Open Arms originally were set up by Neville and Rosemary Bevis from the UK. They set up two orphanages and several foster houses for children who could not be returned to their families. They have worked for many years in Malawi before handing over to new management.
Open Arms Orphanage and their work is one of the key reasons why Charlie fell in love with Malawi after spending 3 months in the Blantyre and Mangochi homes and then returning for another 2 months, living on site working everyday alongside the incredible foster mothers.
Children’s Corner Childcare, our nursery business in the UK, and the Dawson family have held many fundraising events over the years raising tens of thousands of pounds which have helped Open Arms with their goals. We have also supported their foster homes, in particular the children at Rosemaries House, and we have delighted in seeing the children grow into bright and happy individuals. Having worked with the children at Rosemary's house for 14 years they are like family.
It was by seeing how much we could do for the children at Open Arms that prompted us to start our own UK registered charity to work with other children in Malawi who were missing out on an education.
We continue to visit Open Arms and take resources with us when we go to Malawi and they will always have our support as they are doing such amazing work there.
In more recent years Open Arms, along with the Malawi social welfare, took the strategic decision to reduce the numbers and ages of children in the orphanages and now only have children up to the age of 2 years. Their new aim is to return children to their extended families as soon as possible, and then work closely with their communities to ensure the best opportunities for their future.
They have several outreach programmes and can help more children through this programme.
All the foster children in the foster houses have now returned to their extended families in their village of origin. They are all subject to a five year financial plan to rehabilitate them back into village life.
We continue to keep in touch with those children and support them where we can.
For example, Edina, who has cerebral palsy, and who we have known since she 3 years old. Over the years we have provided wheelchairs, bicycles, splints and other equipment to help her.
More recently since she moved to her rural home village, we have been able to help with furniture, bedding, blankets, clothes, shoes, special needs equipment to keep her stimulated. In 2024 we were able to fix the house roof and install a tv and satellite dish so that she could watch tv and have a window into the outside world.
We visit her regularly and she is always delighted to see us.
Another foster child we see regularly is a young lady who has now left school and was working in a salon doing hair and beauty. We wanted to help her earn more money so set her up with items of beauty, hair and nail products from the UK for her to sell. She keeps records and with the money she makes, she is able to buy more to sell, but also have money left over to feed herself and her family. This little business has gone so well that now a family member is building her a little shop in her home village. We will continue to support her to help make her business sustainable in its own right.
We regularly meet the other foster children for lunch in Blantyre and support them with educational resources, clothing and food.
If you would like to sponsor a child then please check out our shop section where you can choose to sponsor a child’s education for the year.
