Nearly a month ago Angie and I were brainstorming about what we could do for Christmas to help the people we have come to love here in Kasungu, Malawi. We thought of giving some Christmas gifts like soccer balls, or clothes. But we decided that although not as exciting as toys, food would be a more practical gift.
The rains are just now starting to come so everyone is finally able to plant their crops. But the problem is that they can’t harvest for another three months. These are the most difficult months of the year (the “hungry season”) and people are desperate and the need is great. (If you want to get a better idea of what life is like here, you checkout the Netflix Original, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. It’s a true story and very accurate to the culture and struggles that go on here. The story took place in the town where we live- the boy’s parent’s home is 15 minutes away from our house)
We mentioned our project to a friend back home in Mapleton, Utah and he wanted to help. He and a couple of my close friends spread the word and even went door to door to tell our story. Our story was out there and within a few days dozens of friends reached out and made donations from Utah, Idaho, California, Texas, Italy, Australia, Guatemala, Germany, and Switzerland.
2,000 lbs of rice!
We bought 4,500 lbs of corn which we ground into flour (called “ufa” in Chichewa language)
We raised enough money in the first two days to cover the costs of our food project. We were able to provide food for 1-2 weeks for 160 Malawian families in Kasungu Town, Linyangwa, Mphommwa, and the refugee camp in Dzaleka.
Here is Brother Saka who explains what we included in the food parcels
We feel very blessed that we get to be on this side of things and see the reactions. We raised more money than we needed and are excited to continue to help the humble people here. We have already been able to complete/fix three roofs and give seeds and fertilizer for planting crops.
Maize (corn) seed
Making deliveries
Far right is the village chief of Mphomwwa
We are also helping people start businesses to become self reliant. In January we will be holding self reliance courses to help people increase their income through entrepreneurship since there are very few jobs available here.
Many hours have been put into planning projects, purchasing items/food, delivering to each individual in their own homes, and discussing future business plans. The biggest project that we will be pursuing is digging wells in two different locations which will bless hundreds of people with access to clean water. This will also provide a way to water crops through irrigation so they can plant in the dry season and get three harvests per year instead of just one.
We want to thank everyone that donated and helped make this project a reality. Because of your generosity this Christmas season, 160 families received helped right now and it’ll continue to bless the lives of many people for years to come!
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