Every year the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Malawi (ELCM) presents a list of needs which may be met
through our partnership. The following items have been donated by
the Malawi Mission to the ELCM. PLUS: Bibles, Biblical Commentaries,
School Supplies, Soccer balls and other playground equipment, Cloth
and various textiles for vocational school.
$66,000 Vocational Training Center in
Madisi, Malawi
$10,000 Medicine from King Pharmaceutical and other donors
$9,480 Orphan Education
$5,000 Widow’s Fund
$4,391 ELCM Famine Relief for Orphans
$3,589 Bishop’s Charity Fund for persons who are disabled
$3,500 “Santhe” Chapel in the village of Kasungu
$2,500 Shallow Water well for Mponella
$2,233 Bicycles for Lay Evangelists
$1,750 ELCA World Hunger Program for Malawi
$1,500 Village Shallow Water Well
$1,000 Start up funds for Arts and Crafts project
$600 Clergy Shirts for ELCM pastors
$250 Sewing Machine
$111,793 TOTAL DONATIONS
Below you will find needs
(CLICK ANY) that can
be helped with your donation:
FEED A CHILD
CARE FOR A
WIDOW
PURCHASE
A BICYCLE
TEACH A CHILD
PROVIDE
CLEAN WATER
BUILD A CHURCH
BUILD A PARSONAGE
BUILD A
TEACHER'S HOUSE
ASSIST IN SKILL TRAINING
ASSIST IN FEEDING CENTERS
DONATE TO THE BISHOP CHARITY FUND
DONATE TO THE LOAN REVOLVING FUND
DONATE TO THE SEWING FOR SUSTENANCE FUND
DONATE TO THE MISSION AND EVANGELISM FUND
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES
ADULT LITERACY
PROGRAM
Feed
a Child - Many families in Malawi cannot provide enough food to
feed their children. The average income per person is only $210 a year.
Children under five are affected the most. Hunger has a cure and you can
be part of it! That is the good news in a world filled with the bad news
of famines, wars, floods, droughts, earthquakes, typhoons, and
tornadoes. A world where one in five people are hungry and where 24,000
children die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. People are
hungry because they are poor, and natural and human-initiated disasters
only intensify the problem.
How can you help?
For $30, you can feed a child for more than a month. The Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Malawi currently cares for over 6,000 orphans, all of
which are under the age of five. These children have lost one or both
parents to AIDS. Through the Church, they receive food three times a
week in the form of fortified porridge. The Malawi Mission sends
monetary aid to the ELCM to help purchase food for these orphans. You
can be assured that 100% of your donation will reach children who are
hungry and you will be directly responsible for their relief.
Make a Donation
The starvation statistics for
Africa tell their own horrifying story. Two hundred million people are
chronically undernourished in Africa. Thirty two countries in Africa
need food aid to keep their populations alive. The World Food Program is
estimating it will need to feed 43 million hungry people in Africa this
year. (2006)
One child dies every five seconds of hunger and related diseases. You
have no doubt run across these sad statistics before, perhaps in a
television appeal or a news article. Frankly, they are hard to get your
mind around and, worse yet, a bit paralyzing. It's difficult to imagine
all that loss of innocent life, and who would want to? But if you had
the opportunity, as I have, to see some of these young children, to hold
them in your arms and look into the eyes of their pleading mothers, the
statistics become far too real. And they haunt you.
Millions still starve in a world of plenty
James Morris, Citizen Special
Published: Friday, April 13, 2007
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Care
for a Widow - Donating $50 Fund will help provide vocational
training for women in need. The AIDS pandemic has a broad effect on the
population of Malawi. In a male dominated society, women are left
helpless when their husband dies. The Malawi Mission has established a
Widow’s Fund whereby we are providing vocational training so that these
women might support themselves and their families.
Make a Donation
In some parts of Africa, widows are accorded second class status and are
generally denied sufficient legal protection. Most
African customary
laws generally do not recognize the right of a widow to inherit her
husband’s property and a widow is viewed as her husband’s property.
Burial and mourning rituals imposed on widows inflict different kinds of
loses. Most of these widows experience the loss of personal dignity, the
loss of health, and sometimes, the loss of life while still in their
‘black’ outfits.
