Accomplishment: Parents Better Able to Feed their Children

New farming practices are boosting harvests in Wovwe, while support for all members of the community means a steadier supply of food for families. In 2008, with the help of generous Canadians, we were able to:

• Build a loan program to provide maize, rice and livestock to more than 1,100 households;
• Give the offspring of livestock from this program to people affected by disaster or disability, or sell livestock to fund community projects;
• Organize a training day to show 150 farmers the benefits of new farming practices;
• Train 80 farmers in soil and water conservation for higher crop yields and year-round access to nutritious vegetables; and
• Enable farmers to conserve 45 hectares for growing crops.

Accomplishment: Easing the Burden of HIV and AIDS

In 2008, Canadian sponsors helped the people of Wovwe learn how to prevent HIV infection. They also helped provide resources and support for people living with AIDS and children in vulnerable circumstances. Together we were able to train 60 teachers to teach 6,000 children in 30 schools about HIV prevention, and organized a community awareness day for 4,000 youth and adults.

This training has also contributed to a reduction in teen pregnancies and school dropout rates. In fact, reports from primary education advisors show a reduction in school dropouts (as related to unexpected pregnancies) from 0.517% to 0.12%.

With sponsors’ support, we were also able to improve the standard of care by:

• Providing care for 3,260 orphans and vulnerable children;
• Teaching 25 community care coalition committee members how to access resources for orphans, vulnerable children and people with HIV or AIDS;
• Providing care, medicine and farming supplies to 223 people with AIDS;
• Training 25 home visitors to provide emotional health support; and
• Training 90 community leaders to oversee support groups for orphans and vulnerable children.

Advocacy is one of the most important things we can do to sustain these achievements. We involve religious leaders and people living with HIV and AIDS in advocacy work to reduce stigma and discrimination, and to help end traditional cultural practices that put women and children at risk for HIV infection. Our Channels of Hope program utilizes the skills of caregivers and faith leaders, and we collaborate with local leaders and government to lobby for anti-retroviral drugs and treatment, safety in the health-care setting, and policies that protect the rights and needs of children and families affected by HIV and AIDS.

Accomplishment: Children Learn and Thrive at School

Children in Wovwe are better prepared for the future thanks to generous Canadian sponsors who have helped provide well-equipped schools and proper health care. Together, in 2008, we were able to:

• Make regular visits to sponsored children to identify extra needs for medical, educational or other support;
• Provide secondary school fees for 40 sponsored children;
• Enable more children to attend school by equipping 30 schools with 19,000 notebooks, 6,000 pens and 6,000 pencils;
• Distribute 514 mosquito nets to sponsored children;
• Conduct de-worming for 10,675 children;
• Reduce diarrhea and related diseases by training about safe water practices and through better access to clean water.

Accomplishment: Clean Water Close to Home

Stofia’s family is one of 1,750 families that get their clean water from boreholes drilled by World Vision. As the eldest girl, Stofia is responsible for fetching the water her family needs for drinking and household needs each day. She sees the borehole near her house as a cause for celebration.

Only a few years ago, collecting water was far more difficult. With the closest safe water source a kilometre away, carrying water was tiring and time-consuming. Sometimes Stofia would opt for unsafe waterholes to avoid being late for school. Young children regularly experienced diarrhea, and each year, the people of Wovwe suffered from cholera outbreaks because of poor water and inadequate sanitary facilities.

Since World Vision drilled and installed the seven boreholes, Stofia no longer arrives at school late and tired. Diarrhea and cholera are no longer a problem. The Wovwe community has come a long way from the time when safe water was a scarce resource and disease claimed many of its children.

Story: A Visit to Touch the Heart

“Our family visited Mark and members of his community at his home. We had the opportunity to visit the training centre, an AIDS support group who have a community garden together, Mark’s school and his health clinic.

“It was wonderful meeting the child on the other side of the letter… to hug him, play with him, share with him…hear his voice, see his home, meet his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, classmates, teachers and village leaders. It was very memorable.

“Our sons (aged 14 and 16) were thrilled to meet the boy they have been sponsoring [and to realize] that the little they donate monthly goes a long way and is making a difference in Mark’s life and also that of his community.

“It was an honour for the family to receive us. I believe it was a little overwhelming but once they met us, talked with us and we shared a meal…there was a greater understanding of each other, their needs, our concerns and in the end the realization that we are all human beings with challenges in our lives. [The sponsorship visit] touches the heart. In visiting the family, you witness a poverty of material wealth but not a poverty of spirit. Malawians are people of hope and we saw that during this visit.

“[We have] a great desire to support World Vision further and to continue in our sponsorship of Mark and his village. This Christmas we are not having Santa presents. Those funds will be designated to Malawi and making a difference in the lives of those friends we left behind but hope to see again in the coming years.

“My husband and I worked in Malawi with another organization and saw the good work of World Vision. We returned to Malawi after being away for 17 years and we were so encouraged to see progress in so many areas. Malawi is a very poor country but organizations like World Vision are making a difference in their partnership projects.”