2015 Newsletter – A Letter from our President
Missed the 2015 MCV Newsletter in the mail? Read it here on the blog. Below is the newsletter’s opening address from MCV Board President Tom Vitaglione. You can find more articles from the 2015 newsletter here.
Dear Donors and Friends,
A physician, five nurses, two nutritionists, more than a dozen teachers, six agricultural specialists, two community activists, and numerous accountants and finance officers. These are young people from the Mangochi District of Malawi with one thing in common: all are orphan “graduates” of MCV!
One of the joys of an orphan care/community development program entering its twentieth year is to see so many little ones, whose very survival was in question, become productive members of a slowly growing middle-class. They are now making important contributions in one of the world’s poorest countries. There are now more than 12,000 MCV “graduates”, and they are beginning to make a difference in the villages, towns and government.
The longevity and vibrancy of MCV, is not happenstance. It would not be possible without the loyal donors whose contributions cover annual basic orphan care costs ($25) and school tuition ($255). These costs are small by our standards but are well beyond the reach of Malawian households that have taken in orphans.
MCV also benefits from its partners: Open Arms (UK) provides rehabilitative care for infant/toddlers; Engineers without Borders (Anchorage) has installed a safe water system; Rotary Clubs in Seneca Falls and Clifton Springs (NY) support 25 village-based irrigation systems; THREEafrica has begun providing tuition support for additional girls to attend secondary school; and a number of American primary schools provide both fiscal and moral support.
An underlying reason for MCV’s success is the innate resilience of Malawians. Twenty years ago, the country was overwhelmed by the AIDS epidemic, and only recently has that challenge been ameliorated by community health education and the introduction of critical drugs. Along the way there have been continued economic problems (currency devaluation and fuel shortages) as well as natural disasters (massive flooding earlier this year that will create food shortages in the coming months). Through all this, Malawian families with help from MCV – have remained willing to take in orphans and to do the best they can to assure their growth and development.
We are grateful to the hundreds of you who continue to help MCV to meet this challenge, and ask that you encourage others to join us in bringing hope to Malawi’s orphans.
Tsalani Bwino,
Tom Vitaglione, Board President
Stay tuned to the MCV Blog to read more articles from this year’s newsletter in the coming weeks.