The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow.
Psalm 146:9
Mission Statement
To bring knowledge through training, education, and assistance to (orphan) children and students in Malawi with the aim of personal development and community connection where they live
About Us
Malawi is one of the poorest countries on earth. Over half of its population lives beneath the poverty line, and one in ten of its entire population are orphans. The vast majority of its economy is based on agriculture, but recent droughts have led to crop failures and widespread starvation. Rural Malawi has been particularly hard hit, with little foreign aid escaping the cities.
To combat these growing problems, a group of Malawians formed the Timotheos Foundation on June 10, 2011. The Foundation’s Board of Directors consists entirely of local Malawians who are seeking to provide hope and meaningful opportunities to the orphaned and poor in their communities. The Foundation has partnered with the Reformed Presbyterian Church (RPC) in Malawi to help spread the Christian Gospel throughout the country. To date, Timotheos has focused the majority of its efforts on the rural communities in southern Malawi.
Timotheos USA was formed in late 2015 to provide additional assistance. Since beginning its operations in 2016, Timotheos USA has raised enough money to drill a well and construct a childcare center in Nyamitutu, a rural town in the Nsanje region of southern Malawi. The childcare center consists of a general purpose room, a kitchen, a food storage area, and bathrooms.
While raising funding for this childcare center, Timotheos USA simultaneously began raising money to sponsor orphans who are living with their relatives in the local community. Sponsored orphans come to the childcare center each day for food, primary education, and Biblical instruction. Medical care and basic necessities are also given to each child, which includes two new sets of clothing each year.
Biblical instruction is also provided. In addition to teachers providing the children with daily Bible lessons, ministers from the RPC visit the childcare center each Sunday and preach the Gospel to anyone from the local village who is willing to attend.
Currently, Timotheos USA cares for about 170 sponsored orphans each day. Our childcare center has the capacity to care for 250 orphans each day, and it is our goal to reach that number.
In addition to caring for orphans, Timotheos USA periodically engages in other forms of poverty relief, such as food distribution, agricultural education, and adult literacy classes. See our Projects page for a list of ongoing projects.
Bep Kok
Dutch Mission Field Worker
Gerrit & Gretchen Oomen and Family
Project General Manager
Projects
Child Care Centers
Child Care Centres (CCCs) have been set up by Timotheos in an effort to provide children with basic resources (e.g. food, clothing, and medical care). By providing these resources, the children have easier access to primary school education, as well as the additional lessons from the CCCs. Preschool children come for one meal a day, as well as to receive Bible lessons and basic education. Older students attend local primary schools in the morning and then come to the centers in the afternoon to receive a nutritious meal and additional lessons, including Bible lessons. Local people are employed to do the cooking and maintenance around the CCCs, in an effort to facilitate community involvement.
There are more than one million orphans in Malawi! Some live with grandparents, aunts or uncles, but for some, that is not possible. There are many areas in Southern Malawi where there are no places for orphans to live, and no one to care for them. Timotheos has responded to the need for shelter and care for these children, by building small orphanages. Each orphanage can house around 12-15 orphans, who are cared for by a foster-mother (hired by Timotheos) who lives with the children. There are currently three established orphanages, and we are hoping to build a fourth.
Other Projects
There are several other projects which Timotheos supports, including Bible distribution, adult literacy, and income-generating activities like sewing, baking, and farming.