Orphan Outreach Transforms Lives In Malawi For A Decade And Counting
Operating under the Everlasting Life Missionary Church based in Zomba, the care centre opened in 2013 to address the challenges orphaned children face in securing basic necessities.
ZOMBA, Malawi— A church-run orphanage in this southern region city celebrates 10 years of uplifting vulnerable youth this year, helping scores of homeless and unsupported adolescents to not only survive but thrive through high school and beyond, writes Thabit Mussa.
Operating under the Everlasting Life Missionary Church based in Zomba, the care centre opened in 2013 to address the challenges orphaned children face in securing basic necessities.
They are often driven into homelessness after losing one or both parents.
“Children who have lost one or both parents face a lot of challenges in life to find accommodation, food, clothing, and an education. To respond to their plight, our ministry decided to establish an orphan care centre,” explained founder Apostle James Chikopa.
While residing at the facility, boys and girls attend nearby schools to keep up their studies.
Staff emphasise excelling in class and conduct follow-ups should anyone start struggling, even sending some children back to their home villages if they fail to meet expectations.
Centre graduate Tiyamike Thando Maso-ambeta said such rigour helped motivate her through secondary school after her family property was stolen following her parents’ deaths.
She recently earned an advanced diploma in information technology from the University of Malawi.
“I’m so appreciative of the helping hand that the ministry provided for us. Without the Ministry, I don’t know how our situation would have been,” remarked Tiyamike, now pursuing a professional career in IT.
Her younger sister remains at the centre in eighth grade. Carers cover educational expenses and provide a stable environment for achieving longer-term goals.
Fifteen-year-old Abdul Austin came to the facility in second grade when his widowed mother could no longer afford costs.
“I was referred to the Everlasting Life Ministry Church Orphan Care Centre to proceed with my school. I’m so inspired by a home I found here,” Austin said.
The ministry also runs community outreach, delivering food packages and other support on top of housing a dozen pre-teens and adolescents in a two-story compound.
At least 30 individuals regularly access provisions through the extended relief initiative.
But 10 years on from inaugurating the orphanage, Apostle Chikopa says more space is needed to meet demand as children continue losing parents to poverty or HIV complications.
He hopes to develop boarding annexes in order to expand the capacity for nurturing Zomba’s neediest youth over the next decade of operation.
“We plan to expand the centre with boarding facilities to accommodate as many orphans as possible, as we are currently able to house 12 girls and boys due to a lack of space,” Chikopa revealed, inviting public assistance for capping another fruitful 10 years of transforming lives.