WILLIE MPASUKA
a 2008 graduate of ABC Malawi
Willie Mpasuka graduated from ABC in 2008 and along with 2 other ABC graduates pioneered Rays of Hope Ministries the following year. The ministry has a 2 fold objective: To enhance and improve the education of school going kids who cannot afford a part time tutor & equip them with job training skills (Age group 18-25).
The work accomplished however, goes far beyond the stated objectives. Read more on the life changing stories of two children who would have otherwise fallen away into obscurity ifRays of Hopehad not kindled a spark in their lives.
Evelyn Manyika lost her father in 2005 and lived at home with her unemployed mother.
Her best option after her father's death was to live with her grandparents and so she moved out of her house and lived in a family of 20 supported by one working grandfather. The disproportionate ratio implied there were days without food for the kids in a fairly sizeable home. Little Evelyn began to spend days and sleep nights on an empty stomach.
Rays of Hopeidentified her need and in small ways began providing her food and nourishment after school hours. This happened to be her only meal for the day on countless occasions. Evelyn today is 9 years of age and is able to be better focused on her studies and the same child who came in as a dull, unmotivated and rejected kid, excels in her studies.
Yohane Kwaitane in grade 7 came to
Rays of Hopea year ago. His story is indeed a moving one. The young lad was witness to a home of recurrent conflict and squabbles between his parents. One fine day his father married another woman and in the course of time his biological mother took ill and died. He was left to fend for himself at home. His step mom lived far from his house along with his father who would visit the child once in a few months. Willie sensed the child's aloofness and self-rejection and listened to his story. Yohane told him how there were days when "I did some manual labour to earn some money and tried often to find food alone" Today the child has a sense of direction and hope of a future as someone has taken the time to listen to his story and offered love and hope for a kid who was abandoned and left to battle life himself.
Willie contends that the implications of the work done in the lives of the children are far reaching. Children who struggle to cope with academic pressure are assisted after school hours. These include 110 children from 3 government schools.
The children are not merely offered access to a library and learn various skills and lessons; they have hands on access to computer literacy with the 4 computer systems at the office site. The children are privileged to attend summer camps during their school holidays, in order that they make optimum use of their time. The kids are grouped into various teams and through sports, bible classes, lessons on human rights and HIV education, the ABC graduates along with a few interns from ABC, are able to inculcate a sense of worth and dignity in the precious lives of the kids.
The challenges faced by Willie and his friends are many. The indigenous project, which is not funded by any external source, is running out of resources that they were initially given to pioneer the noble work.
Hope abounds as the UNICEF has shown interest in the project. Let us prayerfully commit their lives into the direction and grace of our God even as our graduates continue to work amongst the unheard and uncelebrated children of the African soil.
