Dear Kunyumba- friends,

Kunyumba has been my home for the past two months, and it is my absolute pleasure to report about the latest updates from our project:
The children are growing and developing, the staff members are working hard, the house and garden are improving, the vegetable garden is flourishing, the monkey in our garden is swinging in the trees and is full of trouble, the dogs are alive and content, our pet chicken was a bit less fortunate.
We have 19 children now at Kunyumba, with our newest member Atupele, when she arrived in July, a one week old orphan girl. Her mum didn’t survive the caesarean section that was undertaken to deliver this big baby.
Our house is full now, we ve reached our maximum, both logistically and financially. Our children need very individualised care because of their specific problems, and need the space we offer them, to be in group at times but to have some alone time if they need it. It is a great privilege to be able to offer this flexibility. So at present we need to focus on what we have now and find a balance, to then think about possibilities to expand in the future.
I look with great pride at what we have achieved so far here and I am very impressed with the progress and the development our children have made. By looking over a longer time frame the gradual changes in their potential are noticeable. By achieving this they greatly enhance their future possibilities and chances in life. It is through the work of the hands of our very capable staff and their dedication, kindness and patience that all of this is has been realised. The interaction with the other children and their support, in this environment is another fantastic motivation, children here can grow, can learn, can try, can fail, and can try again…
It doesn t matter really whether they have a disability or not, everyone counts, and everyone has a very tough background they all know and appreciate.

Malawi is changing drastically too, we are very proud and have big expectations of our new president , her presidency has partially resolved the fuel crisis but a huge inflation (49% and still increasing rapidly) is the consequence of the very difficult economic situation the country has been suffering from for many years. The Malawian Kwacha is quickly losing its value and prices are going up even faster, making it very difficult for the average Malawian to afford basic essential products. Obviously this also has an impact on Kunyumba’s budgeting.
We are excited to see the results of Joyce Banda’s intention to improve the situation for women and the vulnerable groups here in Malawi. And so far the feedback from the media and people in the street is very positive.

It is my big wish to make Kunyumba sustainable, and extend the project to reach more and have more impact.
Over the past few months it s been so great to be here and participate in Kunyumba’s every day life again. And the many visitors we had came and saw. They saw and agreed that it was good. I would like to extend a big thank you to all the sponsors and the people who work very hard behind the scene, the result of your work is visible in every aspect of our project.
The children are happy and healthy and very noticeably confident. The people who work here are committed and grateful, caring for our children and much more than their daily duty, they really care, occasionally past the working hours and when needed in the middle of the night they carry their responsibility without expecting any reward for this, they are like a true abambu (father) and the amayi (mother) for every single child here.
Also in the local community Senga Bay I notice a gradually gained respect for what happens in Kunyumba. The response I get is truly humbling.

More good news from the Kunyumba front: Kettie has delivered a beautiful baby girl on the 23rd of August. She is now on three months well deserved maternity leave. She worked in Kunyumba until the final moment before the birth. She is a very strong member of our team and her presence will be greatly missed for the next three months.
Peter and I were the proud namers of this girl:Ella!


Many Malawian warm hearted and sunny greetings,
Maaike