Help Hamilton help others in Malawi

This campaign is organized by friends of Hamilton Banda's in the U.S. All funds will go directly to the Ndirande Handicapped Centre. They are rebuilding after Cyclone Freddy, as well as working through rising prices on, well, everything.

Christopher Harnish, of Jefferson University in Philadelphia, took some amazing photos of the Ndirande Handicapped Centre with a drone! What a beautiful setting for this great place.

The largest building is the meeting space and classrooms. The animals are kept against the lower wall. Offices are in the corner by the high wall.

Thank you, Christopher!

July 2021: There is so much work being done! The toilet building is complete (below) and the kitchen (above) is in progress. PLUS, we have an anonymous donor who will match ALL GIFTS up to $2,500! Hamilton needs to do some masonry work to shore up the buildings and prevent erosion and estimates it will cost $5,000. So please donate this summer to help him meet his goal.

Feb. 2019: Hamilton has purchased the land, thanks to previous gifts, and he is so grateful. He has also commissioned architectural plans.

He is receiving help from his church and other colleagues, but the building supplies are very expensive and the budget is very small. He is hoping his friends in the U.S. and elsewhere can chip in.

He has estimates for building supplies and labour that are in the neighborhood of 100,000 USD. He understands that is a lot to ask for and is hoping that we can offset the cost somehow and he is seeking funding from other sources as well.

Here is one of the estimates for building materials and labour:

He is happy to send carvings, Nali, Malawi gin and other treats to donors.

Aug. 27: From Hamilton: "Thanks very much for the job well done. I have no word but keep praying to the almighty Lord. Disabled brothers and sisters are looking forward to own their land, and become more active and show out that God is amazing to them. Say thanks to those donating and may Almighty God bless them with long life."

Hamilton Banda is a Malawian carver — and a philanthropist. For years, he and his church have been running a home for disabled people in Ndirande, a high-density suburb of Blantyre, Malawi.

Hamilton recently started a support group, the Ndirande Handicapped Centre, for the parents and family members of the disabled residents. Disability carries a stigma in Malawi, with many of the parents suffering from accusations — and worse — that they did something wrong to end up with a disabled child.

The Ndirande Handicapped Centre, at the foot of Ndirande Mountain, currently has 150 members, with a waiting list. Any transportation needed (hospital, supplies, funerals) has been provided by volunteers or by using Hamilton's truck for his carving business. Hamilton's truck needs repairs. 

1 cylinder head = MK 350 000 ($755 USD)

1 battery = MK 70 000 ($150 USD)

1 insurance = MK 60 000 ($130 USD)

Total: MK 480 000 ($1,035 USD)

Meanwhile, the club has been meeting in a hall at a local Catholic church for free, but a new hall was recently built and the club has been asked to find a new meeting place.

Fees for renting space are exorbitant, so Hamilton and the Tidzalerana Club want to build their own space. First they must purchase land (MK 4,000,000/$10,000 USD). The club wants to own its own land so they'll be independent, plus have room for expansion, more services and meeting space. The club hopes to go from weekly to daily meetings and provide medical services in the new space, as well.