Justice Blog

Your support is a tremendous source of encouragement to the HBC volunteers. Each volunteer spends 2-3 days a week visiting their patients, caring for them, praying with them, reading Scripture and doing the household chores that the patient cannot do. HBC volunteers also provide medications, food packets, soap and other basics that may be lacking. Sometimes transportation to hospitals in cases of emergency or to enable patients to obtain their anti-retroviral drugs is also arranged.

I returned from Malawi at the end of October with a picture of a widow burned into my heart and mind.  Esther’s husband died of AIDS. After her husband died she discovered he had infected her with HIV as well. Not only was she sick and destitute, she had 8 children to care for. Then her sister and brother-in-law also died of AIDS and left her to take care of their small child. As you can imagine, Esther was more than overwhelmed.

Shortly after these tragic events, a Home-Based Care volunteer from Somebody Cares found Esther and the nine children she was caring for in their tiny mud house. Esther was very ill, and it was clear that the children were barely surviving. Through the help of Somebody Cares HBC volunteers, Esther and her children began to receive food parcels and arrangements were made for Esther to obtain the medications she needed. As she began to regain her strength she wanted to take responsibility for her family – but she had no job skills. All she could do was offer to clean other people’s homes for about 15 cents a day. Clearly this would not support her family.

Esther was told about WOW – the income generating program offered by Somebody Cares and funded by MISSION. Through the WOW program she began taking classes that taught her to become a tailor.  Because of her diligence and commitment to becoming self-sufficient Somebody Cares was able to provide Esther with a sewing machine. Esther could start her own business!

Now, every Monday through Friday, Esther carries her treadle sewing machine to the community center built by Somebody Cares in her neighborhood. There she “sets up shop” and does sewing projects for members of the community. She earns about 400 Malawian Kwacha on a typical day (about US$2.50) – enough money to feed her family. She also participates in the WOW group every week and is a member of the HIV/AIDS Support Group.

Most importantly, Esther has committed her life to the Lord. She has hope and believes her children have a future. She is so proud of the fact that she is now supporting herself and believes that as her business grows, God is going to continue to bless her and her family. A short while ago, she was destitute and in despair – today she is a micro-business owner and filled with the hope that only God can give.

Esther’s story is an illustration of literally hundreds of women and thousands of children that are impacted in Malawi because of your partnership with MISSION and Somebody Cares.

Once again, all we can say, is ZIKOMO (thank you).