When Bright Vision started in 2005 it was a pretty small operation. Stanley, the founder and Director, got some people together to feed children whenever they could collect enough food. As more resources became available, those feeding programs became more frequent and much bigger. As other programs started operating, we realized that the volunteers were now giving much more of their time. So little by little we started giving them stipends to say THANK YOU for their work and to help them support their families. With this came an annual loan in order to help them purchase farming inputs (seed and fertilizer) to ensure a good harvest in their own fields. We quickly found out that one of the most effective ways for us to serve the community of Chamadenga was to have people doing meaningful work to serve the children/families of the village and being able to support them so they could support their families.
Currently, Bright Vision has 40 regular volunteers who run nursery school, cook meals, care for poultry, farm, plant trees, and provide security. Without them, our various programs couldn’t run. With the small stipend they receive, they are able to help support their own families, care for their gardens, and take care of things around the home. Equally as important to the financial provision their work provides is the purpose and joy they have in serving the children and families in their own village.
Kachipapa is our the leader of our security guards and has been with Bright Vision for 14 years. He has six children, and through his work at Bright Vision has been able to support his family by farming, purchasing animals, and building a home.
Lugesi has been at Bright Vision for 7 years, and heads the feeding program while teaching nursery school. She has been able to support her family by paying school fees and maintaining her family’s fields. She also noted that the various trainings she has gone through at Bright Vision have benefited her greatly.
Judith went through our Secondary School sponsorship program, and after finishing school joined the staff in 2016. Her parents passed away some years ago, and she has been able to not only help care for her family (she has two kids), but also for her younger sister who is finishing up secondary school (also a part of the sponsorship program).
Nadziona was also a sponsorship student and joined Bright Vision’s staff seven years ago. She teaches nursery school, coordinates formula milk for infants in need, and also helps take care of funds coming in and out in Chamadenga. She’s been able to farm, purchase animals, and maintain her family’s field with her work at BVOC.
Bikausi joined Bright Vision 7 years ago. He started by just coming around to help, but we quickly realized that his hard work and reliability merited having him help as staff. He takes care of whatever needs to be done: chopping wood, taking maize to the mill to be turned into flour, and whatever else people need to make things run. Bikausi was born with a mental handicap, but being a part of Bright Vision’s staff has helped him grow tremendously as part of a community. We’re grateful for his lively presence and hard work.
I would add one important note: Our family (the Hirotos in Malawi) and the members of the board volunteer our time to work with Bright Vision (thank you to Chuck, Denise, Shirley, Cory, and Greg). None of the “Staff” or “Admin” portions of our budget goes to anyone outside of these 40 staff members who live and serve in Chamadenga. It is a joy for us to partner with our fantastic staff members who desire to serve the children and families at Bright Vision.