Our approach to our orphans is a whole-of-life one. We give our children the very best opportunities to succeed in their lives. Once they have finished school, we help them find productive work, so that they can contribute to society and the Malawian economy.
Once students have passed their Form 4 exams, we help them pursue further education where possible. Where their grades are high enough to be admitted to a technical college, they study courses varying from accounting to vehicle mechanics. Only the very brightest students can be sent to University. Malawi has very few Universities, so competition to enter University is fierce and fees are prohibitively expensive.
Malawi is a subsistence farming society. Very few children complete secondary school. Even fewer go on to get a job or start a business. Every child who completes secondary school is a success story. Every child who completes further education is a miracle!
Innocent Chifumbi, aged 17
Innocent comes from Tembwe, not far from us. He came to Home of Hope as a 7 year old in 1999, when both his parents died. Innocent still has a twin sister and an uncle. His twin sister lived with us until she married two years ago. Innocent enjoys spending college holidays with his Uncle. This is also a good time to catch up with his sister, who now has a young baby.
During his free time, he enjoys reading novels and playing football. In fact, he is so good at football that he has become a bit of a local celebrity. He regularly represents local teams in Lilongwe and Mchinji. He even earns a very small amount of money when his team wins.
His favourites subjects at High School were English, Maths and Chichewa. He graduated from High School with marks good enough to gain admission to a good private college in Malawi and is currently studying Rural and Community Development at Simard Business College, in Lilongwe.
Innocent would love to be a professional footballer. However, if he doesn't attract international attention as a footballer, he looks forward to working as a community liaison officer at a hospital. Innocent is currently looking for a sponsor to help pay his college fees and living expenses.
