MALAWI: Catholic Youths Workers donate a House to a needy family
The Young Christian Workers of the Archdiocese of Blantyre (Y.C.W.), a Catholic youth movement, on Sunday, 8th April, 2018 donated a house to the Bitoni family of Village Headman Mandanda, Traditional Authority Mkanda in Mulanje District.
The household was identified in 2015 through the Palliative Care Support Trust, a Trust that works to support, promote and develop palliative care services to patients and families in Blantyre district and in surrounding communities. The household comprises of an elderly woman, her daughter (adult) and six children. One of the children who is seven years old suffers from cerebral palsy.
During the handover ceremony, Village Headman Mandanda thanked Y.CW. For the commendable job they have done. “I have never imagined that this would happen in my village. I am short of words. You are wonderful youths of action who have brought hope to the hopeless. God showed you this family, and you accepted the calling by responding to His assignment, I pray to God to reward you more and more”. The Village Headman also urged the youth in his village to take the example of Y.C.W. members and further requested the family to take good care of the house.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Mr Bitoni thanked the Y.C.W. members for choosing their family out of the many needy families. “As a family we really thank God for this blessing. It is like a dream seeing my people being given a house like this one that not even a relative could afford to build for us. You could have chosen any other family in this village to assist, but God directed you to this particular one, we don’t take it for granted. We only thank God and ask Him to continue blessing you and the whole Catholic Church.” He also thanked the Village Headman for allowing the youths to construct a house in the village for the family and all the support that he has been giving them ever since the project commenced.
Rev. Fr. Alick Ntapara who was representing the Archdiocesan Youth Chaplain, urged all the youths to take the example of YCW members who have proven to be good evangelisers of Christ. “As a priest from Chisitu Parish in Mulanje, I am really grateful for this donation as it falls in our parish in this Archdiocese. At first I thought this project would not work, but when I was told to come and handover the house, I was very happy,” he said.
Fr. Ntapara who blessed the house and other items that the Y.C.W. members brought to the family urged the youths not to stop doing good things. He also encouraged the youths in Mulanje to work hard in school so that, in future, they should be the ones bringing positive change to their communities.
At the same time, the former Chairperson of YCW in the Archdiocese of Blantyre Chrispin Ngunde, gave a brief background of how the movement came to know about the family. “Based on our motto, See, Judge and Act, we needed to bring a difference to the world, and today, our dream has become a reality. We are happy because we have brought happiness to Stoneck and the whole Bitoni household. We observed that the family is in dire need of basic necessities including better housing that is why we decided to build them this house. We have donated the house to them despite that the family is not a member of the Catholic Church”. Said Ngunde.
YCW is a movement in the Catholic Church for young people, run by young people, all of whom seek to proclaim the Good news of Jesus Christ through action. Activities of the movement include, among others, sharing the word of God, conducting social works and charity works. YCW is guided by the motto: See, Judge and Act. The members came from Blantyre, Limbe, Lunzu, Mulanje, Mwanza and Thyolo deaneries.
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By Flora Katsabola, Catholic Archdiocese of Blantyre
