Preparing for the Famine of 2008

Due to the poor rainfall this year in Malawi, many families were unprepared. They did not harvest enough maize to feed their families until the next harvest. Beginning in about October, families will not be able to purchase maize. They will struggle to find enough food to survive. November begins the planting season. The rains will begin then and end in about April. After that they will harvest their maize. IDES awarded us $35,000 to purchase maize, beans and baby formula (for babies of mothers with HIV/AIDS). Beginning the end of October we will begin to increase the orphan feedings, and deliver bags of maize and beans to families where the parents are suffering from AIDS. This month we began providing baby formula for 8 mothers with AIDS so they may stop breastfeeding their infants. The HIV virus can be passed through mother's milk to the baby. Praise God with us for His wonderful provision.