There’s a strange dichotomy as you speak with Chrissy, a widowed mother in Chigwere, Malawi where HIV/AIDS has hit hard. While she speaks soberly about the children orphaned by AIDS, there’s a glint of joy in Chrissy’s eye. And you can hear kids singing nearby. Obviously, there is more to the story.

Half the Children are Orphans

“Yes, we have many children who lost their parents to HIV/AIDS,” she says. “The children of our families, our neighbors. So we take them in, love them like our own. I myself am caring for 4 orphans, plus my own children.”

That’s 56 children in their community under 5 years old; 35 whose parents died of HIV/AIDS. Worldwide, more than 15 million children have been orphaned by AIDS - over half a million in Malawi, where the majority of the population lives in poverty. (Source: UNAIDS 2008)

It’s a burden on families that took in orphans. Children had to be left alone while adults worked; they lacked money for school; extra mouths to feed made the whole family go hungry. And Chigwere had basic subsistence problems long before AIDS came to town. The water was undrinkable, there were few ways to make a living, medical help was far away, and there was no HIV/AIDS education. Families relied on intermittent NGOs and government assistance. But it was not sustainable and the burden of additional children kept poverty in place.

But the joyful glint in Chrissy’s eyes reappears, and she grins widely. “Then Outreach International began organizing in Chigwere. I became a group leader along with 6 other widows to find a better way for all the children. The community agreed that children should not be separated from the village family. They need social interaction with others so that they will not experience the stigma of HIV/AIDS.”

Starting a Nursery

The widows and several head men in the village initiated a nursery project for all 56 children, both orphans and non-orphans. Four volunteer teachers care for the children. Mothers help cook in the mornings. And residents contribute money to sustain the program.

To provide healthy meals, they cultivated a vegetable garden managed by 10 community members.  Produce is fed to the children and the surplus sold to provide income for their care.  “They needed more protein,” says Chrissy, “So we initiated the poultry project with the same arrangements. Families now earn money by growing and selling vegetables and dividing the surplus; they have 15 chickens for selling and for food, 5 new wells, and 20 goats.”

Chrissy’s own children benefit from the early education and feeding program. She is now free to work, knows that the children are learning and eating well, and enjoys sharing ideas during meetings. “This is where we share, solve, and receive HIV/AIDS awareness,” Chrissy grins.

“By working hard, and not waiting for outside help, I have improved my family as well as our nursery school. And we encourage our friends in other communities to learn from us.”

Songs of Joy

The wafting sounds of laughter and singing comes again to the forefront, and Chrissy says. “We saw that the children like to play and sing, so we taught them games and songs.” For a moment, we listen to the joyful sounds.

“The community isn’t done yet,” Chrissy says. “Our next big issue is medical care nearby. There is less disease, and children are healthier, but still lack adequate medical care. Four of the children have HIV. But we will get help for them! Look what we have already done!”