Sustainability asks the question, how can we be sure this thrives not only in the present moment but also into the future? How can we meet our needs today without neglecting our needs in a year, 5 years, 10 years from now? While sustainability is often thought about in regards to agriculture or environmental stewardship, Agape Scholars International is focusing on financial sustainability in all three of our programs in Blantyre, Limbe, and Mbayani as well. We are asking: How

The first eleven days of January have been marked full of excitement at our Agape House locations- from visiting Greenville University students to new dolls donated to our kiddos at our Limbe site, joy is in the air! Two Greenville University students along with Dr. Eugene Dunkley are visiting the Agape House locations, where they are helping teach and playing with the students. Thanks for the generous donation of Mr. and Mrs. McNew, several dolls were given to our kids which

In January of 2016, I was a part of something that forever changed my life for the better. I was given an opportunity to go to a land that I had dreamed of since I fell in love with The Lion King as a child- Africa. My college was very involved with a wide array of mission opportunities, and it was through that school and the wonderful influence of my adviser that first sparked my interest in traveling to the small country of Malawi located in Sub-Saharan Africa. I had seen t

Looking for a last taste of summer fun before school starts up again? Come join Agape Scholars International at the St. Louis World’s Fare! We are so excited to be a part of the Alliance Credit Union St. Louis World’s Fare Heritage Festival! Come see us at the Fare on August 18th, 19th, and 20th at the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park. This year, the Worlds Fare Festival features many activities including: food trucks, a main stage lineup of local artists, Kids Island, Ar

With the closing of the second term in Malawi, our Agape House Blantyre staff was invited to visit Likhubula Primary School where many of our Mbayani Back to School Project Students attend public school. It was a time of celebration as the school finished yet another term. During this time, Agape House staff had an opportunity to encourage Mbayani students to study hard over their break so that they can succeed in the terms to come. Encouragement is a vital part of our role w

Through Agape Scholars International’s partnership with Thawandie Private School for the Mbayani Back to School Program, our Agape House Blantyre school was invited this past Thursday to take a field trip to Blantyre’s Chileka Airport in order to educate the students about weather conditions. While they were there, they were able to see weather measuring instruments in action while also enjoying seeing many airplanes landing and taking off from the airport. We are so excited

Agape House Blantyre recently started a new sports club where both female and male students can come on Saturday’s to enjoy fun, athletic activities. While Agape House runs as a school five day of the week for most of the morning and afternoon, we have begun running sports club on Saturdays as an extra time where our students have an opportunity to be relieved of the pressure of being on the streets during the weekend. Through the avenue of sports, we hope to help our student

The United Nations has an annual calendar for raising awareness for various global social issues- International day of the woman, day of  malaria, day of child poverty to name a few. In the current year, the United Nations, through efforts from the Consortium of Street Children ,who have lobbied and petitioned for the day of the street child to be added, was finally declared to be annually recognized on April 12th. With the addition of this day, awareness will be brought arou

Maxwell Watson Maxwell Watson is a current student of Agape House Blantyre. At twelve years old, he has found himself receiving new hope and education through learning at Agape House. After he and his grandmother were sent away, Maxwell has been unable to find a safe place to call home. Therefore, sadly, he is still currently living on the streets. He says that he is proud of himself for being at Agape where he gets both education and hope. This week at school, he learned abo

In the United States, generally speaking, the talk of school uniforms is quite frightening. School boards across the nation have debated their pros and cons for decades upon decades. However, in Malawi, all students wear school uniforms. In fact, one can distinguish which school a child attends based upon the uniform he or she wears. In some sense, uniforms can provide dignity for the student who is able to remain in school and receive an education. Many of the students at Ag

Happy Sunday from Agape Scholars International! It is our pleasure to introduce you to Tiyaanhulenji Chabwera, our student spotlight for this week. At thirteen years of age, she has returned to gain an education at Agape after dropping out of school in the sixth grade.  With two other siblings, Tiyanhuleji lives with her mother in Mbayani. Together they love worshiping at the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Tiyanhuelji loves to learn. In fact, it is her favorite thing about att

Happy Teacher’s Appreciation Day! In honor of this day, here are some highlights from an interview with our standard 8 Teacher, Charles Kaolowa. Q. How did you become involved in Agape House? A. “At first i was teaching at a secondary school since 2007 until 2013. Then, on April 29, 2013 I received a call from William ( Project Manager) asking if I am interested to work with street kids and without hesitating I started working at Agape House on May 1, 2013.” Q: How would you

There are over 120 million “street children” across the world. 30 million of them can be found in Africa. What exactly is a street child anyway? The Humanium organization and SOS Children’s Villages describe a street child like this: “Street children are minors who live and survive on the streets often growing up in landfills or under bridges in major cities. Because of conflicts with their families these children do not want to or cannot return home.” There are two types of

Juli Phillips of Greenville College recently visited Agape House. This is her story. “On January 7, 2016, I boarded a plane in Washington D.C, about to embark on the craziest, best, most life-changing trip of my entire life. I was about to leave my comfy United States for the first time ever as a 20-year-old college student. Not only was I leaving the United States for the first time, but my destination was to a tiny country in Africa called Malawi. I feel like the first time

Agape House is seeking to expand our impact by reaching the location where a majority of our students come from- Mbayani. In the district of Mbayani there is over 10,000 children where students outnumber teachers 300:1 in public schools. With so many students, it proves to be a difficult and chaotic environment to learn in. Due to the overcrowding and financial instability, many of Mbayani’s students are forced to drop out of school. We hope to tackle the injustice of inadequ

Chrispine Mateketa is a bright 16 year old male from Mbayani where he lives with his parents and six other siblings. Each Sunday, Chrispine and his family enjoy attending Pentecost Life Church together. Although he wasn’t found on Blantyre’s streets, he dropped out of school in the sixth grade due to behavioral problems. We are so glad to that Chrispine has changed greatly since that time is continuing his education at Agape House. He loves that he can learn for free and also

As you walk down the streets of Blantyre in the district where Agape House lies, you will see red x’s on all of the buildings. What do they mean? Malawi’s government has decided to demolish all of the marked buildings and remake them into two-story buildings in order to improve the aesthetic appearance of the city. When we received this news it seemed devastating. Where would Agape House go? Where would the kids go? This has turned into a blessing in disguise. Through this ci

As you look at this sweet little girl, you can’t help but to wonder…Surely this little bitty thing doesn’t have to beg on the streets of Blantyre!? She is hardly able to talk on her own yet, hardly able to walk on her own, hardly able to take care of herself.  My heart cried in anguish at the mere thought of this sweet girl having to beg just to eat her daily bread. My heart cried, “Oh God, why??” The reality is that the little toddlers come to Agape House not because they th

Loveness Kaswada is a beautiful thirteen year old girl from the district of Mbayani. She lives there with her mother, who is a stay at home mom and her four other siblings. She loves to attend First Christian Church together with her family. Due to the death of her father, Loveness was unable to afford her education after the fifth grade. Thankfully, Loveness is continuing her education at Agape House simply due to a lack of finances and was not found on Blantyre’s streets. S

Friday William is a bright eleven year old from the capital city of Lilongwe. Although it is unclear how he made his way to Blantyre, we do know that Friday is having a rough time because he doesn’t have anywhere to stay or sleep peacefully and has been on the streets for about four years. When Friday was in the third grade, he had to drop out of school due to the death of his father. Growing up, Friday came from a diverse background as his father was Muslim while his mother