Malawi is known as the “Warm Heart of Africa” because the people who live there are very friendly. But life is also very hard for many children there. Many adults in Malawi have died from a disease called HIV/AIDS. Many children have no parents. The relatives or neighbors who take care of them don’t have enough money to take care of their own kids, let alone other children.
Some children without parents end up having to work in the fields or fetching water instead of going to school. Some kids do get to go to the free public schools. But there are often as many as 100 students in their class! It might be fun to have that many friends all at once, but it makes it hard to learn if the teacher doesn’t have time to help everyone.
In 2001, three retired schoolteachers in Malawi decided to do something to help. They started a Christian private school in Mulanje, Malawi and called it Apatsa Private Primary School. “Apatsa” means “we give” in the local language. The school is open to children whose parents have died. At Apatsa Private Primary School, there are no classes with 100 children. The teachers and staff of the school want to be sure that all the children in their school get the kind of education that every child needs.
Emma Hayes is a former youth member at Christiansburg Presbyterian Church in Virginia. She went to Malawi to teach at Apatsa. When the third and fourth graders at the church heard Emma speak about Apatsa’s Adopt-an-Orphan program, they wanted to help. Emma told them that for every $100 donated, Apatsa can provide tuition, clothing, school supplies and a daily meal for one student for one year. That sounded like quite a bargain!
In September of 2006, the CPC children started to read books from their Sunday school library. For every book they read, their teachers gave money. But the children wanted to do more. One girl and her mom suggested a bake sale to raise money, and others thought it was a good idea. Church members decided to hold a Ministry Fair so that everyone could see what people are doing in the congregation. Kids and adults made crafts and delicious things to eat to sell at the fair for Apatsa, and lots of people bought them. But it didn’t stop there. Soon the class had raised $620.75 – enough to support six children! The third and fourth graders pray that God will bless and multiply their gifts.
Pray for the children, teachers and staff of Apatsa Private Primary School.
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