Child Sponsorship Programs
Our Approach
The Esther's House sponsorship program identifies the most vulnerable children within Central Malawi. It's staff thoroughly interviews children and community members then pools available funds to initiate programming where each child receives full and equal assistance. Currently there are three levels care administered by Esther's House.
Feeding Centers
There are over 1,200 children receiving vitamin enriched meals thru a network of feeding centers. These centers provide food and bible studies and are led by over 350 generous volunteers.
Non-Residential
This program serves vulnerable children by coming along side families desiring to give children a home. Every child deserves to have a family and that's the goal for the Esther's House non-residential program. Often times there are extended family members who desire to take in and raise a child but are unable to provide for them. Esther's House works with these families to ensure children are cared for by providing food, healthcare, education and spiritual discipleship.
Residential
The residential program is provided for highly vulnerable children who are unable to find care anywhere else. These children are taken into the Esther's House family and cared for by house parents while living on the Esther's House campus. Each child is part of a family unit and given access to housing, education, healthcare, food and spiritual discipleship.
After each program is initiated, individuals and families are given the opportunity to select a specific child to sponsor, correspond with and pray for. Upon full sponsorship of each group of children any available funds are reallocated and the process is repeated. Children are selected, physical needs are met, spiritual needs are addressed and children are matched with a sponsor who they will build a relationship with.
Esther' s House Non-Residential
Each child in Esther's House Non-Residential program receives assistance with food, clothing, healthcare, education and spiritual discipleship. By sponsoring one of the children in this program you are providing them with not just necessities of life, but allowing them to experience a better quality of life, hope and most importantly the love of Christ demonstrated in a tangible practical way.
Each child in the Non-Residential program comes to breakfast six days per week. Typical menu consists of a vitamin-enriched version of the cultural staple, nsema (very similar in appearance to grits). After breakfast, kids head off to school. Sponsorship provides for school fees to be paid, uniforms, books and pencils. In addition to public education a tutor is provided 5 days per week for any subject in which the child is struggling. This tutor also teaches daily English lessons, which greatly improves the child's potential for employment when they grow up.
Friday and Saturday afternoons children come to Esther's House where they receive their "big" meals for the week. This menu also includes protein of some sort...usually eggs, chicken or goat. A bible lesson is taught after each meal and the children usually play organized games with each other.
In the village where these children live, there is no health care available. Esther's House provides transportation so children can travel to see a doctor when necessary. Short term mission teams have also been a great help. Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals have volunteered their time to travel to the village and conduct clinics. Hygiene and disease programs are regularly taught, benefiting not only the children, but their families and friends out in the community.
As dramatic as these benefits are in the lives of each child, many needs are still not met. Sponsors are encouraged to send letters and cards and are given opportunities to minister in numerous other ways to the children they sponsor. To learn about additional opportunities to meet the needs of these children please click here.
Esther's House Residential
If you choose to sponsor a child who lives at Esther's House, you are providing that child with an amazing opportunity. Each of these children are orphaned, and have no extended family to care for them. The traditional family system in Malawi encourages people to care for members of their extended family, but sadly that's not always an option. At Esther's House we strive to be "family" for each child and provide them with food, shelter and most importantly love. Our system includes multiple sets of "house parents" these husband and wife teams live at Esther's House and model Godly examples of what a family looks like. These teams assist with cooking, laundry, gardening and other chores Malawian families are tasked with daily. Sponsorships of the children help pay for their caregivers as well as meeting the child's other physical, spiritual, and emotional needs.
Each child who lives at Esther's House attends school, is provided with a private tutor, given three meals daily, clothing, shoes, has access to health care, sleeps in a bed with a mosquito net all in addition to growing up in a loving, Christian environment.
Although much more than the "basic" needs are met for these children there are many things sponsorship doesn't cover. Sponsors are encouraged to send letters and cards and are given opportunities to minister in numerous other ways to the children they sponsor. To learn about additional opportunities to meet the needs of these children please click here.
