Though his early life was marked by tragedy, Janatu is now growing and thriving back in his community.
Janatu - a healthy baby boy - was born in December 2022, but sadly his mother passed away when he was only 12 days old.
Whilst grieving, his family were also terrified that they wouldn’t be able to provide Janatu with the nourishment he needed for survival.
Worried and vulnerable, they asked for help and were referred to Open Arms through local Social Welfare officers.
Shortly afterwards, Janatu arrived at the Open Arms Infant Home in Mangochi, ensuring he would get the nutritional support he needed to live, with his family visiting him frequently.
In his time at the Infant Home, Janatu grew bigger and stronger. He started walking, running and playing with his friends and was able to develop a strong relationship with his grandmother, father and stepmother whenever they came to see him.
Then in November 2025, Janatu, like all the other children in the Infant Home, returned home to his family, who were enrolled in Open Arms 3-year Graduation Programme.
Before his return, the family spent nearly a week with Janatu and the Open Arms team - not only transitioning Janatu into their full time care, but also learning best agricultural practices and collecting their supplies of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides so that they could grow their own food.
The family immediately got to work, preparing the ground for planting and then sowing the seeds and nurturing the maize. The harvest will be ready soon and they are hoping for a great crop!
Open Arms will continue to support them, and next year they will receive different seeds and advice on how they can best use their time and efforts. Hopefully before long they will grow enough to support not only their family, but with extra to sell on so they can become self-sufficient.
Janatu has loved being back in the community with his family. He lives with his grandmother, and they are really close to each other. His father is nearby, as well as lots of his extended family, so he is surrounded by love and care.
Janatu is visited regularly by the Open Arms team, who keep a close eye on his progress and provide him with fortified porridge to help him continue to grow big and strong.
It won’t be long before Janatu begins his education and starts nursery school, and we look forward to hearing how he is getting on!
It is thanks to the generous donations of our supporters that children like Janatu can grow and thrive with their families in Malawi.
We’d love to be able to support more families, so please consider making a donation today.
Your donation will help children in Malawi grow up healthy with the love of a family
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