Column Nicole
Hello everyone, It's December again, Another year has flown by! We are almost living again now 9 months in the city and in our new house. The girls are doing well. Diana is in the last year of primary school and will therefore be going in August 2024 starting high school. Maria still has 1 years in primary school. The girls still love going to school and are busy with sports and friends. Teleza will start in group in August 2. She is currently going to a kind of nursery school which she really enjoys. She had a lot of trouble saying goodbye to me in the morning, but it now goes very smoothly. Teleza's health is also going well. She doesn't get sick often anymore and doesn't seem to have much trouble with her heart, except that she gets tired more quickly than other children her age. She's like 4 but still needs her afternoon nap every day. We currently have 25 children in the Afriana house. From this one 25 children are there 12 foundlings. After an extensive investigation by the police and youth care, no family was found. So these children have no home, no village to return to, no known parents or a relative to return to. The Afriana house is their home. The only way for these children to grow up in a family is through adoption. Unfortunately, there are still few Malawian families who are willing or able to adopt a child. The families there often want healthy babies, partly because of the poor health care here. This makes it very difficult for older children and children with medical complications to find a family in Malawi. These children are waiting for international adoption, which is a very long process. The circumstances in which these children are found vary greatly. Sometimes the children are left with someone, the mother then promises to come back, which does not happen. Other children are found on the streets, they often wander around for days. These children are usually worse off. Often haven't eaten anything for days, usually have mange and trauma from wandering alone for days. And then there are the children who are found in very poor conditions. Buried underground, rolled in plastic and thrown in the trash, found in an underground toilet or left in a corn field. It is often a miracle that these children are found in time and survive. The government in Malawi does not have any homes where these children can go. They are therefore dependent on projects such as our Afriana house that can provide help in caring for these children. That is why the Afriana house is so incredibly important! It is not a permanent solution for the children but a temporary place where they are safe. Where they are well cared for and where they receive love. Where they receive medical care and education until a permanent solution is found for them. A temporary family where they can heal from the traumas they have suffered such as attachment problems and... (sexual) abuse; problems that almost all these children have had to deal with before they come to the Afriana house. Economically speaking, things are not going well in Malawi. It is now famine season and it will last at least until March / april 2024 before the new harvest arrives. Last month, the Malawian government decided to exchange the currency with 44% depreciate against the dollar. The prices of goods have subsequently skyrocketed and life has become incredibly more expensive. A difficult moment because most people don't eat corn (basic food in Malawi) have more and the next harvest for sure 4 takes months. In addition, begins At any moment the planting season and people have to purchase their agricultural products such as seeds and fertilizers. These have also risen enormously in price and become unaffordable for most people, which will lead to a meager harvest. Not only goods have risen in price, but also school fees, electricity and fuel costs. So help remains very much needed. On behalf of all the children in the Afriana house we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. In addition, I am truly proud of all the hard work you do for the foundation, this support means a lot to me and all the children in the Afriana house. We are also very grateful for all donations, Without these donations it is not possible to help the children. A warm one, grateful greetings, Nicole van Elteren