While the statistics on HIV/AIDS in Africa are staggering, beyond any
situation I have heard of in the US—I do believe that God is still at
work. In a sense, it can be easy to think, ‘Thank God I’m not in that
situation, Thank God I don’t live in Africa” - but we must remember
that, the God of the US / West is still the same God over Africa—leading
the hearts of leaders and organizations in the way he pleases. It does
not make sense to me that millions are suffering, without parents,
struggling with HIV/AIDS. But, I know that God is good and he cares for
the orphans and widows. James 1:27 says “Religion that is pure and
undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit widows and orphans
in their affliction. . .” Should we even get involved with HIV/AIDS? I
say yes, it is God’s heart to care for the orphan, the widow and seek
justice and care for those in need. Because we are God’s body, the
church, I believe we should be involved as he leads—God is merciful, and
at work—but he also uses us here on earth to do his bidding.
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Purchase
a Bicycle - Donating $100 will provide a bicycle for a lay
evangelist. The ELCM is growing faster than the Church can provide
pastors so the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi trains lay
evangelists to share the Gospel. They hold services in several locations
each week, traveling from village to village where they minister to the
sick and comfort the
families of those who have died. This gift of a
bicycle enables them to reach their brothers and sisters in their time
of need. Make a Donation
A.) Motorbikes - Many of our Parish Pastors and Assistant Parish
Pastors are allocated in parishes where they have to serve 10 to 15
Congregations and Preaching Points. To reach these Congregations and
Preaching Points our Pastors have sometimes to cover distances of more
than 50 km. This makes regularly visits and proper pastoral care nearly
impossible. Therefore it is necessary to provide our Pastors with
Motorbikes that will enable them to reach these distances. The price for
one Motorbike and helmet is approximately USD $4,500.00
B.) Bicycles - In our Parishes we have many Evangelists and
Parish Workers. These lay leaders are trained to assist the Pastors in
their local areas. Through their service they are contributing a lot to
the growth of ELCM. To support their work we would like to assist them
with bicycles, so that it will become easier for them to visit regularly
their Congregation. The price for one bicycle is approximately USD
$100.00
The cost of owning and operating a bicycle is very high for Africa’s
rural population in comparison with their compatriots in other parts of
the world. For example, Malawians would need to spend their earnings
from over 650 days of work at the rural minimum wage to do so. A study
on rural mobility in KwaZulu-Natal (V3, 1997) found that providing
bicycles to scholars to assist them in traveling to school was the most
appropriate intervention – unless the typography was unsuitable for
bicycle use - and considerably cheaper than subsidizing scholar
transportation. It found that the same number of pupils could be
provided bicycles at a quarter of the cost of subsidizing their travel
by public transport.
We know that if we provide
bicycles to our pastors and lay evangelist it will enable them to meet
with many more people than on foot. Buying a bicycle to one of these
motivated individuals is comparable to buying someone a car here in the
states.
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Teach a
Child -
Donating
$420 will sponsor a child’s education for one year.
In Malawi, only elementary school
education is provided by the government and it is severely under funded. In
order to provide a proper education for these children, the Lutheran
Church in Malawi has established private primary, secondary, and
vocational schools which require students to pay tuition for each
semester they attend. Malawi Mission Scholarship Sponsors commit
their financial resources to help a Malawian student attend school. But,
hopefully, the commitment
goes beyond the financial. Sponsors get to know
"their child" and his or her family. Letters and pictures are exchanged.
Relationships are built. And relationships can last a lifetime.
The annual cost to send a Malawian
student to secondary school for one full year is approximately $420.00.
Since most Malawian schools are residential (due to the difficulty of
transportation), this covers the total cost of room and board, books,
tuition and minor medical care. Make
a Donation
Many young people who are
qualified are not able to attend Secondary Schools due to the high cost
of school fees. Therefore ELCM would like to assist orphans and other
needy young people who are desperate for education. The amount per year
needed to assist one child with school fees and uniform approx. US$
150.00
For almost 35 years since
independence, Malawi had only one public university, the University of
Malawi established under an act of Parliament in 1966. An influx of
substandard private owned universities and colleges emerged on the scene
and mushroomed all across the country after the wind of change that blew
across the country in 1994. Before 1994, the single state owned
university satisfied the then low tertiary education demand exerted by
the aforementioned period since those completing secondary school
education were usually few. Those who had an MSCE could still secure a
good job as such, university education was mostly viewed as a luxury.
