THE SOKO FAMILY, MALAWI – September 2023
Our congregation has had a link with the Soko family since the first visit by a work party in the summer of 2004. At that time, Young Solo was Director of Primary Health Care at the David Gordon Memorial Hospital, Livingstonia, Northern Malawi, and Young liaised with that and subsequent work parties on numerous projects in and around Livingstonia. Those projects included improving facilities at the Hospital, the pre –school, primary and secondary schools and local churches. Since his retirement, Young and family have moved to Mzuzu and established the Good Samaritan Charity Trust which helps poor and vulnerable families with basic food items and access to health and educational facilities. Over the years the Soko family (Young, his wife Josephine, and children) have been part of our adopted missionaries and the youngest in the family, Faith, has been helped with education fees at secondary school and university.
Below is a Report from Young on what the family is currently doing.
(A) At Home
Since retirement we have joined subsistence farming whereby we grow maize on a small scale. When we harvest, we share it with those in need such as widows, orphans and people with disabilities.
(B) Church activities.
We are participating in church activities such as:-
- I am the Youth Advisor and my role is to bring all youths together to learn and grow spiritually, mentally and physically through various activities.
- I am the chairperson of the Infrastructure development committee, overseer of all church projects. Currently we are building a church. After completion it will have a space for 2,000 people.
- Josephine is the secretary of the Fundraising committee and advisor to all church choirs.
(C) In the Community
When we arrived in Mzuzu after my retirement, we saw many problems that we have tried to address in a very small scale through the Good Samaritan Charity Trust helping, on a voluntary basis, needy people. This work has included the following:-
- Care and support for orphans and other vulnerable people
On a small scale, we provide food during food shortages. At times we provide agriculture inputs, construct houses (we have managed to build two houses for the needy) and undertake provision of basic needs such as soap and salt. We have assisted some people with disabilities to have surgery in Blantyre. In times of disaster we are often the first to arrive with support before anybody else comes with help.
- Education
We support needy students in secondary school and some in tertiary education. As of July 2023, over 50 have finished secondary education and 10 finished tertiary education (subjects include theology, nursing, teaching, agriculture, administration and electrical installation).
In conclusion, the challenges we face are that demands are higher than the resources we receive and due to the terrain we have to travel over – the wear and tear on transport.
Update on the family
God has blessed us with three children, two boys and one girl. Our youngest, Faith, is studying Finance and Banking at university in Uganda. She is in her final semester finishing later this year following which she hopes to get a job in banking or finance related companies. The eldest, Kondwani, who studied law, is a volunteer with the High Court in Blantyre and is waiting to be employed there. Abel, our middle child, studied Economics and he is a volunteer in the District Planning Office for Rumphi District and is also waiting to be employed.
Josephine is still working as a Nurse – now in the more specialised area of Community/Public Health (that is the health of children and of child bearing aged women).
CPC Malawi Group Update – October 2023:
In recent months, our Malawi Group shared pictures of maize purchased through funding from the group. Those fields have now been irrigated and fertilised and the photos below show the maize growing the the fields being weeded!
