Ministry of Hope has developed a variety of programs for orphaned and vulnerable children, and the communities in which they live, with a goal of addressing their basic physical, spiritual and educational needs.
Since 2008 Ministry of Hope has sponsored a mobile medical clinic in communities that would otherwise have limited access to any form of medical care. The clinic is staffed by a medical director, physician assistants, nurses and volunteers from U.S. churches and service groups. The Mobile Medical Clinic has been registered and approved to operate by the Malawian government.
A large clinic bus transports staff, testing equipment and a mobile pharmacy on monthly visits to MOH communities on a rotating basis. The clinics provide basic services such a physical exams, on-site malaria testing and drugs such as antimalarials, antibiotics and analgesics. When someone is diagnosed with a life-threatening condition, staff members refer them to local hospitals and coordinate their transportation and admission.
Volunteer groups can sponsor and participate in a mobile clinic as part of a service trip with Ministry of Hope. A mobile medical clinic usually serves between 300-600 people during a one-day site visit and volunteer groups are asked to donate the approximately $1,000 cost which covers staff salaries, transportation and the cost of drugs.
Click here to watch a brief video about the mobile medical clinic.
Since there are virtually no government resources in Malawi to feed the growing number of orphans, Ministry of Hope has established feeding centers in six villages in the central region of Malawi.
The first feeding center was built in the village of Matapila and opened in April 2000. Five more centers have been built since 2002 and together they provide a daily meal to several thousand children. The feeding centers are a joint effort between Ministry of Hope and local villages. Land for gardens and feeding centers is donated by the villages. Food, supplies and construction costs are funded by Ministry of Hope through the donations of people from other countries, primarily the United States.
The core mission of Ministry of Hope is to nurture the spiritual lives of children who face a harsh and difficult existence on their own. After each meal children hear a message of hope on Christian faith and living. Ministry of Hope staff and volunteers come alongside the children to play games, lead Bible studies and organize their participation in a village choir.
Ministry of Hope also cares for some of the smallest orphans in Malawi with two Crisis Nurseries, one in the capital of Lilongwe and the other in the northern city of Mzuzu. The Lilongwe Crisis Nursery was built and opened in the Fall of 2004 and the Mzuzu nursery opened in the Summer of 2006. Together, these two nurseries have a capacity for caring for approximately 50 infants.
The infants are cared for during their crisis period while arrangements are made to place them with relatives or adoptive families.
Ministry of Hope is also involved in the educational development of the children.
There is a pre-school program for children under the age of five. The children come to the centers at 7:30 am and attend preschool until 11:00 am. They are taught English, Bible stories, and simple Math, they also memorize Scripture.
In Malawi there is no free public education after the 8th grade, and without the support of a family, a child's education would end at this point. Ministry of Hope helps deserving children continue their education by providing scholarships that will support them through their senior year in high school at a cost of about $30 per month.