Mwayi Orphan day care centre was established in 1994 and is managed by Farao Lamphi. The centre provides for 152 local children aged 3 months to 18 years. A handful of these children sleep at the centre, most of them live with aunts or grandparents.

Pre-schoolers are looked after at the centre and school age children visit before and after school as Mwayi is often the only place they can get a substantial hot meal every day.

Mwayi is located in Ndirande, a township with a population of 118,000 (and ever growing), in the city of Blantyre, Malawi. It is a high density, low income area with many associated problems- poor sanitation, intermittent electricity and erratic water standpipe supplies.

We first met Farao in 2017 as he came to our house every week to sell newspapers (one of his many ways to bring an income to the centre). Over the years we have grown to know and trust this man deeply. He never stops trying to improve the lives of the people in the community he lives in and his management of Mwayi is inspirational.

Before COVID we ran an orphanage club, where secondary students from our international school visited the orphanage every week to play with the children and support the teachers.

Thanks to the enormous generosity of friends and family we have also been able to support the orphanage financially. In Malawi a small amount of money can go a very long way.

Here are some examples of how money donated in the last 4 years has been spent:

Kitchen shelter: Mary has worked with the orphanage for 22 years cooking lunch for the children. For many of the children this is the only main meal they get each day. In 2019 a simple shelter was built over the cooking area so that there is less disruption from the tropical downpours. Mwayi rents a small plot of land on the outskirts of Blantrye to grow maize and beans. This food and the water tap are now kept in this more secure area and less has been stolen.

Direct Debit. We pay a monthly direct debit to help the orphanage pay their teachers and help families cover the ongoing cost of school fees, uniforms and equipment.

Microloans. In 2018 Mwayi gave out their first microloans (worth £20 each) to 15 women long associated with the orphanage. These women used the money to establish small businesses and provide a small but steady monthly income for the orphanage. The scheme has been so successful that more women partake every year. Esta sells Irish potatoes and home-made potato fritters. Faith now sells tomatoes, potato leaves and onions.

In early 2020 the main room was renovated and made secure so that it can be rented out to local church groups at weekends and the sanitation systems were improved.

Before:

During:

After:

Solar power. These small scale units can light one room well and help reduce the reliance on more expensive and unreliable metered electricity.

Farao and the orphanage committee (11 local residents) have many plans for more sustainable income generation in the future. They would like to purchase chickens so as to sell the eggs; buy the land they currently rent for food provision; put in more solar systems and support more local women with microloans, and more children by paying school fees. Any donation you can make will help bring about positive change. Thank you!

Many thanks also to those of you who have donated in the past, especially our regular supporters: Karen P; Anne A; Sally A; The Edge; Rob & Sue; Lizzie & George; Bob & Ruth; Sarah & Colin; Mary & Patrick.