Orphanage Opening .......

Kiaora everyone. This is a brief update, which I have decided to write due to both questions as to when the Orphanage will be opening and the large amount of work that has been going on. I am writing this from Blantyre, the commercial city of Malawi, waiting for yes, more repairs on our cursed Landrover which we have nicknamed the beast. Suffering from the attention of far too many bush mechanics the kids and I limped into Blantyre amidst plumes of smoke where we have located a reputable mechanic who will end our troubles once and for all or at least we hope !!

Regina has been back and forth to Liwonde to ensure everything remains on track there and we have been utilizing our time here in the city to try and cover all the Government requirements while we can. We hope, dependent on parts to be back in Liwonde with said Landrover by Friday, all going well .

On to progress at the Orphanage. We had meetings with the District Commissioner in Blantyre this morning with Regina also visiting the Regional Office in Machinga on her way back to Liwonde this afternoon. We require sign off by the DC before we can be registered which is a requirement before we open. They have already done a site inspection of the Orphanage so we are hopeful the rest is just a formality.

The guards accommodation for themselves and their families is almost complete at the house but has been hindered by the availability of both cement and the quality of sand required for plastering. All that said we hope to see them move from the Orphanage in the next few days and then the repairs to the orphanage can begin in earnest. Although employed by Mphatikizo and receiving a small monthly wage both of the guards and their families are, like most families in the area, very poor. Whist working for the charity we cover all their medical costs, accommodation and assistance with school fees for their children, who recently received school uniforms for the local school. Whilst we try to keep the amount of permanently employed people to a minimum, to reduce costs (most people are volunteers) both guards are essential for the safety of the children and together with a matron, who will be in charge of the kitchen, are to be our first fulltime employees. Regina and I think we have found our matron, who is a close neighbor, is requiring assistance, and who whist benefiting greatly from the job would be a fantastic “mum “ for the kids.

This afternoon Regina also had meetings with the plumbers who will install the internal toilets for use at night (there are long drop toilets outside the Orphanage for use during the day) along with the septic tank, we have begun organizing the community in building the cattle enclosure so the cows can be moved away from the building and have sourced the cement required to complete the plaster repairs necessary after the loss of the roof. The builders currently working on the guards accommodation will when finished move down to the Orphanage in the next few days. All that said we are still aiming for an end of month opening and have started the long task of going through the large number of children we have been asked to take. The response from the community has been staggering with the local primary school having a huge list of child lead families and the local chiefs and Traditional Authorities adding vulnerable children from their catchments daily. I believe once open we will fill very quickly!!!

I will end this update here with a huge thank you for everyone’s on going support and encouragement. It has been an incredibly busy time for us but without you all none of this would be possible. I leave you with a picture of our lovely Baobab

Love and Hugs the Smedley Family