Stephen Moyo’s Mission4Change

It’s April 2023 and it’s been a year and a half since Stephen‘s death and so much has changed.

Hurricane Ada hit Malawi in January 2022, and destroyed the amazing brick house that Stephen had built for the family. This is unbelievably devastating. Stephen and the family thought that this house would be permanent and life-changing for all of them. What we learned from that was that the house was too low lying, and the future house would need to be built on higher ground to avoid the potential for flooding given the increased flooding that’s happened in the last few years that they haven’t seen in previous years as much. Stephen‘s brother Peter over 10 years younger than Stephen, moved in and stepped up as the head male of the family to look after their mum, mum, Moyo, and Stephen’s 5 children: two sets of twins, and David, and his Stephen’s wife, Maria.

What I didn’t realize for several months to come, was that Peter was also looking after the orphaned children of their other siblings, and Peter was engaged to his now wife, Stella at the time.

Peter and Stephen’s siblings died from various causes including traffic accidents and diseases that in the developed world would be easily treated or wouldn’t happen at all, but in Malawi are problems that run rampant in the poor water, or due to lack of of access to safe sanitation systems or good medical care: diseases like cholera or malaria.

There have been 15 to 16 family members living in a two room dilapidated, broken down brick house who’s windows are broken, roof leaks, and who’s walls have holes and cracks in it. The unsafe conditions lead to serious health problems, frequent bouts of malaria and other infections , and most recently, a terrifying nearly fatal snake attack on Peter’s wife in the house, leading to a long hospitalization.

This was weeks after she gave birth to their first child and shortly before cyclone Freddy tore directly over the family and everything they had left. One family member, a young widow, previously died in January leaving her young toddler also an orphan in the family.

Their gardens they work so hard to build now are again in ruin.

This beautiful Christian family works so hard to raise their and educate their children, to strive above the hardships, to serve their community, to teach others and to share what we share to them to enhance their lives and to improve their health and ability to grow their food.

They ask for prayer.

They are so grateful for everything but ask for nothing. It is such a pleasure and a blessing to be able to reach out and make a difference in their lives and the lives of those around them and to show them that the world has not forgotten them. We are all connected. That we do not rush ahead with our own interests only and the commercialism that is all around us in the face of their daily choices of whether to eat today or wait until tomorrow with what is left. We don’t make the choice of whether we will make it to walk the many kilometres to the nearest medical centre with our sick child or spouse and wonder if they will be out of the medication and if we will have carried enough food and cooking supplies for our stay there and to pay for any treatment they might need. We aren’t shoeless for such a trip.

This is not a life choice they made. This is the life they were born into. They can’t simply choose to move out of it. This is the life we WEREN’T born into.

It is so humbling and astonishing to really connect with them and learn day to day how they live. How they are so thankful. How they are so committed to God and so strong in spirit. They are inspirational.

They inspire me to want to do more and to want to continue to show them that we can make a difference and we CAN change the world. I will continue my mission for change I began with Stephen and continue to help make life better for his immediate and extended family. They have become an extension of my family. I know that through this, his kids and family will share that knowledge and information throughout their community and change will extend much further. This happens without government or complication. It happens without an expectation of anything in return. Yet, knowing that today lives are there because we chose to help, that is breathtaking. It is truly a miracle worth talking about celebrating!

The Moyo family members are very humble and don’t ask. They ask for prayer for them. I am asking for help in addition to prayer. I need help financially to help them rebuild their house, to help them with the medical issues that arise ongoing given their state of living, with providing the girls and women with reusable feminine hygiene products, to support education costs for the children and with safe water and food supplies while we work on building these systems in place. These are ongoing needs I can’t afford to support alone or to ask my immediate family to support. I am so grateful to all who have helped along the way. You have helped save lives.

If you can, please consider helping again. We have the gravel, with your help, for the foundation of the house delivered. All 8 tones! Next stages are to get the plans for the house, then concrete and bricks for the walls. We hope to have 4 rooms for the 16 people. This is a modest hope but this is the hope. This is not a North American home that will be built. It is a basic brick cabin sort of home. Then will be windows and door and metal roof panels.

The cost of permanent feminine products is about $30 locally per girl/ woman and they last for about 18 months. The cost for a 50 kg sack of ground maize to last the family of 16 for 2 weeks is about $60 Canadian, this price has been fluctuating significantly since cyclone Freddie. They need this plus a mix of some beans and other staples. The needs are great. Anything you are able to do now or regularly is appreciated. We hope to build the home and have them in a home again this year. I hope that is realistic. 2 years is a long time for a family this large to be out of a home.

I will update with more photos soon. Thank you for your interest and help! Please share their story and help me make on my mission4change.

Apparently that never got posted! My mistake  There is much more to update in the many months since… I will post again. We continue to work every day.