Post - Trip Update!

Moni onse! We are back from Malawi and wanted to share some of our experiences with you. Thank you so much to all of you who have supported Habitat for Humanity in Malawi!

Our group of 20 awesome volunteer builders ranged in age from the teens to the 70s, and every one of us had something to contribute. We stayed together in Lilongwe, a city of more than 1.3 million people, and we traveled about 45 minutes by bus each day to our building site in a nearby rural village. (You’ll notice we are leaving out the village name as well as the names of our Malawian friends for their privacy’s sake, at the request of Habitat Malawi.)

When we arrived in the village, we were greeted by beautiful singing and dancing before learning all about cinderblock masonry. Over the course of our time there, our volunteers divided up into two work sites, raising the walls of two 3-room homes block by block. There is no running water or electricity in the village, and the homes we built were simple but dry, safe and stable with a new and separate latrine for each. Habitat for Humanity employed people from our village and a nearby village to help guide us in our work. We were also helped by the generosity of other villagers who came to volunteer their time to help us build.

The home we worked on was built facing the home it is intended to replace, one with a failed thatched roof and unstable mud brick walls. While we worked, the woman-led family who will live in the home stayed nearby, preparing corn for nsima (a traditional food staple), chopping fire wood, and laundering their things by hand. The matriarch of our home’s family carried her 2 year-old son everywhere on her back. We saw how much the people of the village work together, cooking communally and doing their daily tasks together.

Each day, every volunteer put on a “nametag” made by writing on a piece of duct tape. About halfway through the week, one of the volunteers gave her nametag to a child, and before we knew it, every child in the village wanted one! You wouldn’t believe the crowd of children that surrounded us, as we wrote each child’s name on a piece of tape. As overwhelming as it felt at first, we loved this experience, as it not only brought joy to the children but also allowed us to greet each of them by name. Over the course of the week, one of the unexpected gifts was getting to interact so much with the children of the village. During lunch breaks and at the end of the workday, our whole volunteer group enjoyed playing with the children, everything from blowing bubbles to playing soccer and dancing. The children’s joy was infectious and heartwarming.

The week opened our eyes to the beautiful strengths that come from true community but also revealed the depth of need in this village (as in many others across Malawi). Habitat for Humanity’s mission in Malawi extends beyond stable housing to include access to safe water, economic empowerment, and sanitation. Women in the village showed us how they have learned skills from Habitat, like how to make soap they can sell in their community and how to sew reusable sanitary pads for the women of the village.

Our experience in Malawi was more than we ever could have imagined. We are so grateful for the support you’ve all given that will allow for additional safe homes to be built in this village!

Pre-Trip Campaign

Moni onse, or hello everyone!

We (Henry and William) are brothers living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who will build homes in Malawi this summer with Habitat for Humanity’s Orphans and Vulnerable Children program.

Malawi, known as the “Warm Heart of Africa,” is home to approximately 1 million orphans (out of a total population of just over 20 million people). The country has been hit hard by HIV infections and deaths, with some urban areas having a prevalence of HIV infections exceeding 20%. On top of this, more than 60% of housing is considered substandard by the Malawian government, with mud floors, thatched rooves, and poor ventilation, a combination that can create unhealthy living conditions.

A new, 3-room Habitat home costs about $7,500 US. Our team’s goal this summer is to build 2 homes (more information about the families these will serve here). Will you donate to Habitat for Humanity Malawi’s Orphans and Vulnerable Children program or share this information with someone who can? All donations go directly to Habitat.

More information about Habitat for Humanity in Malawi can be found on our website.

Thanks so much for your support!

Henry and William Lerner

We will build TWO homes in Malawi.

HOUSE #1

A.M. is a single mother, raising her own 1.5 year-old son as well as her 9 and 12 year-old sisters, who were orphaned when their parents died. The family lives in a one-bedroom house with mud walls in disrepair. The roof leaks when it rains, and the door is weak, posing a security risk to A.M.’s family. The Habitat home we build will provide a safe and dry place to live.

HOUSE #2

M.C.’s husband passed away, and she now cares for her 4 daughters as well as her niece, whose mother also died. The house they live in is small, with a thatched roof that leaks when it rains. M.C. does small jobs and small-scale farming to provide food and other necessities for her family, but she often worries about their health and safety. As M.C. works to make ends meet for her children, we will provide a stable and safe home for them.

Habitat for Humanity Malawi - The Lerners

Help Us Build Safe, Decent Homes for Vulnerable Families in Malawi

Team Members