COTN

Friday we visited Chitipi orphanage and farm, on the outskirts of Lilongwe. It is a COTN facility.  They currently house 32 children in the orphanage, plus have another home for older girls behind the main orphanage. The farm has crops, animals (pigs, rabbits, chickens), a tilapia pond, an irrigation system, a preschool (for both kids in the orphanage and local children). It is well run, the children are always healthy and happy. It was a school day so we did not get to see the older kids, but we did get a nice tour for Joey and Kelley. We also met the newest child, Daniel, who came to the orphanage at 3 days of age. His mother died after giving birth, he was premature (about 7 months), weighed in at about 1.2 kg. Now he is a chunk and growing daily. I also got to reconnect with old friends. Joey and I will go back when the kids are around and see all the older kids. Today we are going to another E3 Mobile Clinic, so 'stay tuned' for more photos! Enjoy these of the home and farm.

Kelley McGowan with baby Daniel

Inside one of the preschool rooms. The older kids have ~13 in this class, the 'baby class' (under 5 I think) has about 20 little ones. They teach in English.

Outside of school block

A starter garden bed, these plants will be moved into the bigger beds. They grow maize, soya beans, sweet potatoes (NOT yams), tomatoes, and other assorted veggies.

One of the momma pigs. They have two 'pig houses' with tons of pigs! The goal of COTN is to be able to feed all the children in their homes and the feeding villages using what is grown here at Chitipi and what is grown at the big farm where the teen age boys stay. I was told that this year, they succeeded in that!

Meeting Yamikani, a young man from COTN who is currently managing the tilapia pond for his GAP year.

The walls of the house have multiple brightly colored murals, this one depicts all the kids and the Mom / Dad and aunties.

One of the older girls with little Daniel on her back

Ran into an old friend, Fineness, in the older girls home. Girls that stay here are in high school or college / advanced school - she is in a Bible college.

Tapiwa is a girl with severe cerebral palsy who lives at Chitipi, surrounded by happy children and adults who all love her.

The home is divided into a girls' side and a boys' side. On the girls side, each dorm room has about 8 beds, with an auntie assigned to each room and usually one of the little boys (Thomas, Caleb, Mikey) also in that room. On the boys side, the Mom and Dad oversee those 2 rooms, and they keep little Daniel with them at the present.  It is a great system and seems to work really well. If you are thinking you would like to be a child sponsor, check out COTNi.org, you can search the countries they serve, the age of the child, etc. The ones in an orphanage are more expensive to support (I am still talking not much money!) than the kids in the feeding village. It can be a great project for a family. Think about supporting the older kids, as they always seem to be in need. COTN gets 3 sponsors per child, to alleviate any problems if someone has to drop off the sponsor program.