{"id":208367,"date":"2020-11-09T16:56:45","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T21:56:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/\/?p=208367"},"modified":"2020-12-10T14:08:20","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T19:08:20","slug":"how-chickens-turned-into-a-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/\/how-chickens-turned-into-a-home\/","title":{"rendered":"How Chickens Turned Into a Home"},"content":{"rendered":"
A busy paved road runs through the village center of Chimwaza, Malawi. On either side is an assortment of tattered-looking shops, freestanding kiosks and persistent peddlers ready to serve the steady stream of loitering locals there to eat, shop and socialize.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Two years ago, entering this scene would have invoked shame and anxiety for Mike (19). As a double orphan responsible for his three younger siblings, he actively avoided public places as much as possible because of the judgement and stigma he experienced.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
At that time, he and his siblings had dropped out of school because they couldn\u2019t afford the uniforms and materials. \u201cIf you don\u2019t have those things, people gossip,\u201d said Mike. Unable to afford soap, he recalled his odor being another source of shame and ridicule, further amplifying his family\u2019s segregation from the community. The family had little food and often went without meals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Prayer kept his hopes alive during the hardest times. He prayed to have a good life, to be happy and to be able to provide for his siblings. In October 2018, his prayers were answered when he joined Zoe Empowers Malawi. His group, Tithandizane \u201cHarmony\u201d Chimwaza, was funded by the children and graduates of the Zoe Empowers Kenya program<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n