On Friday, 18 October Don Cesare and some volunteers from Italy were at Chimwemwe Nursery School in Mbera, Balaka to appreciate the services offered at the school.
Chimwemwe Nursery School is funded by Pang’onopang’ono Association (Onlus) from Italy. The following is the school in pictures.
Chimwemwe Nursery School is one of the five nursery school run by Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust in Balaka.
By Our Reporter
Tigawane crew in a happy mood
Atalanta Football Club of Italy plays Lazio in Serie A on Sunday 20 November 2013 but at Tigawane House there was jubilation on Friday, when Uncle Gio led the Italian volunteers in sharing their love to the kids and among them were Atalanta FC’s replica jerseys.
Mary Malikula, one of the caretakers at the house, says she was touched to see people very far away from Malawi being so close to the needs of the Malawian child.
“What they donated to the kids, is what these kids have been looking for all along,” says Malikula with emotions.
The kids received different types of clothes and shoes. The volunteers present were Lisi, Gio, Ausilia, Bepi, Mirella and Bruna.
“Tigawane” is a project under Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust (AYCT) that aims at reducing the number of street kids in Malawi by giving them a decent home, education and the care and love.
Humility in giving
Unity in sharing
Waiting in joyful hope
Blessed is the hand that gives
By Our Reporter
Mary Malikula’s new friend
Mary Malikula’s day is like this: She reports for work at Andiamo Education Institutions (AEI) at 7:30 in the morning. After cleaning up the offices, she leaves for Tigawane House (about 2.5 Kilometres) to stay with the kids.
Mary comes from Mponda village (about 4 kilometres from AEI office) and Tigawane House is in between AEI and Mponda. Moving up and down makes her cover many kilometres and with the Balaka heat, this sometimes becomes unbearable to Mary.
“Tigawane Project” is under Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust and it aims at reducing the number of street kids by giving them a decent living.
This frequently travelled journey has been made easier because Mary has now a new bicycle that will ease her mobility.
Life made simple
By Our Reporter
The Thursday morning, 17 October the web team went to St. Augustine Primary School, which is a stone throw distance from Andiamo. The school that was built by Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust (AYCT) with the support from Seconda Linea Missionaria of St. Monica Parish in OSTIA – Rome and was handed over to the government of Malawi.
The school has now all the eight classes but has an enrolment of over 1500 students. Standard one alone has over 300 students making it almost impossible for a teacher.
This is a school where Tigawane Project sends its kids to learn.
Standard 3 students learning under a tree
Martin, of Tigawane project among the students
A teacher finding it hard to teach
Overcrowded Standard one class
Teacher, pupil ratio appalling
Steven Kunje, the new Head Teacher of St Augustine
By The Web Team
15th October is Mothers’ Day in Malawi. Andiamo Education Institutions (AEI) prepared several activities to celebrate the life that God gave us through our mothers. The activities included Chipako, Chitelera, Jingo Skipping games (fikifiki), volleyball, Basketball, football (Form 1 Vs. Form 2) and finally Technical School Vs. Secondary School. It was truly a very exciting occasion for both the students and teachers present.
By Joseph Bwezani
Today, 16 October Malawi joins the international community in commemorating World Food Day. This year’s theme is “Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition”.
According to the joint press statement by World Food Programme (WFP), Food Agriculture Organisations (FAO) and the Malawi government, this theme emphasizes the importance of lasting food systems in producing nutritious diets for all people today, while also protecting the capacity of future generations to feed themselves.
“This year’s theme has been reached considering the simple fact that “Healthy People Depend on Healthy Food Systems,” reads part of the statement.
The press release also quotes WFP Executive Director, Ertharin Cousin who says, “Undernourished girls and boys face barriers in health, in school performance and later, in the working place, which limit their human potential and their capacity to contribute to the societies in which they live.”
Cousin continues to say prioritizing nutrition today is an investment in “our collective future”.
“The investment must involve food agriculture, health and education systems,” says she.
Andiamo Youth Cooperative has already invested in Agriculture through “Get Up Stand Project”, micro credit finance that helps farmers get good seeds and fertilisers to get good yields.
In Malawi, levels of malnutrition remain high with nearly half of all children under the age of five showing signs of chronic under nutrition with an estimated 47 per cent being stunted (too short to their age), 13 per cent underweight (too thin for their age), and 4 per cent wasted (too thin for their height).
By Our Reporter
President Joyce Banda
President Joyce Banda on Tuesday, 15 October hired a new 32-member cabinet. Missing on the list are some senior figures of the former cabinet: Ken Lipenga, Ralph Kasambara, Eunice Makangala and Reen Kachere.
New faces in the cabinet include the former Executive Director of Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust, Dr. Lucious Kanyumba who heads the ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
By Our Reporter
Chimwemwe doing what he knows best
Less than one year stay at Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust (AYCT) Chimwemwe Mwenyemasi seems to understand the spirit of Andiamo. He has already advised Andiamo Education Institutions (AEI) office to identify two needy students (a boy and a girl) whom he has promised to make school shoes for them for free. Chimwemwe is the Head of Cobbler Section at AYCT. He makes different brands of shoes labeled Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust.
Fr. Mario with Mirella and Bepi
Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust (AYCT) will on Sunday, 20 October celebrate the World Mission Sunday and the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Bepi and Mirella.
World Mission Sunday is a day that was set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice.
Pope John Paul II described this day as an important day in the life of the Church “because it teaches how to give: as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world.”
In his message for the Mission Sunday, Pope Francis says Missionarity, is not alone about geographical territories, but it is about peoples, cultures and individuals, because the “boundaries” of faith do not only cross places and human traditions, but the heart of each man and each woman.
Chaka chabwino
Soon after the mass, which will be celebrated in the Umodzi Hall in Andiamo Education Institutions (AEI) campus, Alleluya band will perform to celebrate 50 years of marriage life of Mirella and Bepi. Mirella is the sister of Fr. Mario Pacifici, who is one of the founding trustees of AYCT.
By Our Reporter
Gio and Lisi after mass on Sunday
Sunday 13 October’s Gospel reading came from Luke 17: 11 – 19. The Gospel is about one of the ten lepers who came to Jesus to thank him after being cured.
The Gospel says that finding himself cured one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself prostate at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
Jesus then asked: “Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner…”
In his homily Fr. Mario asked the congregation, which included students of AEI to be thankful. “Don’t make your parents curse the day you were born because you are not thankful,” stressed Fr. Mario.
Some of Alleluya band members welcoming Gio when he arrived in Malawi
Leading by example of being thankful, Fr. Mario thanked Gio and Lisi (an uncle and aunt of Valeria Giassi, a long time volunteer of Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust) who were present during the Holy Mass, for their unwavering support to Alleluya band whenever the band travels to Italy for shows. This, according to Fr. Mario is a sign of a good missionary.
The congregation was told how dedicated the couple is whenever Alleluya band travels to Italy. Gio, the congregation was told, drives the bus thousands of kilometres without any pay. Lis makes sure they band does not perform on an empty stomach.
The other people mentioned for their different roles in Alleluya band’s tours are Dante and Maria Teresa.
By Our Reporter
