The Story of Mngwere Community
Hands at Work began serving in Malawi in 2008 in the rural village of Mngwere, about 15 kilometres from the central town of Dedza. Mngwere is an isolated community and is very impoverished. When local pastor Royie Nazombe encountered the Hands at Work vision to see the local church unite as Christ’s body to care for his community’s most vulnerable children, he grasped it immediately. He left his job to concentrate full time on mobilising local volunteer Care Workers.
100 Children currently supported
12 Care Workers Coordinated by Lembetsani
Basic Services Started in 2010
11 KM from the DEDZA Local Office
Hands at Work is committed to supporting the most vulnerable children with a hot, nutritious meal daily and access to education and basic health care. When the Tima Community Based Organisation (CBO) in Mngwere first started, they were serving 33 children but over the years this has increased to 200 children. The desire of the Tima CBO is to continually grow in their capacity to care for more vulnerable children.
The Tima CBO, in partnership with Hands at Work, started a Community School operating out of a local church. They are now in their own building on land adjacent to the church. This school is bridging the gap for children who are unable to go to school when they are young because of the distance and later, don’t want to go because they are much older than their classmates.
The Life Centre at the Tima CBO is a place where children feel welcome to come and play with other children their own age. The children eat a nutritious meal, receive help with their homework, and can learn life skills in classes like gardening and cooking. Informal assessments of health care needs take place on a regular basis, ensuring that the children stay healthy.
The very words ‘Life Centre’ speak of the purpose – to bring hope and life to the Mngwere community and its orphaned and vulnerable children. The children receive the love and care of the Care Workers, who in many cases act as mother and father figures to the children. Despite the many hardships that life in Mngwere brings, this expression of Christ-like love is transforming lives.
Meet Robert
Three-year-old Robert* stays with his mother, Lilith*, and four older siblings in Mngwere. In 2021, when Care Worker Beatrice was on a Holy Home Visit to another family, she found Lilith’s children hungry and very vulnerable. She discovered that, despite being ill and with no support, Lilith tries to support her family through piecework and farming, but is often unable to harvest enough to feed her family. The Care Workers all agreed that Robert should start coming to the Care Point. Margaret is now Robert’s Care Worker. She regularly visits the family at home and has a great relationship with Robert, who is a part of the 0-5 years programme. While Robert is small for his age, he is very clever and loves to play with a football. Robert’s story is one of many that shows how the love and care of the Care Workers can bring transformation to a child’s life.
The local Hands at Work team in Dedza currently supports six Community Based Organisations, which exist to care for the most vulnerable in their communities. The office provides training, networking, and encouragement to those Community Based Organisations like Tima. It also gives administrative support, including helping with funding proposals, monitoring and evaluation, bookkeeping and reporting to donors.
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