His business card reads "Daniel Shipley, Helping Malawi One Dollar at a Time". Then his address, email address and phone number are listed at the bottom. On the back the card is filled with suggested items that are needed in Malawi; Band-aids, Folders, Paper Clips, Rulers, Pencils, Pens, Tooth Brushes, Tooth Paste and the thing that got it all started several years ago, raisins. The list goes on and on until the back of the card is full with the wish list that Daniel gathers up for the children of Malawi
In many ways this business card says a lot about this young man from Knoxville, Tennessee. It says he is in it for the long haul. It also says a lot about his mother and father. Malawi has become a vocation for him, and in turn it has involved great deal of time and energy for his parents, Dean and Jamie Shipley.
It started During the Great Famine
It started in 2002 when Daniel was just 11 years of age, and Malawi was suffering from the worst famine it had experienced since the 1950’s before it gained its independence from Great Britain. His story appeared on the Malawi Project web site after Daniel gathered raisins to send to the children who were suffering during the famine. Most people who learned of the famine helped for a few months until the worst of the famine had past, and then moved on to other programs of service. Not Daniel. He focused in on Malawi and increased his endeavors to assist the people there. After his inspiring story sparked a major food supplier to send an entire trailer load of raisins to Malawi, Daniel increased his own involvement again and again.
Today, Daniel is 17, and he continues faithfully to serve the people of Malawi. On a recent trip to Indiana to deliver supplies for an outgoing trailer to Malawi Daniel delivered buckets of needed items along with a sizeable check that he presented to Dick Stephens, Director of the Malawi Project.
You can read more about Daniel and others like him in the "Be The Change" section of the Project’s web site.