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13-06-2022
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The Board visits the projects in Malawi

The Board visits Malawi.

At the end of April the board visited the projects in Malawi.It was an impressive experience being in the warm heart of Africa. The highlight of the week was visiting Phulanya, the focus area of One Hope Malawi.We were warmly welcomed by the people of Phulanya with singing and dancing, were addressed by them and were surprised with presents (40 eggs and 2 roosters). We are thankful for the warm welcome we received.

We are very grateful for the opportunity we had to visit the projects and for the openness of the locals in welcoming us and sharing information about their lives. We heard about their experiences with the work of One Hope Malawi. and about their dreams for Phulanya. We found that the projects give them hope and support their daily lives in multiple ways. This progress increases their motivation to be part of the projects and to contribute to the development of Phulanya.

We visited the different projects that have been established in the past year and a half. It was impressive to see the hard work done by our field workers and by the people of Phulanya. A review of some of the projects we visited illustrates this:
Boreholes
We visited the boreholes in Phulanya that were completed in 2021. The boreholes are used extensively by the inhabitants and give them access to clean drinking water. At one of the boreholes we met the young people from Phulanya who were busy with the final work on one of the boreholes. It made them proud to show us the results of their hard work!

Education
We visited the schools that are attended by students from Phulanya. One of their challenges is the distance they have to cover in order to go to school. One HopeMalawi. helps them by providing bikes they can use for school. 40 children from Phulanya have received a bicycle. This means that their travel time to and from school has been reduced by 4 hours. We also visited a secondary school. The students we spoke to were very motivated to continue their studies and become teachers, nurses, lawyers or doctors. One Hope Malawi. is guiding them in their career choice.
Agriculture
This is a photo of one of the inhabitants of Phulanya. We visited him on his land where he works daily to grow crops. He told us that the conditions in Phulanya, such as flooding and drought, are the reason that a lot of the harvest is lost every year. OneHope Malawi. helps the people of Phulanya to improve farming techniques and build waterways and it encourages knowledge sharing.
Evangelism

We visited pastor Zitha and his wife, who are employed by One Hope Malawi. Together they visit Phulanya every day for pastoral care and they organize various evangelism activities. The people of Phulanya feel seen and heard. Pastor Zitha told us about his passion for helping the people of Phulanya and sharing the gospel.

Markt 
During our visit OneHope Malawi.organized a market for the people in Phulanya. Clothes, blankets, mosquito nets and mats were available at a low cost. People who couldn't afford that amount, were given the items for free. It showed us how thankful the people were with their new things and how much joy they brought them.

Reforestation
Phulanya has an area of about 15km2. Everywhere you go you find newly trees, about 6000 in total, planted by One Hope Malawi.It is impressive to see the trees growing. Currently, our field workers and the residents of Phulanya are spending a lot of time watering, protecting and taking care of the trees.

Much has been achieved through the activities of One Hope Malawi., but there is still a lot more work to do. During the visit we were able to hear and see what the needs are and what help is most needed for the people of Phulanya. It motivates us and the field workers to continue with our work, to research new ideas and solutions and to make plans for the future. The central focus in our future goals is structural change and development for Phulanya and stimulating project ownership for the people of Phulanya. The plans will be further developed in the coming period, will be incorporated into the policy plan of One Hope Malawi for 2023-2024 and also brought to your attention.

The activities of One Hope Malawi. cannot be realized without the help of our donors, volunteers and other stakeholders and the collaborations with government, schools and local organizations. We would like to thank everyone for this support.

Warm regards,

Martin, Annemijn en Auke
The Board of One Hope Malawi.

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