Community Centers
There are virtually no government resources in Malawi to feed the growing number of orphans, so Ministry of Hope has established community centers in six villages in the central region of Malawi. In April 2000, the first center was established in the village of Matapila. Since 2002, an additional five centers have been built.
The centers are a hub of community life in the village where children can come for tutoring and to access books from a center library. They also participate in a mentoring program from older teens in the village and by student volunteers from African Bible College. Regular meals are provided on a seasonal schedule. More frequent meals are provided during the “lean season” when crops have not yet been harvested. These centers collectively feed several thousand children on a weekly basis giving them the sustenance to maintain the strength for daily living and energy to focus on school studies.
The community centers are a collaborative effort between MoH and local villages. The villages generously donate land for gardens and community buildings, while funding for food, supplies, and construction primarily comes from international donors.
Educational Programs
Ministry of Hope sponsors scholarships for those in secondary school and college and this program has some of the most transformational and enduring impacts in the lives of Malawian children. It is also one of the most costly programs.
Scholarship support is a key aspect of this life-giving work. In Malawi there is no free public education after the 8th grade, and without the support of a family, a child's education would end at this point. MoH helps deserving children continue their education by providing scholarships that will support them through their senior year in high school at a cost of about $30 per month.
MoH students pass the high school entrance exams well above the national average and each year MoH sponsors more than 300 students in the secondary school scholarship program and close to 100 in the tertiary (college) scholarship program. As test scores have continued to improve among MoH students, the waiting list for scholarships has grown significantly. Each year we have more than 150 qualified secondary students and 30 qualified students on the tertiary school level waiting for scholarship funding.
Mobile Medical Clinic
Since 2008, the Ministry of Hope has sponsored a mobile medical clinic in communities that would otherwise lack access to essential medical care. The Mobile Medical Clinic, registered and approved to operate by the Malawian government, is staffed by a medical doctor, physician assistants, and nurses.
Each visit, MoH staff provide care to more than 300 patients, many of whom suffer from otherwise short-term, preventable ailments that have become more severe and prolonged due to limited access to medical attention.
Crisis Nursery
A crisis nursery located in the capital city of Lilongwe provides care for some of the smallest orphans in Malawi who have lost one or both of their parents or who have been abandoned.
The crisis nursery has the capacity to care for approximately 50 infants. During their crisis period, infants receive medical treatment, food, love and care from a nursery staff while arrangements are made to place them with relatives or local adoptive families.
Spiritual Development
Ministry of Hope is committed to providing spiritual guidance and support to children who are facing difficult circumstances on their own. Our mission is to nurture their spiritual lives and help them find hope and strength in Christ.
Children who attend programs at the community centers regularly receive a message of hope related to Christian faith and living. MoH staff and volunteers engage with the children, playing games, leading Bible studies, and encouraging their participation in a village choir.
Widows Program
The Widows Program offers a range of activities, including business management and income generating activities, adult literacy, community nutrition and food production, and home management skills. We aim to empower widows and help them build a better future for themselves and their families.
MoH has developed a partnership with Malawi Visions (link to site here), a mission of Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church in New Jersey. Malawi Visions develops sustainable infrastructure and programs to drive enduring transformation, opportunity, and hope, to help break the cycle of generational poverty in Malawi. Programs built and implemented at the MoH centers include:
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Solar powered lights and battery boxes: allows the community to gather after dark and students to read and do homework
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Solar powered irrigation: helps MoH to sustainably grow more of their own food, reducing the dependance on foreign aid
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Libraries: children are learning to read, expanding their mind and improving their test scores
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Classrooms and TLIP program: the Teen Life Internship Program (TLIP) hires teens to provide supplemental education to younger children. The teens learn leadership and responsibility, and provide the children community, mentoring, and supplemental learning in English, Math, and Science. Test scores for both the children and high school mentors are increasing, and they are striving to stay in school and further advance their education
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Sewing centers: villagers are learning a trade and further supporting their families
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Additional support: bibles for teen evangelism, books, laptops for computer classes, scholarships for university students, and support for MoH feeding programs.