Bingu’s dream university and tertiary education in Malawi
BY KULEZA PHOKOSO
15:11:52 - 27 April 2007
...BACK
Provide
Clean Water - For $1000, you can help provide fresh drinking
water for an entire village. In many villages across Malawi, drinking
water is obtained from streams or open wells. These sources are
contaminated by both human and animal feces. They also carry water born
diseases that take the lives of those who drink from them. The Malawi
Mission is providing shallow water wells for villages. Fresh drinking
water saves lives.
Make a Donation
Every 15 seconds, a child dies from diseases related to unsafe water,
inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene. A) Shallow wells – safe and
protected water for all is a must. In many areas people don’t have
access to safe water. They are using water out of the nearby rivers or
other unsafe sources. During the dry season, women have to walk long
distances to find water. The majority of the rural communities are
threatened by a variety of waterborne diseases. To reduce this threat,
the church has resolved to make safe water accessible to rural
communities, particularly where congregations run and maintain feeding
centers for orphans. The community participates in the digging and the
church provides the purchased construction materials (cement). The cost
for protecting a community well is approximately US$ 2,500
More than 1.1 billion people worldwide have no access to clean water.
Without action, this number could more than double to 2.3 billion men,
women, and children by 2025. And the consequences are astonishing:
Diseases resulting from unsafe water and lack of sanitation are the
leading causes of illness worldwide.
Lack of accessible water is especially pervasive throughout rural areas
of sub-Saharan Africa, where it has a particularly devastating impact on
women and children. Traditionally, the task of water collection
literally falls on the shoulders of women and girls, who collect water
at the nearest stream (often from a contaminated source) and carry
containers filled with up to 40 pounds of water back to their homes.
Average distance traveled to a water source? Five miles every day.
...BACK
Build A Church -ELCM is a fast growing church. We now have over
38 Parishes, Parishes in Preparation, and Mission Areas. In these
Parishes we have nearly 200 Congregations and Preaching Points. In some
of the new established Parishes and Mission areas it is difficult to
build a Chapel or parsonage for our co-workers due to financial
limitations. Because of this situation, many Congregations and Preaching
Points still conduct their Sunday Worship Services under trees or in
shelters. This becomes even more pathetic during the hot and rainy
season.
Before the Congregations
receive any financial support from the Head Office to build a Church,
the members have to mould enough bricks and be ready to do most of the
work to construct the Chapel. With your support the Head Office is able
to contribute money for cement, roofing-materials, windows and doors.
For different chapels and buildings the costs are approximately:
1) Parish Centre Churches
US$10,000 – 15,000 (needed urgently in all Parish centers).
2) Village Chapels US$ 5,000 (needed in most rural congregations).
3) City Churches US$ 15,000 - 20,000 (needed in most City
Congregations).
Worship furnishings, benches (pews) US$ 3,000 – 5000 depending on the
size of the church or chapel
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Build A Parsonage - Most of our
Pastors and Evangelists are staying in rented houses. The house rents
have become a real burden to our operational budget and Parishes.
Therefore it is our aim to build houses in all Parishes and
congregations for our Co-workers. For different houses and parsonages
the costs are approximately:
1) Parsonages at Parishes Centre US$ 6,000 – 10,000
2) Village Parsonages US$ 3,500 – 6,000
3) City Parsonages US$ 12,000 – 15,000
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School Blocks and Teacher
Houses - In 1994 the Government of Malawi introduced Free
Primary education. However they do not identify enough money to build
schools. They do not have resources to build additional school blocks to
accommodate the growing number of new students. Therefore, most of our
Congregations, in rural and urban areas, find themselves with the need
and the challenge of providing and assisting the communities in
providing educational services which require the building of school
blocks as learning centers. We see the need of the people and would like
to assist in building school blocks. We do this only if the community is
ready to mould bricks necessary for the construction of the school block
and are willing to carry out most of the construction work. The funds
required in this work, just like in building churches, is mainly to
provide support for purchasing construction materials. A school block
contains two classrooms. To build school blocks and teacher’s houses the
costs are approximately:
1) School Blocks (Two
classrooms) each US$ 10,000 – 15,000
2) Teacher’s House each US$ 6,000 – 10,000
3) School Furnishings (Blackboards and desks) US$ 3,000 - 5,000
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Skill Training - Young People who have completed their secondary
education but have no opportunity to go to college, and those who may
not be able to complete secondary school due to other reasons, have to
find ways and means to develop skills in order to find employment.
