are on the way to the library as part of a truck shipment of supplies.

    Marissa Hirsh, one of the Miami University Directors of the trip summed it up in this way, "This was an incredibly significant project for the volunteers to be a part of – a library represents the potential that exists when people are dedicated to education. And these volunteers are confident that this library will make a difference in the lives of all of the children of Mtendere Village for years to come."

    During the rest of their trip, the Miami University group engaged in educational activities with the children, visited rural schools and local communities, and were inspired by the kind hearts of the Malawian people. Ambassadors for Children volunteers and Miami University students plan on returning to Malawi for years to come!