Handouts for Winter

Winter is fast approaching in Malawi. And although that sounds strange for Africa, the temperatures are dropping quite a lot. Last week, some days the temperature didn’t reach higher than 16 degrees Celsius. Somehow your body must get used to heat, for the whole family was very cold, and has been wearing sweaters to try to stay warm. At night it gets into the single digits, and the guards have little fires going in order to keep them warm. These temperatures also affect our beneficiaries. Most of them have ripped clothes, and no sweaters. Again, we have to admit that these are all things that we take for granted. In the morning when it is cold, or even when it looks cold, we grab a sweater without thinking, but most of these children don’t have a sweater to grab, even if they wanted to.

Every year at this time of the year, we give them a set of warm clothes. Everyone gets a sweater or a coat, and either a long pants or a skirt. The clothes this year were either donated by Canada and brought with the container, or bought at a local market.

Before the children showed up, the matron and her helpers put all the clothes in piles in the feeding hall. Piles sorted by gender, as well as age. Soon the children come in. Their names are recorded, and they are pointed to the pile that looks like it will fit them. At every pile, there is a helper, who picks up a piece of clothing, and holds it up in front of the child. “Yes, this looks like it fits, please proceed to the next pile.” After having been given their 2 pieces of clothing, they walk out on the other side of the building. They proudly try on their sweaters. A little farther away you see a group of caregivers, who are fitting and trading some clothes. In the end of the day they all go home happy and warm. Some caregivers stop, to show their appreciation for the help that they are receiving.

Another part of the winter outreach program is the distribution of blankets. Most of these children also do not have blankets, so at night when the temperature is in the single digits, it’s hard to fall or stay asleep. They also do not have glass windows that they can close, therefore the house is hard to keep warm as well. Other years we have given cheaper blankets, but they do not seem to last too long and within the year, they are ripped apart, and there is not much left. This year we have decided to go for a better blanket, which is a little bit more money, but these blankets should last two years or more. The children are smiling from ear to ear as they carry their blanket on top of their full pail of weekly food portions. As we cover them with warm clothes and blankets, it is our prayer that they may be covered by the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus. We pray that the meditations may be blessed to the souls of these children, that God’s Kingdom may be extended among them, to the glory of Him, Who also has compassion for the fatherless.