Child sponsorship background from Mzuzu, Malawi

SOS Children's Village Mzuzu

The SOS Children's Village here was built on an eight hectares plot of land donated by the government, and is roughly three kilometres from the city centre.  Orphaned and abandoned children were welcomed to the village in 2002.

SOS Children's Village Mzuzu comprises 15 family houses for up to 150 children, houses for the village director and the SOS aunts (who support the SOS mothers and take care of the children when the mothers are on leave), an administration building and a multi-purpose hall.  The SOS Nursery School consists of three classes for up to 90 children and a playground.

Other SOS Projects in Mzuzu

Since 2004, an SOS Social Centre has been coordinating an AIDS outreach programme in the vicinity.  This family strengthening programme reaches out to up to 2,000 people per year and offers access to essential services for children’s development (eg. educational, nutritional and health support, social skills) and supports families to protect and care for their children.  The programme also aims at linking families with income generating activities and offers help to improve the parents’ parenting skills.

An SOS School was opened in January 2005.  It consists of eight classrooms, three rooms for needlecraft, carpentry and special education, a library and a sports field and offers primary school education to up to 320 pupils.

Background to Mzuzu

Mzuzu is the capital of Malawi's Northern Region and is the third largest city in Malawi, with a population of more than 170,000 residents.  It is in the centre of an agricultural region with specialist agriculture in tea, rubber, and coffee.