Meet Blessings

Blessings is 18 months old and she is one of the first children to be sponsored to attend Mother Teresa Children’s Centre. Beehive works with social services, local health workers and the village chiefs to find out which children need the most help. The “multi-agency” team meet together to look at referrals for those most in need. Blessings is cared for by her mum and her great-uncle in Chilomoni. Her mum was not able to complete her schooling; her great-uncle has TB and has not been able to work for 6 years. The poor economic state of Malawi has lead to huge price rises for everything; two years ago it would have cost this family 10 000 kwacha to plant their maize field, now it costs them 30 000 kwacha and they just cannot afford to do it.  They are living on handouts from kind friends and neighbours. The Beehive team thought that Blessings needed a chance. She now attends Mother Teresa Children’s Centre where she plays and learns with others, she also has three meals a day.

A generous and caring Krizevac volunteer has personally undertaken to fund the school fees so that Blessings’ mum can go back to school, she’s hoping to become a nurse. This family will still have many challenges to face, but at least now, they have a chance of a secure future.

In January 2012 we opened the doors of Mother Teresa Children’s Centre, children in Chilomoni and Blantyre can now access high quality childcare in a beautiful purpose built setting.

The 250 place childcare rooms are only a small part of the children’s centre, but such an important part! We know that children develop so fast in their first few years and that a stimulating, engaging and safe environment can make the world of difference in helping them to learn and thrive. This centre is designed to help children to learn for themselves through play, they’ll be cared for by staff who have gone through rigorous training delivered by two UK volunteers over the past 18 months. We’re using UK standards in terms of staffing ratios and room sizes, so that the 250 children who will be in our care can receive individual attention.

Mother Teresa Children’s Centre allows parents to work, train and volunteer in Beehive and other organisations knowing their children are safe and happy.

Many children in Chilomoni do not have parents. Some children have such vulnerable life chances because of utter poverty or ill health. And these children would never have the opportunity to access this centre without sponsorship

Beehive has chosen to allocate 100 of the 250 places to children who would have no hope of enjoying these wonderful facilities without financial support. Beehive will be funding most of these places (who would have thought that renting out JCB’s and selling old bikes would ever be helping orphans to access daycare?!) But in these very early days, Beehive needs extra help.

So could you…

Give a child a chance?

In the UK a full year of childcare will cost around £8850

We’re using UK standards, UK ratios….but a full year of care in Mother Teresa children’s centre only costs £800

We hope that businesses, schools, churches, community groups and children’s centres would like to sponsor an orphan or vulnerable child in Chilomoni to attend the centre.

We ask for a donation of £800 (in a single payment or spread throughout the year). For this the child will receive:

• Top quality year round care
• Uniform and/ or clothing
• 3 meals a day

Perhaps most importantly they will have a chance….

A chance to learn, be healthy, be safe and to have some fun and make friends.

In return, your organisation will receive:

• A plaque so you can display your support for others to see
• A newsletter three times a year
• The knowledge that you have genuinely given a child a chance

Please contact George, our UK Coordinator to find out more:
Email:george.furnival@krizevac.org
Telephone: 0845 0036004

Thank  you!