ProjectDzanja La Chifundo Orphanage, Malawi
WACIA Trustee visit to Djanza la Chifundo Orphanage, Malawi; May/June 2009
Lucy and Gordon Hayes manage this orphanage near Blantyre, Malawi, which gives a home to thirty children (14 boys and 16 girls) from the ages of five to sixteen. The newest arrival is just 18 months old, and he is now becoming healthy and developing well after suffering malaria and malnutrition.
Lucy and Gordon work as volunteers, and are supported by donations and gifts from friends and supporters. The orphanage itself runs on financial donations; supported by local gifts of food, clothes and other supplies for the children.
The children all attend school, or the pre-school on-site at which Lucy teaches. Some children from the local area also attend the pre-school. Schooling is free at primary level, and fees are charged thereafter. Some of the children have potential to study at a higher level, if sponsorship is found.
Over the next 2-3 years the orphanage will gradually expand to take 45/50 children and plans have been drawn up for a new pre-school building. Once this is complete, donations will be welcomed for equipping the classrooms and feeding centre.
Gordon has drawn up plans to develop the garden area and provide a small coffee and craft shop, so that local families can spend time enjoying the grounds. A meeting room is partly built, though work has stopped due to lack of funds. When complete, this will be offered to local organisations for meetings and will be available for children to do homework and other activities.
A further plan is to convert half of the current grain store into a receiving bay for deliveries of donated goods, where they can be sorted and surplus or unsuitable items can be repacked and forwarded to other groups. For example, a current goal is to support more elderly people.
Gordon and Lucy work hard to develop links with the community, for example they forward some of the donations of clothes that they cannot use to other local orphanages, and have assisted local nurseries in various ways, also contributing to renovations at the local school. They encourage relatives to visit children in the orphanage, usually providing travel expenses.
It was a privilege to visit this lovely place in May/June 2009, and to see these children attend school, help around the house with daily chores, and play football matches! Gordon, Lucy and the children welcome any support we are able to give, and I believe the bunk beds that WACIA funded recently are already in good use! Elizabeth Gunn, WACIA Trustee.
Currently, Lucy and Gordon feel there are opportunities for interested supporters to:
(Exchange rate was 257 kwacha to the £ in May/June 09).
- Sponsor an individual staff member's salary (6,500 kwacha per month from the end of the current year
- Sponsor three individual students' secondary fees at 30,000 kwacha per term = equates to 10,000 a month (Condwanie, Elevi and Ruth)
- Contribute to electricity bills, for example, a month's electricity (20,000 kwacha)
- Fund new bunk beds to increase capacity (WACIA already providing some of these)
- Mattresses, blankets etc. (9,000 kwacha)
- Once the new pre-school is built donations will be welcomed for equipping the classrooms.
- Buy a small deep freeze to store donations of perishables, such as occasional gifts of chicken.
- Buy an ‘over-locker' sewing machine to improve the quality of uniforms and clothes that are made on site (a tailor is usually on site but the post is currently vacant).
June 2008
Following a donation from WACIA to the orphanage we are delighted to have received the following feedback from Gordon and Lucy Hayes.
'Thanks again for your generous donation. This makes our children know that they are special and deserve to experience a little of what we so take for granted in modern homes and families'
Through your recent donations we have been able to set up and purchase the following:
- A music centre at the orphanage
- An administration centre with computers for the children. This is a new and ongoing project which aims to teach the children administration and business skills
- Onsite shop to sell and store what the children produce, also an outlet for local village people to display their own craft
- Paper making workshop
- Tailoring and needle workshop
- Material for school uniforms
- A small kitchen to teach the children cooking and other related skills which will also serve our own small outdoor cafe
- Lawn mower and fuel container
- Curtains for the girls wing
- Good quality linen/towels
- Paints to brighten up the orphanage grounds
- Good quality locks for security plus a small electric safe
- Rubbish bins for the grounds
- Clothes and shoes for the children
- Filing cabinet
- Laminator
- Mini football nets
- Energy saver light bulbs
- Vegetable seeds
'Our next major challenge is trying to purchase the year ahead's grains. Maize alone has increased threefold since last year. The price of food seems to be increasing rapidly and we feel not only for our children but the community and country as a whole'
- Gordon Hayes For the Children of Dzanja La Chifundo
Please CLICK HERE to view pictures of items bought with the donation.
Lucy Hayes runs the nursery and works to develop the children’s motor and visual responses. If you would like to donate specifically to the Dzanja La Chifundo Orphanage please click on the picture of Lucy and the children (to the right).
To find out more about Malawi, click here!