On January 4, we started the 1st school semester in Malawi, which will last until the end of March.
We decided to give gifts to the children right at the beginning of the semester, because the rainy season is already here and with it even more dangerous mosquitoes than usual. Living by a freshwater lake, which is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, is already dangerous, but during the rainy season, the chances of children getting malaria increase significantly. Malaria-carrying mosquitoes begin to sting at sunset all the way to sunrise. Sleeping under a net is really necessary and necessary to maintain health. In the 7 years of living in “ELA’s village” Mazembe, I got malaria at least 14 times and once almost died because of it, because it developed into cerebral malaria (the worst form of it). So I know that malaria is no joke and that with this gesture of donating nets, sponsors are saving lives. Not just the life of sponsored children, but the lives of siblings who are squeezing together on one mattress at night and protecting themselves with a net.
Hygiene is of course important, so every child was given soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste. Prior to this gesture of donating toothpaste and brushes, they rinsed their teeth only with salt water or rubbed the surface of their teeth with a green twig of a local tree (because their parents could not buy them tooth brushes and toothpaste). School notebooks and pens are necessary school equipment for successful learning, so each received 3x 100 notebooks and pencils (kindergarteners up to 2nd grade) or pens (start using them in 3rd grade). My teachers tell me that after receiving gifts from the ELA’s centre, children leave smiling, very grateful and in good mood, and that gifts give them the motivation to learn and cope with school demands.
It is difficult to describe the joy of village children and the smiles that appear on their cheeks when they receive useful gifts 3 times a year. Eyes sparkle, white teeth suddenly appear beneath the lips, and everyone can hear genuine laughter. The loud, joyful one which is so contagious.
With 10EUR per month you will:
-3 times a year enable the purchase of gifts for your adopted child (mosquito nets, sandals, school bags, eating sets, T-shirts, notebooks, books, soaps, toothpastes, toothbrushes, crayons, pen, pencils),
-help feed 50 of ELA’s children with special needs who come to the morning workshops every day,
-help finance contributions for ELA’s employees (2 teachers, cook, night watchman, manager),
-assist in purchasing materials for ELA’s daily afternoon workshops for 200 children,
-enable repairs of the ELA’s centre, tables, benches, windows,
-support ELA’s projects
If you feel that you would become a sponsor, write at jana.dular @ gmail.com (you only commit for 1 year and then decide again every year if you want to extend your sponsorship).
Together we are stronger, as ELA’s slogan says, and you, dear godparents/sponsors and future godparents, prove it every day when you are part of our large African family and care about well-being, a better childhood and a better education for hundreds of African hearts.
Because more than any words pictures show the real heartfelt truth, I am attaching few below. That pure happiness of ELA’s kids infects everyone who will read this post.
With kind and grateful greetings,
ELA’s angels, ELA Malawi team, ELA Kenya team and me-Jana
p.s. Watch the video-Joy at the gift ceremony
