What we do – Feeding centre
The Malama Feeding Centre is located in the Thyolo District of Malawi. This area is renowned for its tea and coffee plantations. Unfortunately most of the employment is seasonal which results in many of the male population travelling away to find more permanent work. This has resulted in many families being abandoned or losing their bread winner to AIDs.
In the centre of three villages we have helped to build and run a feeding centre to assist the most disadvantaged in the area. Each week-day over 100 elderly (Agogos in Chichewa), 60 orphan children and 35 HIV/Aids sufferers make an early morning journey to the centre for a nourishing meal of Likuni Phala, a protein enhanced porridge. Afterwards the children attend our nursery for the rest of the morning which is divided into three age groups.
The entire programme is run by volunteers from the villages and is a real ecumenical project.
Palliative Care
At the Malama Feeding Centre we help to finance a palliative care programme which involves volunteer nurses from the local government hospital running a regular clinic for the orphans, elderly and HIV/Aids sufferers. Recently the centre obtained a bicycle ambulance to bring the sick from the surrounding villages that are often inaccessible to motorised vehicles.
The elderly are checked on a regular basis for blood pressure and sugar levels. A group of volunteers deliver medicines to those not well enough to reach the centre.