Abbas Rest Orphans

Another volunteer came and helped the staff in how to correspond to the sponsors with letter writing. She also proved a hit with the children.

More volunteers arrived throughout the year, bringing love to the children and staff alike.

At the end of the history will be an account of what ARO has achieved to the present day 2009

2008 started with Richard & Eleanor joining ARO, and with Eleanor becoming the liaison between orphans and UK sponsors. Jim took on the PO Box as a volunteer.

A fourth year medical student and her fiancee from Finland, spent a few months in Malawi with ARO children in Muona, Chiringa and Ngabu. The children were checked out and assessed for health issues. A detailed report was made up by the couple for all the children, which benefited ARO tremendously. Also they provided new photos of all the children which were passed on to grateful sponsors.

The latrine project pioneered by Charlie is making good progress. His idea was to have one latrine for every child on the programme. The latrine consisted of a toilet and a shower cubicle, as most do not have running water, it was still a great improvement for the children and is more hygienic. They can wash in cleaner water rather than the local stream, which is full of pollution. With the building of all the latrines, it will take a couple of years to be completed for all the children on the programme, but well worth it for their health.

Although we have good success with the children we sometimes experience sadness. The fragile life of the children in Malawi can surface regularly. Although ARO provide medical care for the children and the children are checked out for problems to their health, we experience death of children. Those that ARO staff have come to know and love  pass away through illness. But because of medical volunteers and ARO commitment to the health of the children, death is becoming rarer for ARO orphans. Good food and regular screening make a big difference.  2008 saw the death of a very popular boy who was doing so well in ARO. He died in the arms of the centre manager on the way to the hospital. His death affected staff and children alike, they were given time off to grieve the loss of their little brother who had left an empty space in their lives.

The new Marion Smith house was completed in Chiringa centre. It has eight bedrooms, library, sick-bay, office and storeroom. This housed 20 orphans, those in need of special care and those who have no one to look after them.

The furniture for the bedrooms were made by our own orphan boys on the carpentry course in Chiringa. They were proud and felt good contributing to the new  house.

Three student volunteers from Britain, visited in the summer of 2008 where they enjoyed their stay immensely, getting stuck in helping ARO. Not only did they play and teach the children & staff, they also helped to complete a new home for an ARO orphan and their guardian (the old one had collapsed with the rains) they rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty by making a mud floor and mud walls of the home.

The goat project is increasing gradually. Goats and chickens are given to the orphans in the villages where they get extra nutrition from eggs and goat milk. when new goat kids are born, they are given to other children. It has made a great difference to the health of the children.