Without skill training, it is impossible to find any proper employment.
Therefore ELCM is seeking assistance for its “Skill Training Program”.
The focus of this training is in carpentry, bricklaying, driving,
agriculture, bookkeeping, accounting, and computers. For the
above-mentioned courses amounts are needed between US$250.00 and
1,000.00 for a full course.
Co-Worker’s Children -
Where possible, ELCM would also like to assist the children of our
church coworkers to complete schooling because they often are not able
to pay the fees. The amount per year needed to assist one child with
school fees and uniform approx. US$ 150.00
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Feeding Centers
(Feeding the Little Ones) - As stated above, and due to the
growing poverty and the increase in diseases such as HIV/AIDS, the
number of Orphans is increasing rapidly each year. It therefore becomes
necessary to respond to the needs of orphans and review regularly the
services provided by the Feeding Centers. In these Centers, we are
providing the 50 most vulnerable orphans and needy children, under the
age of 5 years, with a nutritious porridge, some medicine, and other
basic essentials. ELCM currently maintains and runs over 118 feeding
centers comprising of nearly 6000 children. To provide this care
requires more than $105,000 per year. The cost to feed a child one
serving of the basic porridge mix is estimated at US$ 0.25 cents. Your
support in contributing towards this program is needed in order to save
the little ones and will be highly appreciated.
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Bishop’s Charity Fund - The
Bishop established this discretionary fund in his personal effort to be
in solidarity with the poor and the suffering. This fund is used to
assist the needy with clothing, blankets, food, medicine, school
uniforms and supplies, and many other such items. Where possible,
disabled people are assisted with wheelchairs and other enabling means
such as crutches. Consideration is also given to meet the cost of
medical expenses for needy people where life is threatened and
assistance is crucial. Every contribution towards this program,
financial or in kind, in order to continue these services shall be
appreciated.
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Loan Revolving Fund - This fund
was established by the church with the aim of assisting needy people in
general, and women in particular, with special attention given to
widows, in their efforts to start small-scale income generating projects
for self-sustenance. With this fund we grant small loans to individuals,
groups, and congregations in their efforts to start their own small
projects or businesses to assist themselves, their families, as well as
being able to support their congregations. As an example, it is possible
for less than US$100.00 to start small-scale farming or a small
business.
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SEWING FOR SUSTENANCE - This
project enables women to acquire sewing skills that enable them to sew
for their families, their church and communities, and to also develop an
income-generating project of their own. To accomplish this, financial
assistance is required for regular seminars and training workshops that
are conducted by the Women’s Desk of the church. Furthermore, assistance
is also needed to purchase fabric and sewing materials, and to assist
women’s groups and individuals with seed money to set up a project. The
cost of a treadle sewing machine is approximately US $250.00.
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MISSION AND EVANGELISM FUND
- The work of witnessing for Christ is still large among the Malawian
communities and therefore the need for emphasis for the church’s mission
and evangelism. Therefore it is our task to reach people. The harvest is
plenty but the laborers are few. ELCM is challenged with the opportunity
to start new preaching points and congregations. The work of witnessing
for Christ is undertaken by members of the church, particularly
Evangelists and Choir groups. To do this we would appreciate support for
transport and literature (Bibles, Catechism, Liturgy, and Hymn Books).
For example, $5.00 will buy one Bible. Your contribution toward this
program shall enable us to reach more people for Christ.
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INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATION SERVICES - In order to keep communication flowing
with the people we serve as well as with our Partners in Mission, the
Information Office of ELCM was established. As part of that effort the
Information Office publishes a monthly bulletin and a quarterly
newsletter known as “Tigawane” (share). Through which we share
information with our members and our Partners in Mission. In addition to
this, the Information Office helps in facilitating communication with
all our partners, the Companion Synod, and sister churches. Assistance,
financial and in-kind contributions, e.g., computers and laptops,
cameras, and ink toner, is needed to continue this service.
