Kondanani - NEWS LETTER MARCH 2011

NEWS LETTER MARCH 2011

Hi everyone, 

Greetings from a very wet Malawi,but we are always very happy when we have rain ,don’t worry we are not complaining. A pair of boots and a rain coat is always handy. 

We have done quite a bit of building in the last few months,our 3rd learning centre is just about finished.The children can’t wait because it will have a laboratory and that means they will do experiments. Amy is the teacher and she just loves to dissect bugs and snakes ,with a proper laboratory there will be all sorts of things happening,we better have a fire extinguisher in there. 
So wonderful to be able to give the children this opportunity. 

Today one week ago I got the message that there was a lady at the gate with 4 children.She was ushered into my office,with 4 pathetic looking children,she herself was only 17.Since August last ,the year the parents of these children had both died.The mother of the children was her sister and she had tried as young as she is to keep the family together,this of course was impossible. 
The oldest was 9,the other 3, a set of twins of 2 1/2 and a baby of 1 1/2. Once again I had to ignore our criteria of babies only.We could not take the 9 year old because of the schooling system we have, I found her a place 3 km away from here with friends of ours who have a children’s home, and we are 3 little ones richer.They are really adorable kids. 

I have to tell you about our cows AND bulls!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The bulls are kept not for pro creation, but for meat.When they born we have them castrated,but sometimes it got forgotten.For some month now at every management meeting I would say to our farmer,what is wrong with your cows ,they are not coming on heat we need calves,the farm is a profit centre,something is amiss.His answer would be ,I tell the cowboys to tell me and so far nothing,he could not understand it himself.Well the farmer went on holiday and Cherie took over,she noticed one of the bulls mounting a cow.She asked the cowboy what was going on,the cowboy said madam this is what is happening at night in the stable, did we have a laugh.We now know why our cows don’t come on heat there are 7 pregnant cows most of the heifers,2 have already given birth and the bull is in the deepfreeze.Puzzle solved ,we have no idea yet when the calves are due. 

The twins I mentioned in my last 2 newsletters have gone to Holland with their new parents ,there are now 7 Kondanani children in Holland and the parents keep in touch with each other which I think is so wonderful. 

I am still trying to find a place for Job who is deaf and dumb,I have to . This child is very intelligent and according to a Dutch Catholic brother at the school for the deaf here in Malawi ,these children never get passed primary school level ,that in Malawi is already of a low level.God has a plan with the life of this child. 

Last night we got the bigger boys together for a talk,we do this every so often as they grow up.The oldest are getting close to 13,the birds and the bees have to be dealt with.They are very open about their feelings, the changes in their bodies,and of course the girls they like. 
We are making progress ,as young as they are, the punching bag and the boxing gloves come in handy and the running track is being used,very interesting 

Our children,well I could brag about them all the time ,they are so amazing and spiritually perceptive. 

We have a young woman working here for 3 months from the Dominican Republic, her name is Xiome .Her grand mother is in the last days of her life and the children are aware of that and know that it makes her sad at times not to be able to be there .Out of the blue ,Joshua (12) got up in class last Tuesday ,went to her and said: Asisi you must read 1 Tim 1 :7 the Word of God says that He has not given you a spirit of fear but of power of love and a sound mind. Xiome was so comforted by that ,out of the mouth of babes. 

On the same day we heard about an interesting conversation Josef (12) had with a man at the gate who was the driver of a visitor to my office.The man stood next to the car smoking,not done very often by the locals in Malawi.He said to the man ,are you a Christian,the man said yes,Josef said are you sure you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour,he said yes I do.Josef said then why are you smoking,it will destroy your body and make you sick.Here at Kondanani we don’t tolerate smoking.The man promptly put down his cigarette. 

Madalitso had to fill in the gaps on his work book one of the questions was :Were do the starts and moon shine, he paused for a little while and then said with a big smile on his face “at Kondanani” 

One of our teacher came back from leave a week later than anticipated,she had been bitten by an insect here in Malawi and needed treatment in the UK .Chico one of our 12 year old boys was very sad when his favourite teacher,he has a bit of a crush on, did not turn up on the first day of school .He was delighted though when she came back and immediately sent het a letter,proclaiming his joy of her return, the letter was signed Chico and Satan,of course he mend Chico and Santa. The little man is feeling a bit embarrassed by his error 

I was recently in South Africa were I had to shop for goods for our slaughter house and the new laboratory for the school. 
I always stay with my son and his wife who have 3 children,the eldest is 7.He makes me feel worth a million dollars. I bought him a little outfit and asked him if he liked his suit,he said it was not a suit but clothes,I then asked him if he liked his new outfit,he looked at me and said ,Nana I know you are old, and you don’t knows these things ,but it is called clothes. 
I am so glad we are never to old to learn. 

Many of you are such a blessing to Kondanani,thank you for giving us the opportunity to look well after our children.Do you all know that our website looks great? Have a look . 
www.kondanani.com ,it also has pay pal,worth using it is so easy. 

Blessings to from the Kondanani team. 
Annie Chikhwaza 
Kondanani Children's Village