The Dalitso Project
One of our most important ministries at The Dalitso Project is our infant rescue program.
As Unicef estimate that 1/3 of women in Malawi will die in childbirth, it is a very common occurrence for babies to be orphaned at birth. For the poorest of families it is very difficult to provide for an orphaned baby unless you have access to a wet nurse, as the cost of formula milk is approximately £12 per month and yet 62% of Malawians live on less than 93p per day (Unicef 2013).
The infant rescue program has been up and running since 2010 at Thyolo but only since 2015 at Kambilonjo. So currently we are looking after 25 babies in Thyolo and 5 babies in Kambilonjo. Each child becomes part of this program for the first 2 years of their life where they are provided with the essentials of infant survival. This includes formula milk, porridge, clothes and blankets.
After the first 2 years, any children who live nearby and require on going support will join our daycare centres where they will be given breakfast and lunch daily and given educational support as well as support with other basic needs.
As Unicef estimate that 1/3 of women in Malawi will die in childbirth, it is a very common occurrence for babies to be orphaned at birth. For the poorest of families it is very difficult to provide for an orphaned baby unless you have access to a wet nurse, as the cost of formula milk is approximately £12 per month and yet 62% of Malawians live on less than 93p per day (Unicef 2013).
The infant rescue program has been up and running since 2010 at Thyolo but only since 2015 at Kambilonjo. So currently we are looking after 25 babies in Thyolo and 5 babies in Kambilonjo. Each child becomes part of this program for the first 2 years of their life where they are provided with the essentials of infant survival. This includes formula milk, porridge, clothes and blankets.
After the first 2 years, any children who live nearby and require on going support will join our daycare centres where they will be given breakfast and lunch daily and given educational support as well as support with other basic needs.
Meet Crifton Luka. Crifton's mother died in childbirth and Crifton joined our infant rescue program a matter of days after he was born and as his father had disappeared whilst on a work trip to south Africa a few months earlier Crifton was being looked after by his grandmother. See Crifton here, at about 6 months old.
After Crifton's 2 years of Infant rescue support. Crifton joined our daycare centre, where his older brother and aunt were already receiving support. Crifton is now 9 years old and is in the primary 4 at the local school, where he is one of the top students in his class. He is full of mischief but is a lovable rogue. |
Want to get involved? You can sponsor one of our infant rescue families for various prices between £7-£10 per month, depending on the stage of support required by the baby. Due to the high infant mortality rate in Malawi (Unicef estimate 4.6 % of children will die before their first birthday), we do not pair sponsors up with specific babies, however we will keep you updated about the progress of our infants in general.