Thanks to all of you who made this year’s Chifundo Christmas celebration in Malawi a reality. On Christmas day we called Chifundo Director, Moses M’Tambo and heard for ourselves just what kind of party was happening! We were able to talk to some of the volunteers and even some of the children. By all accounts it was a Christmas to remember. Here is the report we have recently received from Director Mtambo :
I would like to report about the events that took place on Christmas and the following day in the Chifundo project at Kalieka Township in Lilongwe, Malawi.
Each and every year during Christmas, the Ancient Path team organizes a party for our Chifundo children – a group of orphans and vulnerable children in Kalieka Township. We believe that while others are celebrating Christmas these children should not be left out! Christ was born for everyone – whether orphan or not.
As usual, the Christmas party was announced at the end of November so that children should be aware and get excited about it. On 19th December, we received the Christmas party funds from Ancient Path and on 23th December, we went to buy items for the party.
It takes a long time to cook food for 120 people on an open fire so the women started to prepare on the 24th rightup to 25th December.
At 11:00am the Christmas party started; by this time the children were already at the place of meeting. We distributed toys, footballs, and traditional bawo games for the children to play with while waiting for their feast.
At 12:00pm we had a Bible story about the birth of Jesus Christ from the book of Matthew. Our friend and volunteer, Towera, told the story using the flannelgraph materials provided through Ancient Path and, as always, the children loved it! After the story, we began to distribute heaping plates of meat, rice and vegetables and 2 bottles of soda each. – it was a real Christmas feast!
After the food was finished, the children showed off their dancing skills and at the end of the day, when the sun was setting, each child went home with a full stomach, a happy heart and a balloon to play with.
But the celebration didn’t end on December 25th. On December 26th the children returned with their guardians to receive new mosquito nets and maize for their homes. The program began with prayer by one of our volunteers and a speech by Director Pastor Moses Mtambo..
In his speech, he urged the persons that, living in love is the only way to succeed in this life. He also said that, it is very pathetic to see families starving with hunger, while others are throwing food in the dust bin. He encouraged the people to love one another with the unconditional love of God “Everyone must strive in prayer to God, asking him to send the Holy Spirit in his heart to enable him with the love of God, so that he/she can be able to share everything with others”, he said.[Matthews 5:43-48]
Pastor Mtambo also thanked the AP team from United States of America who have been supporting the Chifundo project since 2009. He prayed that they should continue to do so because many needy children and widows benefit from this project.
The Director also thanked the village Chief and the representatives from Community Based Organization who came to witness the distribution of maize and mosquito nets to the Chifundo children and their families.
In his final remarks, Pastor Mtambo continued to thank Ancient Path for responding to the request made by the chief and guardians last year to increase the number of the children in the program from 20 to 120. This is wonderful for Kalieka and the entire country.
The CBO Chair Lady, Mrs. Chirwa, was very excited for what the Chifundo project is doing in the area. She recalled that just recently all the children have received blankets and school supplies and the guardians have received sugar, soap, salt, matches and other much-needed items from Ancient Path. Here again today, families are receiving maize and mosquito nets! These things have never happened in this community.
Mrs. Chirwa continued to say that the AP team has come at the right time when Malawi as a country is facing more serious challenges concerning poverty – and the most affected people are orphans and vulnerable children, widows and the elderly. Our prayer is that the Lord should bless the Ancient Path team and their families, she concluded.
On behalf of the all guardians, Mrs. Yesaya then spoke, thanking the Director and his team for taking care their children. She said that, “since our children began to come to this program we have never heard anything bad about the Chifundo project. Many such centers in our country have been told that children have been taught witchcraft, but since this project started there is no strange thing happening. Our testimony is that the children are growing spiritually and psychologically.”
Mrs. Yesaya thanked the AP team for initiating this program in Kalieka; and for the donations of maize and mosquito nets.
At the end of the program everyone organized into a line ready to receive 30 kg of maize, and mosquito nets for the children.To sum up: this Christmas120 children have received new mosquito nets and enjoyed a plate of rice and beef with two bottles of drinks; 80 families have received 30kgs of maize each. We had a wonderful time!
Many thanks to the entire team of Ancient Path and all the partners who contributed to this make this Christmas so special. We wish you a wonderful and prosperous new year.
God bless you all!
Moses Mtambo
MALAWI-DIRECTOR
“Our prayer is that the Lord should bless the Ancient Path team and their families, she concluded.” Maybe this is the key to why I am walking in the favor of God, and I never knew. Thank you, Mrs. Chirwa. I pray for a double portion of the power and love of God to be released to these children.