There have been a lot of comings and goings in our Infant Homes this year! You might remember hearing about some of the new little babies we met.
A beautiful little boy named Joseph was brought to us by social welfare after being found abandoned and in need of medical care.
5 month old Chisomo-steven who had been looked after by his grandparents since he was born also came into Open Arms. Sadly his mother had died after she gave birth to him. His grandparents made the difficult decision to bring Chisomo-steven in because they had no money and were already looking after 5 other orphans from their extended family.
9 month old Anastanzi was also admitted. Her mother had died in October due to HIV related complications and so Anastanzi was orphaned. She is also HIV+ and was being cared for by her grandmother who already had her hands full with 8 other orphans.
You may also remember Moses’s heart breaking story. He was appropriately named after Moses in the Old Testament after being found on the banks of the heavily polluted river Nasolo. As a tiny new born, he was abandoned inside a plastic bag. When passing children heard his cries they thought that he was a cat but his cries alerted a woman washing laundry in the water and he was rescued, taken to the hospital, and after some time brought to us.
These babies are now safe and part of the Open Arms family and they will be with us until they are fit, immunised and ready to go back to their families or move on with us into Harrogate House.
As so many babies moved in, we also waved goodbye to some familiar faces as they made the big move back into their communities.
We’ve recently seen Isaac Filipo, Raquel, Augustine, Ennelesi, Tamandani, Brenda, Prisca, Francisca and Mada all move on.
Saying farewell is undertaken with as much care as the welcome that our children receive. On the final day everyone in the Home gathers to sing, wave and hug the little one goodbye.
There are always a few tears. But for those that have returned to their families, by the time Matron makes her Outreach visit the little ones have become a well-adjusted and loved member of the family and they are happy to be in their new home.
Change has been seen in both the Harrogate and Malawi offices too. This year Jasmine and her family made the move from Malawi to the UK. Jasmine has always played an important role at Open Arms and we are very pleased that her work continues with us in Harrogate now. Claire also started with us in November to head up the Fundraising team and has been busy getting us ready to build on what we have achieved this year to fund the great work that is done out in Malawi.
As you’ll know, our Director of Operations, Neville Bevis, retired this year after 17 years of leading the charity. We will all miss working with Neville and are incredibly grateful for his commitment and dedication to Open Arms.
His vision and drive to make a difference has shaped what we do today and allowed some of the most vulnerable children in the world to have the start in life that they truly deserve. Our new Director Charlie McCaulder, who has been working closely with Neville for the past few months, will now take the lead and build on the strong foundations that Open Arms has.
At the start of December Neville had several leaving celebrations. In Malawi, everyone rushed to meet him singing and dancing and circling around him. Mrs Phiri was Mistress of Ceremonies and had organised everything in great detail. Charlie welcomed Neville and all the staff, volunteers, visitors, foster children and the Board members. He was presented with a lovely 'e book' of his time at Open Arms. All the different 'departments' of the Infant Homes, House Mums, Grounds men, and of course the Foster Children took turns in either singing, performing or reading a poem, all needless to say, about Neville or memories of him. Board member Mrs Munthali, wished Neville well with some moving words. And Mrs Phiri gave a speech remembering funny moments, many of which involved her white high heel shoes and pushing Land Rovers out of the mud in the early days when Neville used to drive her around on outreach visits.
And now back in the UK, he recently met up with the team here and supporters new and old for an additional celebration of all that he has done. With more thanks, gifts poems and speeches, he had a lovely evening reminiscing. He’s been busy catching up with old contacts ever since!
Neville has received many gifts including a painting by his favorite Malawian artist Willinga, a large photo of the team in Malawi, a cake made in the shape of an orphanage, (complete with his green land rover), a book of achievements and stories that everyone has contributed to, an engraved tankard, a poem about his life and times with us and some very generous donations to Open Arms in his honour.
It goes without saying that we wish him all the very best for a long and happy retirement.
We are incredibly lucky to be supported by such an enthusiastic team of volunteers and supporter. Each and every one has worked tirelessly to support the work in Malawi and make Open Arms the special place it has become. The spirit and determination shines through in all areas from fundraising, donating, running events in the UK to helping the children in Malawi take their very first steps.
So, as we come to the end of a memorable year, what better way to finish than by saying thank you to everyone that has supported us and given time, money or skills to help our charity become what it is today. We couldn’t do what we do without you and for that we say thank you.
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