Village Update: Oct-Dec ’17
Dear our wonderful Project Kindy Village,
Happy New Year! Thank you for an incredible 2017 – we grew from 7 kindergartens to 11 due to a whole lot of new regular and once-only donors. These new kindergartens were initiated by the villages themselves – seeing the great model run in nearby communities, they were inspired to teach and nourish their own children in this way.
It is truly a sustainable partnership – our part is the fundraising/fundsgiving, the Canossian Sisters show the way and support the people and the kindergartens are built and run by the village volunteers. That way, the kindergartens are knitted into the fabric of the local community, from within, and over time they encourage more pride and value in education.
For details and photos of the new kindergartens please see www.projectkindy.com
Below is a letter from Sr Josephine, giving us insight into the world in which the sisters live and serve.
“Dear Project Kindy,
Nsanama is a small village with a growing population, particularly of children. Whilst there are many children in this particular part of Africa, due to strict cultural practices and financial restrictions, many families do not see the value of sending their children to school. Ignorance, poverty and lack of employment cause early marriage and this leads to the widespread problem of HIV and AIDS, thus increasing the number of orphans.
The reality in which we live has prompted us to open our hearts to welcome, care and educate the children of Malawi, so as to help them to begin a journey towards a brighter future. This is aligned with the reality that education is the key to escape poverty.
At present we have more than 700 children distributed across 11 kindergartens. Many mothers walk kilometres with their children to attend one of our kindergartens, conscious that not only do their children receive basic education, but they are provided with one meal per day. This food provision helps to combat the situation of famine which is devastating rural Malawi. The food provided for the children is a very nourishing porridge consisting of soya beans, maize flower, pigeon beans, ground nuts and sugar.
The establishment and daily running of these 10 kindergartens is made possible with the collaboration of 30 parents who volunteer to teach the children and help them to grow with values and good manners.
The Canossian Sisters manage to oversee the operations of these centres, with the help of 12 volunteer coordinators who regularly visit the kindergartens and make sure they are functioning properly, for example supervising the parents who volunteer their time to teach the children. Volunteer co-ordinators also see to the equal distribution of supplies for the food for the children.
In our efforts to help people to become self-reliance, vegetable gardens and honey production were started to provide some income for families as well as have some help for the kindergartens.
We are indeed very grateful to all the donors for the huge support to assist our efforts to reach out and offer education to our children. May the Lord bless you abundantly and reward you missionary hearts.
Sr. Josephine Allieri and all the children of Nsanama”
Thank you all so very very much.
Kind regards
Donna Power
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