It Takes a Village!

I know we’ve all had times when we’ve experienced this with our kids. It is just so hard to raise children on your own. One of the reasons we have children in our orphanage is because of the death of one parent. That’s what happened with the Fadison kids.

After the death of their father, Arnold, Ganizani, Misozi and Madalo Fadison were brought to the Grace Center to live in the orphanage.

Their mother has spent the last few years trying to pull her life together. She’s purchased land, built a small house and she’s been eager for her children to come home.

The Malawi government has a new law regarding children who live in Child Care Institutions (orphanages). The law limits the amount of time children are allowed to stay in orphanages to two years. The new Reintegration policy is based on studies that show how children living in institutions are not prepared for life outside of the institution. Children do not learn to cook, gather firewood, start a fire, farm, or carry heavy buckets of water. They also do not learn cultural and relational skills necessary for life and success in Malawi.

I’m thankful to report that the Fadison children are doing great with their reintegration to living at home. Our Agriculture team visits weekly to provide support for their family farm. It will take some years for the farm to be sustainable, so we’ll continue to give support until the family is able to stand alone.

Working together with the Fadison family to build a large compost pile.

Circle of Hope Ag team together with the Fadison family.