Manna for Malawi 2021
The Johnny Holm Band will perform at this year’s Manna for Malawi benefit fund raiser on Sunday, August 15th at the Bridge Tavern north of Crosby, Minnesota. The regional band has been attracting audiences for nearly 40 years in the United States, primarily in the five-state area. Holm began his musical journey just down the road from Cuyuna in Brainerd. Manna for Malawi 2021 runs from 2:00pm to 6:00pm. In addition to music, those who attend get to eat pulled pork sandwiches, beans, coleslaw and chips while they’re checking out the raffle ticket and silent auction items. Charge for the event is a free will offering.
Pastor Paul Mattson said his heart was touched when he saw first hand what Manna for Malawi has done and continues to do, helping to feed and educate the orphans. Malawi is in southeastern Africa, one of the poorest nations in the world. Average income is less than $2 a day.
“When we were invited to help the mission which began 14 years ago, volunteers fed nearly 400 hundred children, once a week. Currently, feeding takes place six days a week and up to a thousand African orphans get their only meal of the day,” Mattson added. Last year’s virtual event without band and food raised more than $28,000 to help feed and educate orphans. This year, with food and music should be better. Money raised this year will go for the feeding program, farm equipment, and education for orphan children.
Education for Orphans
Education in Kanyenyeva, Malawi
For many years Malawi Orphan Care Project has supported sending High School aged boys and girls to school. In Malawi, public school only goes through eighth grade so if a child doesn’t have a benefactor sending them on to High School their education ends at eighth grade. Education is the cornerstone of economic development. It is the key to ending the cycle of poverty in Malawi. Donations for education consistently send sixty-seven (67) children on to High School. These are all children who are connected to the Orphan Project, learning about Jesus and the Bible and getting other very special interactions among which would be their free meals. Often an orphan will be enrolled in school but if his/her care giver cannot afford the fees, the child will be forced to drop out. Sometimes it is a matter of the care giver being able to provide food and shelter for the family over education. The poverty in Malawi is such that the free meal may be the only meal they get several times per week.
Kanyenyeva Ministries sends girls who are at risk of underaged marriage to Boarding School, which gets them in a much safer environment. This is often necessary because many of the girls have lost both of their parents to HIV/AIDS and are then being raised by grandparents or other relatives who have very little funds to offer support. They are rescued from the vulnerability of abuse or from having so many chores and responsibilities that they cannot keep up with school work. Without continuing their education through High School, the girls cannot ever hope to go on to a good job or to college. Kanyenyeva Ministries focus on girls’ education is because according to their culture, boys are more valuable than girls, and girls often get educated last, if at all.
Because of the orphan projects focus on education, two of the young men qualified for the very prestigious National High School of Malawi. Donations for education have been able to secure support to send them on to the National High School, and one young man has gone on to college in his home area. He is thriving there. His name is Precious and one day he hopes to be able to serve his community in some outstanding capacity.
It costs $150.00 for one year of High School and it costs $1500.00 for one year of Boarding School. The National High School tuition is $250.00 per year. One year of college is $4500.00 plus some incidental expenses.
If you have a heart for education or a heart for orphans in Malawi, we would welcome any contribution that you might be able to send. Our mailing address is: MALAWI ORPHAN CARE PROJECT, 53 PARK AVENUE WEST, MANSFIELD, OH, 44902 Or you can donate through paypal on this website.
Manna for Malawi 2020
Manna for Malawi 2020 will look different this year.
The Johnny Holm Band was still willing, the volunteers were ready and eager, the orphans are still hungry, but finally, the decision to keep people safe convinced the event committee to cancel the concert and meal for this year. The amazing and spectacular Manna for Malawi Raffle will still be held and you can buy tickets within an hour of the drawing on August 23rd. The fantastic prizes include a 50 inch TCL Roku TV, a $400 Paddle Board, a kayak with paddle, a Ruttger’s golf package for two 18-hole rounds of golf and cash prizes of $100, $200, and $300. Tickets to the raffle are $5. Watch for MFM volunteers where you sample your adult beverages, contact Immanuel Lutheran Church in Crosby, or pick up as many as you like from 5:00-6:00 pm the night of the drawing, August 23 at the Woodtick in Cuyuna. Who knows? Johnny Holm may show up to buy a ticket! Next year’s event will tentatively be on Sunday, June 27, 2021 and the Johnny Holm Band said they would be there.
Pastor Paul Mattson said he is saddened by the need to cancel this year’s performance but in person and online donations have continued with great results. “People realize that whether or not we have a great time dancing to the music of the Johnny Holm Band, enjoy Maucieri’s Italian food and beverages from Crosby’s Kava House, the orphans in Malawi are still hungry. A hugely successful raffle will insure they still eat and go to school.” The landlocked nation is in southeastern Africa and is one of the poorest nations in the world. Average income there is less than $2 a day.
“We have supported the mission in Malawi for 14 years. Its grown from volunteers feeding around 400 hundred children, once a week, to up to a thousand African orphans eating six days a week. For many of them, this is their only meal of the day,” Mattson added. Last year’s event raised more than $45,000. The money raised by the organization in the past has helped to buy a tractor and truck for the Malawi Orphan Care Project farm . Money raised this year will go for the feeding program and education for orphan children.
For more information about Manna for Malawi:
Call: Pastor Paul Mattson
(218)546-6010
15 Years at Kanyenyeva Ministries
The future of the children of Kanyenyeva is bright because of you. The children in this picture were not born when Kanyenyeva Ministries began 15 years ago but they are benefiting from what you have helped build. They are able to receive food and an education because of your donations and prayers.
Kanyenyeva Ministries and Malawi Orphan Care Project pray that in the next 15 years Malawi will be able to rise out of its extreme poverty and be able to care for all of its citizens.
Five years ago we wrote about the first 10 years of Kanyenyeva Ministries. You can read about that here.
Since then, Kanyenyeva Ministries continues to help improve the lives of the children and adults in their community. The leadership at the orphan project makes sure each child attends school. Because of this focus, more students are graduating from high school. One student, Precious, scored so high on his high school exit exams that he was eligible to attend college. Thanks to a generous donor who is paying his school fees, Precious is studying computer science at UNICAF in Lilongwe. You can read more about Precious here.
With the help of your donations, they have begun 2 new businesses: a 137 acre farm and Kanyenyeva Wala which is a Days for Girls Enterprise where women make and sell reusable sanitary products.
A Skills Center has been built where Kanyenyeva Wala is housed and high schoolers can meet in the evening to study together. Kanyenyeva Ministries is exploring other businesses to start which will also be housed in the skills center. They are looking into starting a sandal business, a furniture business, or a mat making business.
Kanyenyeva Ministries continues to feed the children, share Jesus’ love with them, and provide school supplies. Your donations to Malawi Orphan Care Project truly are changing lives. Thank you!!