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ADULT LITERACY PROGRAM - Many
members of our communities are illiterate, and not able to read or to
write. However, most of them are very eager to learn how to read and
write, and to be able to read the Bible or sing from the hymnal.
Therefore in cooperation with our Department for Development (ELDP) we
conduct and maintain action oriented adult literacy courses with an aim
to educate and equip communities with reading and writing skills. To
continue to offer these learning programs, financial and material
assistance is required.
PRIORITY NO. 8 - WORSHIP MATERIALS IN CASH OR IN KIND, Communion
vessels and Vestments (Stoles, Robes, Cinctures)
Keyboards, Pianos, Sound Systems for larger Churches, Worship
furnishings and benches (pews)
PRIORITY NO. 9 - PERSONNEL EXCHANGE
1. Ordained Pastor (married)
To be the Assistant Principal at the Lay Training Center and to assist
the Parish Pastor with Madisi Parish
2. Two Ordained Pastors (married) To serve as Parish Pastor in two of
our parishes
3. Technical Engineer To assist our Building Department in building and
water projects
4. Nurses (preferably female) To serve within the Diakonia Ministries
and Deaconesses assist with the feeding program and
the health mobile clinics
5. Teachers (preferably female) For ELCM Schools and in teaching English
as a second language
6. Office Assistants To work in the Head Office of the church
specializing in computers, communications, Accounts and
Finances
PRIORITY NO. 10 – OTHER ITEMS AND COMMODITIES
ELCM is appealing for essential commodities and items that can be
donated in-kind or purchased and shipped to Malawi.
A) Over-the-counter medications are requested:
1. Vitamins for children and adults, particularly women
2. Pain relievers for headaches, backache, and other body pain; also
pain relieving creams and gels
3. Cough and cold medication (avoid liquids), solid chewable or
lozenges; Vicks Vapor Rub
4. Chewable anti-diarrheals
B) Prescribed medications:
1. A fund to enable doctors and nurses to purchase medicines locally in
Malawi.
2, In the case of a medical practitioner visiting the feeding centers in
Malawi, it is recommended they solicit donations from
pharmaceutical companies, medical warehouses, as well as friendly
medical practitioners who may have surplus samples.
C) Other Items:
1. Bath soap, especially antibacterial Dial bar soap (solid)
2. Vaseline Petroleum Jelly (children and adult)
3. Toothpaste and toothbrushes
4. Baby powder
5. Iodized salt (packed separately
PRIORITY NO. 10 – OTHER ITEMS AND COMMODITIES
ELCM is appealing for essential commodities and items that can be
donated in-kind or purchased and shipped to Malawi.
1. Bath soap, especially antibacterial Dial bar soap (solid)
2. Vaseline Petroleum Jelly (children and adult)
3. Toothpaste and toothbrushes
4. Baby powder
5. Iodized salt (packed separately as a food item)
6. Sewing materials (fabric, thread, pins, machine needles, hand sewing
needles, scissors, seam rippers, machine oil, clothing patterns for
children (boys and girls) and adults). Gold trim and braiding for
Pastor’s stoles, lengths of braided rope for cinctures
7. Yarn, crochet hooks, knitting needles, Doily patterns and thread
8. Soccer balls, Volleyballs, and net balls
9. School materials (pencils, notebooks)
10. Girl's Underwear (age 2 -12 years)
...BACK
If you wish to help, please
contact…
Rev. Philip Bouknight
PO Box 37
Floyd, VA 24091
(540) 745-2096
rev@malawimission.org
Missionary zeal
does not grow out of intellectual beliefs, nor out of theological
arguments, but out of love. If I do not love a person I am not moved to
help him by proofs that he is in need; if I do love him, I wait for no
proof of a special need to urge me to help him. Knowledge of Christ is
so rich a treasure that the spirit of love must necessarily desire to
impart it. The mere assurance that others have it not is sufficient
proof of their need. This spirit of love throws aside intellectual
arguments that they can do very well without it. But if this spirit is
not present, a man is easily persuaded that to impart a knowledge of
Christianity (for it is noteworthy that such men always speak of
Christianity rather than of Christ) is not necessary -- nay, is
superfluous expense of energy which might be better used in other ways.
Roland Allen (1869-1947)
