If only more time for the guardians

The children at the Miqlat hope centers are separated into 3 categories:

• Single orphan: they’ve lost 1 parent and stay with the widowed parent.  Nearly 100% of these are with single mothers.  The children have been deemed “at risk”.
• Double orphan:  the child has lost both parents and now stays with a guardian (grandmother or aunt or older sibling; sometimes the child is the head of household).
• At risk/vulnerable:  the child may have both parents, but because of severe poverty due to illness or other reasons, the parents are unable to provide adequate care.

The guardians of the children fully supported Miqlat during the recent registration updates, as it was mandatory for them to come to the hope center, sign new consent forms, and help the child answer the registration questions. 

The guardians were young and old: mothers, grandmothers, aunts, older sisters.
Many had walked a long way to come, some as much as a few hours.

One of the registration days was very cold, so the guardians used all they had to keep warm –
a light cotton tajenzi (the same piece of fabric they use as skirts, worn every day)

Although Miqlat’s focus is children and the registrations were keeping us hopping, I longed to visit with the guardians who had come as well.  They seemed so tired, devoid of any possibility of joy.  When I interact with the children, they brighten up with giggles and an interest in what I have to say.  The men too, are quite charming with big smiles and hearty laughs.  The women, however, are quiet. Almost “guarded”?  I cannot possibly understand the depth of their weariness…and wariness. They are widows, grandmothers, unmarried teen mothers. Their poverty is unfathomable to me. They walk miles a day just to ensure there is water in a bucket and corn flour (maize) to cook.  They have many children, but cannot buy them clothes, pay school fees, or get them to a clinic for something as simple as a malaria test.

I did sneak away from my registration duties to meet a few of the guardians and snap some quick pictures...

Stera and her sister Puzeni are sponsored by the Blackburn family and Marlene Christopher,
respectively. They are both mentally disabled. The picture a above is Stera and her mom.
The picture below shows Puzeni looking away from her mom … who was drawing the picture for Marlene
because Puzeni is not able to do it herself.

Charles, sponsored by Chris Schaeffer, lives with his 78-year old grandmother
Estery and his 4 other siblings.  He was healthy at birth, Estery told me,
but has a progressive disease that cripples his left arm and hand.  “My prayer
is for Charles to be healed from this disease,” she said.

What can you do? 

Pray for all of the women in Malawi ... that they will find rest at the end of the day; that their children will be a blessing to them; that they will know true joy from the love of their Father and the see the provisions of Jehovah Jirah.