A Meaningful Day for Everyone
On the 11th of February 2021- on the occasion of Seibo’s 5th birthday- our colleagues in Malawi were distributing vital take-home food packs to children who were deemed to be the most needy by elders and stakeholders from their own community. What follows is a short introduction to some of the children who received food- all thanks to you as a Seibo donor. From the children of Malawi we say thank you!

Elizabeth & Granny Fyness
Elizabeth attends Watipa Nursery. Her mom & dad left to seek work in South Africa and she is now being cared for by her Granny. Her parents are managing to send home 7,000 kwacha each month but it doesn’t cover the food costs for Elizabeth, Fyness and Fisha (12). Fyness: “It is very hard for me to do piece works every day because of my age, I do not have much strength. Most of the times we eat once or twice a day. Thank you very much for the flour this is a big relief for me as Eliza will be having breakfast. God bless you.”

Desmond & Mom Andrina
Desmond attends Atamandike nursery. They live with Desmond’s granny who is reliant on her children to support her. Andrina used to draw water for construction sites but since the pandemic this work no longer exists. When they have nothing they go to bed on an empty stomach. When we spoke with her she actually could not remember the last time she had breakfast. Andrina mentioned how useful the emergency packs previously distributed by Seibo were to her family. She thanked Seibo’s donors for their support. Desmond will now eat breakfast.

Leticia & Mom Beatrice
A single mom Beatrice and her family live in a rented home. Work is scarce due to the pandemic but normally Beatrice would do piece-work such as washing clothes or fetching water. With schools closed Beatrice has to stay home to look after her 3 x children adding, “I am very thankful for Seibo, you support my child with school as well as feeding. This Likuni Phala is timely. The extra help you have been to us whenever you can does help us a lot.”

Celcius & Granny Mercy
Celsius stays in a household of 7 people which includes her mom and grandparents. Her grandfather is the family breadwinner and works as a watchman (security guard). Her grandmother used to do piece-work but since her health has deteriorated she has been unable to work. Granny Mercy added, “I am very thankful for the support to my grandchild. Seibo makes life easier at least as we can’t afford this nutritious breakfast meal for him. Life that was hard is even harder nowadays.”

Monalisa & Mom Grina
Monalisa attends Future Leaders nursery. Her mom sells doughnuts, pancakes and fried groundnuts though business has slowed since the pandemic as she had many school students buying her wares when schools were open. Grina mentioned, “I am always thankful to Seibo your support allows my kids to be in school as well as being fed with a nutritious breakfast meal which I could never afford to buy”.

Lucie & Mom Linda
Lucie attends Atamandike nursery. She lives in a household of 6 people including her mom and grandparents. The family earn their living by means of selling pumpkin leaves and Linda’s concern is that when the season is over they will have nothing left to sell. She added, “Since coronavirus started it has been difficult to find piece work as almost everyone has been affected financially. I am thankful to Seibo for the Likuni phala I have received today. Lucie will now eat breakfast.”

Margret & Mom Chrissy
Margret attends Bizzy Bees nursery. She lives in a household of 6 including her mom of which she is the youngest. Under different circumstances Chrissy would find some work fetching water for molding bricks but most constructions works have stopped due to financial constraints, further compounded by the rainy season. She added, “Likuni phala for Margret is always a life saver, since she is the youngest, she becomes my greatest worry when don’t have food but now as long as she is fed the rest of us can manage however way. Thank you Seibo for your support”

Vincent & Mom Joyce
Vincent attends Holy Cross nursery. He lives with his parents and 2 x siblings. Until recently the house in which they lived was rent-free but now the owner is asking for rent. Once the rainy season is over they plan to move out. Mom Joyce was thankful to Seibo adding, “Am happy my child will now have nutritious breakfast, this porridge is a huge part of his feeding, because the times without it we really struggle to feed him what he needs for we can’t afford.”

Chisomo & Mom Katherine
Chisomo attends Makwika nursery. His mom runs a small business while his dad does piecework. Mom Katherine added, “I do business, I sell vegetables and fruits but now things are moving slowly .Suppliers have raised prices and we are losing customers because they don’t want to buy with the new high prices and so we reduce and make losses. The little we make also goes directly to daily expenses.We are hoping that things will get better soon. But am thankful to Seibo for always supporting us, the Likuni phala will be of great help.”

Twins Chimwemwe & Chikondi
The twins attend Kriver Private Academy. Their mom (Maria) runs a small business selling fried potatoes. Before the pandemic she sold anywhere from 4,500 to 5,000 kwacha per day but now only earns a maximum of 1,500 kwacha in a day. They still live in a rented house that costs MK 8,000 per month but it takes days or weeks to settle the bill to the annoyance of the landlord. Sometimes she even has to borrow money from friends so that she can settle her bills. The family now sometimes eat once a day or go without food if business is really bad. Maria thanked Seibo for the support said her kids will now have at least a meal in the morning. But she still longs for things to go back to normal so that her child can receive a hot breakfast meal at school.

Shadai & Mom Violet
Shadai attends Little Bees nursery. In previous conversations with Shadai’s mom (Violet) she shared that she borrowed 30,000 kwacha from a money lending institution (FINCA) which she managed to pay back. While the opportunity to borrow money is now available to her she is too afraid to do so as the trading environment has completely changed since the pandemic. The landlord of their rented accommodation is allowing the family pay in instalments throughout the month and they are just about getting by. Violet expressed her sincere thanks to Seibo donors for the porridge.

Alice & Mom Christina
Alice attends Sulema nursery. Her grandmother supports her family by selling tin buckets. Alice’s mom does hair braiding but does not have many customers due to the pandemic adding, “Things are not okay this time around. Covid has hit us hard. The closure of schools has minimized my movement to search for customers bearing in mind that I cannot leave Alice alone at home”.

Hajira & Mom Patuma
Hajira attends Samirah nursery. Her mom worked as a house maid until she got pregnant when she lost her job. She in turn gets support from Hajira’s granny but it’s never enough. Patuma was so thankful to Seibo for providing her with the Likuni Phala. She feared that Hajira might start losing weight due to lack of food in the house.

Christina & Mom Chipiliro
Christina attends St.Theresa nursery. Her mom used to sell tomatoes but today there are no customers. Her dad works as a night guard at a local church. Life is not easy but they keep pushing to survive. Chipiliro was grateful to Seibo’s donors for the help.

Christian & Mom Esther
Christian attends Abundant Life nursery. Her dad used to sell charcoal but now can only get piecework when available. Esther said she was very happy to have received Likuni Phala. She knows the Likuni will help Christian to grow healthy.