For those that regularly read the posts on our website or WhatsApp group, you’ve likely come across the term child headed household more than once. Although the phrase is somewhat self-explanatory a bit more detail might help you better understand this special group of people that we work with. For a long time before COVID-19 entered the scene, Malawi has been rife with different epidemics, HIV, and Aids being arguably the most devastating. Death is an everyday reality for the people of this county.

HIV/AIDS and other epidemics

A testimony to this is the estimated 1 million orphans in Malawi.

Care of Orphans in Child Headed Households

So, what happens when a child is orphaned? Unlike Western countries, Malawi does not have an extensive foster care and adoption system. Instead, the care of orphans is often relegated to extended family members. Sometimes this involves the children relocating to live with these relatives.

But those who are old enough often stay in the family home and are given supplementary support. This wouldn’t be feasible in the West, but in a country where most houses have no electricity or running water, and therefore no utility bills and no property tax, it is a viable though, not ideal option. The tradition of relatives living in close proximity to form family villages is another reason the system is possible.

Often though, these children’s slipped through the cracks. The extended family members may hardly be able to provide for their own families, let alone additional children. In some sad cases, the relatives of these children simply don’t care enough to look out for them. And so you have a situation where countless teenagers are left to fend for themselves and their siblings with little to no outside support. Many drop out of school, many become pregnant, and almost all are struggling to survive.

Opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ

When we first met with the chiefs of the villages surrounding our site, this was one of the issues they brought to the table. Some may see it as a political move, and, it has indeed put us in good standing with the chiefs, but we saw it as an opportunity to practically demonstrate the love of Christ to the needy in our community.

Each month we provide 15 child headed homes with a care package that includes food staples and basic toiletries. We also help them with school fees and supplies each term. The children are invited to monthly meetings, where we play games, discuss any issues they have and share the Word of God with them.

Although our discussions have never gotten as deep as I was initially hoping, these meetings have provided a wonderful opportunity to get to know the kids on an individual level. It has been amazing to see them open up and become more comfortable with us. Of course, our ultimate desire is that each one would come to know the Lord as their Savior.

I see this work as a stepping stone towards that end. Please pray with us that God will work in each heart and draw them to himself. The one who can and will care for them infinitely better than we ever could.

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