Philip takes us to "Kondanani Children's Village" built on a 6 acres of land in the rural area for children in the 3 to 6 year old age group.Facts: Kondanani, a non-governmental Christian organization, was established in November 1998 to offer hope to the orphaned children of Malawi.
The need for the establishment of the orphanage arose due to the high rate of HIV/aids infection in the country, which robbed many children of their parents. Hundreds of children are orphaned or abandoned in Malawi everyday. The extended family system had collapsed, and HIV had become the single largest cause of death among Malawians between the ages of 15-49 years, the childbearing years for women. Mothers who have contracted HIV often die during childbirth. Those that don't die, often abandon their children in the hope that they will be found by someone who will be able to care for them.
Due to the fact that many other orphanages would not admit babies because of the cost, and that it is labor intensive, Kondanani embarked on admitting such babies rather than leave them to die in the villages.
Only babies below the age of 6 months are admitted. Every child is either affected or infected by the HIV/aids pandemic.
The village consists of houses. There are 12 children in each of these houses. A housemother who is assisted by a nanny and cleaning lady cares for the children.
Each of these houses have a name, "House of David", "Martha's Cabana"… They are named after people who have contributed significantly towards their construction.
They have a hall which is used for school assembly, the children to play in, to watch dvd's and video's, for entertainment…
They have a central kitchen which prepares three wholesome meals every day for the children plus snacks. The children eat in their own homes as a family.
They plan to build more houses, including a high school, trade school... Higher education such as university will be also on these premises with residences for the students.
The Door of Hope. This is a basket which is made of steel and cemented into the wall near the main gate. Women who want to abandon their babies can leave them in this basket. There is a magnetic censor under the mattress and when someone puts a baby inside a buzzer will go off in the staff room of the clinic. Then the women have 5 minutes to leave in order to not been seen.
It is a fact that many young women are killing their babies by drowning them in the pit latrine, a hole in the ground used as a toilet in the villages.
This is a great place where happiness is seen everywhere...
http://www.kondanani.com
Due to the fact that many other orphanages would not admit babies because of the cost, and that it is labor intensive, Kondanani embarked on admitting such babies rather than leave them to die in the villages.
Only babies below the age of 6 months are admitted. Every child is either affected or infected by the HIV/aids pandemic.
The village consists of houses. There are 12 children in each of these houses. A housemother who is assisted by a nanny and cleaning lady cares for the children.Each of these houses have a name, "House of David", "Martha's Cabana"… They are named after people who have contributed significantly towards their construction.
They have a hall which is used for school assembly, the children to play in, to watch dvd's and video's, for entertainment…
They have a central kitchen which prepares three wholesome meals every day for the children plus snacks. The children eat in their own homes as a family.
They plan to build more houses, including a high school, trade school... Higher education such as university will be also on these premises with residences for the students.
The Door of Hope. This is a basket which is made of steel and cemented into the wall near the main gate. Women who want to abandon their babies can leave them in this basket. There is a magnetic censor under the mattress and when someone puts a baby inside a buzzer will go off in the staff room of the clinic. Then the women have 5 minutes to leave in order to not been seen.
It is a fact that many young women are killing their babies by drowning them in the pit latrine, a hole in the ground used as a toilet in the villages.This is a great place where happiness is seen everywhere...
http://www.kondanani.com
