MALAWI (ANS) -- Hunger and disease are consuming Malawi. But a partnership between Christian organizations in America and Malawi are helping Malawians create a brighter future for themselves and their children.

Over 4,000 children and their families have benefited from child sponsorship

Malawi is a small country in south-central Africa with a population exceeding 12.5 million people. Most of those people are either children, or grandparents. The most productive-aged individuals are rapidly dying from AIDS. This has put a severe burden on the country and resulted in extraordinary hardships for the rural poor.

This disastrous situation has encouraged thousands of Christians in America to put their faith into action through an organization called Y-Malawi. Y-Malawi mobilizes churches in America to reach out to their brothers and sisters in Malawi in tangible ways. So far child sponsorship drives have resulted in over 4,000 children and their families receiving immunizations, clean water, proper nutrition and excellent schooling. Mission trips have allowed church members to use their expertise and loving hands to assist with construction projects, leadership training conferences, and medical and dental outreaches. And fund-raising initiatives continue to provide the financial fuel for the day-to-day work being done in the Nkhoma region of Malawi.

There are five Malawi-based partners of Y-Malawi. These incredibly dedicated Malawians labor tirelessly to help the villagers of Malawi take control of their lives. I was fortunate enough to witness their work firsthand during a recent trip to the rolling plateaus of Nkhoma.

The most dominant partner is World Vision. The money generated from the sponsored children is used by World Vision for basic health initiatives, the digging of wells, agro-forestry projects and the construction of schools. Just a month ago I was bumping along the roads of Nkhoma in a World Vision truck. We passed a semi-circle of rocks beneath the shade of a massive tree.

“That is the old school”, commented Dalitso Makoka, Program Manager for World Vision’s Nkhoma Area Development Project. “And this,” he said with pride, “is the new school.”

Our car emerged into an open field where an impressive brick building basked in the sun. In this new structure two teachers will expand the horizons of 84 children. In that same clearing we watched girls draw water from a new well that will produce safe, clean water all year long. One young woman used some of this water to irrigate the young orange saplings that will soon provide the surrounding villages with much needed vitamin C.

A village woman receives the Word of God in a tract from Fishers, Trainers, Senders

While World Vision helps villagers to meet their physical and educational potentials, Fishers, Trainers, Senders (FTS) tend to the spiritual needs of the people. “You must fill their stomachs, yes. But you must also fill their souls.”

Louise Laubscher heads this group of energetic evangelists who travel to remote villages to show the Jesus film. I watched in amazement as 300 of the 400 people who sat cross-legged in the grass, raised their hands to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The next day we visited some of the villages surrounding the film site to talk to the people in a more intimate setting. While helping a woman prepare her evening meal we talked about family, crops and life. She carried a child on her back who will probably die from the Malaria that had infected his little body. But thankfully she also carried a thirst for more out of life. She happily invited us to share our news about Christ. She could not read the tract the FTS volunteers gave her, but she understood the illustrations and the vivid descriptions given by our leader. While sitting on a grass matt, in the shade of her mud hut, she chose to be a follower of Christ. And so did the other five women who had gathered to hear the news. In a month another FTS volunteer will return to this same village and help to get these women connected to one of the many local Christian churches.

Village chiefs still hold much power and influence in rural Malawi. The Chief’s Ministry (part of the Evangelical Association of Malawi) is therefore a vital component of the Y-Malawi team. Lead by Amos Chibasa, the Chief’s Ministry encourages village head men and women to come to Christ and lead their people based on the Christian principles of moral integrity, wise stewardship and loving grace.

Villagers participate in a discussion with Opportunity International about the importance of starting a small business and saving money

At a meeting with 10 village chiefs we asked them what their greatest need was. A spokesman for the Head Chief of the entire area stood and said, “We need Bibles.” It seems these men and women are embracing God’s teachings. And in true American style the 17 members of our missionary team took up a collection that night and raised enough money to provide 56 Bibles for all the chiefs in the area.

Subsistence farming dominates the Malawi landscape. But the endless miles of rural villages are producing more than corn and potatoes. They are producing the future leaders of Malawi. The fortunate ones receive guidance and training at the Nkhoma Synod Youth Department (NSYD). Nestled in the trees along the shores of a quiet lake, the NSYD has provided leadership camps, HIV/AIDS prevention seminars and Bible studies for over 40 years.

Rev. Vasco Kachipapa oversees all of these activities as well as numerous outreach programs in over 130 congregations and 150 colleges and secondary schools. According to Rev. Vasco, “The children of Malawi have great potential. This place helps them to realize that potential and become the future, god-honoring leaders of Malawi.”

It has been said that the love of money is the root of all evil. There are many in Malawi that would say that the lack of money is the cause of much suffering. When your crops fail and you have no money to buy food, death becomes a frightening reality. Opportunity International is working hard to help villagers all across Malawi create a more stable life for themselves. Through small rotating loans, Opportunity International provides the seed money for everyday Malawians to start small businesses. They educate them on the importance of making a plan, working hard, and saving money.

At one such education meeting I watched as the assembled villagers pondered the wisdoms offered by the Opportunity representatives and enthusiastically agreed that they could indeed change their destiny. Their look of hope was contagious. I left that day convinced that Malawi would turn the tide on poverty. Not because of political agendas or foreign policy, but because the people of Malawi are receiving the help they need to help themselves.

Y-Malawi has one final partner and that is FaithQuest Missions. FaithQuest Missions, based in Laguna Niguel, CA is the glue that binds the partners in Malawi and the churches in America together. Led by John Gash, FaithQuest Missions is the organization that had the vision for the Y-Malawi model. Their goal is to reproduce this model all across Malawi, and eventually throughout Africa. "Transformation happens one person at a time,” smiles John Gash. “Both in the hearts of the people of Malawi, and in the hearts of people here at home.”

For more information about Y-Malawi visit their website at www.y-malawi.org.

Barb Christing is a writer based in southern California. She founded the Malawi C.A.R.E. Ministry at Whittier Area Community Church and is a member of the Y-Malawi team. She is presently writing and producing a children’s picture book of Malawi folktales.