The Children from Warehouse 727 collected a special Christmas offering to give uniforms, Christmas meal, & toy to orphans, most who have lost parents due to HIV/AIDS. This was the first time many of the children have EVER seen a juice box!! I am so proud of the children of Warehouse 727. Below is a letter from Karl Mueller, U.S. Director of Visionledd.
Hello Charlene & Warehouse 727, Hope you guys are doing well.
I wanted to send you a brief report of the Children’s Party, the kids in Warehouse 727 helped to provide to 257 children in Chatimba, Malawi. I hope you enjoy the report and the attached pictures.
Your gift provided such a huge blessing to the children and to the community.
WOW Children’s Party in Chatimba, Malawi
Chatimba is a community located about 30 miles southwest of the capital city of Lilongwe, Malawi. Composed of 5 villages, Chatimba has a population of about 10,000 people. Somebody Cares has beenworking in Chatimba since 2006. The people of Chatimba are hard-working farmers, who in recent years have begun to produce enough food not only to feed their families, but also to sell to other communities. Despite this, the poverty level is still high (poverty is defined as living on less than $1 a day). Because of HIV/AIDS, there are several hundred orphans and vulnerable children in this community. Most girls marry before the age of 15, and rarely have the opportunity to go to school.
The nearest public school is about 4 miles away. The day of the party, the Somebody Cares staff was welcomed by a group of children – dancing and singing at the top of their lungs. 257 children attended the WOW Children’s Party! Because Chatimba only has a Feeding Center, and not a Community Center, 90 children had to sit outside of the shelter – there was simply no room for them inside.
Each child received a meal and a snack. Catherine, the Director of WOW had to demonstrate to the children how to open a juice box – because many of them had never seen one before. Every time the children received food or a snack, they clapped and sang.
The children who attend the regular feeding program in Chatimba and are enrolled in the early childhood education program are known as “Children of Promise”. Each of them received their uniform, 2 bars of washing soap (to help keep the uniform clean) and two bars of bathing soap (to help keep themselves clean). They also received a stuffed animal (for most children, their only toy) and a bag of school supplies.
Sometimes it’s as simple as that…a meal, a few snacks, a smile, some love demonstrated and a change of heart, of life. In circumstances where the heart of a child or an adult may wonder if God is even present, how wonderful to bring His love…for a child to hold their first toy…to taste their first drink of juice and know that they are worth that care. Praise the Name of the Lord.
The Feeding Center in Chatimba also received new buckets and basins, towels and sitting mats. The teachers received register books, chalk, toys for the children and stationery for their work. It is right to say that so much change has taken place as a result of these parties. And all that is left to say is to God be the glory.
