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2019 Annual Report

Recent updates from any of the 50 families that are faithfully working with the program arerewarding and encouraging. Trust in the increased training and in our support is growing as theyrealize we are here to stay, we are on their side and we continue to add ways to help them andtheir future.

Our training programs at Mitongwe have brought us into the communities of hundreds of people.Improvements began with enhancing soil health which impacts product health, with compostingclinics being our first priority.

Introducing, and developing a taste for, a varied diet is one aspect of our feeding program.Donations are enabling our team to expand our soy program to improve the health and well-beingof these children. We have seen happier, more excited and energetic youth who are far moreengaged in learning and play.

In Kalulu our hardworking team consists of Isaac, Royson, John and Jonas. Karen continues tospearhead the work and lead the team in our myriad of programs, including Foundations forFarming, crop planning, land management, tree planting and care, kid's ministry and feeding, boy'sclub with football and games, and adult Bible study.

Our commitment to replacing the old cooking methods with Fuel Efficient Cookstoves continues. AtMitongwe there are regular training sessions and our Soccer League involvement has each playerbuilding 3 stoves for families in their community. The instant impact is improved health outcomeswith less smoke inhalation and burns, and improved time management for the women with lesswood to collect.

Starting a new business venture has not been a part of these women's reality until now. But withtheir crops thriving they are seeing the chance to expand into ideas that will create some much-needed income. We have soap-making businesses and crop diversity, including soybeans that canbe sold.

We have the need for a Preschool program for the community around Mitongwe, and are blessedwith a team who are going to make that happen. We will include nutritious meals and trainingworkshops for the families on topics such as sanitation and recognizing dehydration symptoms,which will improve health outcomes and proper care for these precious little ones.

2020 brought the chance to send a container to Mitongwe with the help of CompassionateResource Warehouse. So it started. An experienced crew on Vancouver Island collected donations,which we added to, and were able to load supplies for medical work, the preschool, sports teams,the library, food from Gleaners and more and more. It is inevitable that challenges come up, butthe journey began March 13 and the celebration of unpacking began August 20.

When the community reaches out we have to listen. Dozens of elderly from one village came toMitongwe, sharing with us the issues affecting them and their lack of food. We are able to offertraining in Foundations for Farming and support, starting with the Senior Feeding Program to keepthem, and others in the community, healthy as their situations improve. The trust in our guidance,and gratitude we receive in return, filters down through the families, making this our mostimpactful program.

Employment is a big part of what we do. On average we employ 75 people at Mitongwe, the biggestemployer in the region, especially during this Covid year. During the difficult hunger season, wehelped even more families! Deon selected 15 workers each Monday and gave them a week of paidwork, each week selecting a different group. There were then 60 families each month benefitingfrom this employment, and from the dignity and purpose they gain as they contribute to suchmeaningful work.

Young Warriors Club - Our youth ministry hosts hundreds of youth from our area. They participatein a mixture of life skills development and educational programs. We work on literacy, worldawareness, care for the environment, spiritual and moral living, a caring community program toopen their eyes to ways to help others, and sports/soccer play and leadership. Any of these, andwe hope ALL, will impact their future.

Soccer continues to be a successful community-building tool, and we see this program, which weare thrilled to offer with our partnership with Team Up, as also being a character-building tool.These young people are now coming in contact with coaches, with team dynamics and withrelationships within the teams that give opportunity for life skills to be instilled, remembered andused as a catalyst to approach life.

This land management system targets total soil health through diverse crops, trees and livestockco-existing to the benefit of all. To develop this we are plowing fields, digging water swales,installing solar panels and irrigation, collecting seeds and starting nurseries. This is just thebeginning of a demonstration system that can target food security, the ability for additional cashcrops, and health and well-being throughout the area, truly the way of the future.

Our Mitongwe Woodland Reserve is managed skillfully by Deon with a growing group of ableassistants and staff. The main team is Steven, Enoch, Jeremiah & Hilda, Memory & JD and Emanuel.We have been involved with Mitongwe for 1 1/2 years now, and are so excited to see this workexpanding and prospering with such amazing people.

Myanmar is engulfed in turmoil, yet Acha continues to faithfully run daily afterschool programs forthe children of the slums in Yangon, demonstrating and teaching God's love. We continue toprovide her with nutritious food to bless them with.

Our supporters are still making an impact at Ebenezer School, and a huge impact in thesesponsored children's lives and future.

This year the pandemic resulted in the need to change our annual fundraiser. Thanks to MellengerInteractive Ltd., we launched "Move4Malawi", with over 175 athletes participating on16 teams, in 5countries. The goal was to inspire donations to 'Move' our programs along by our commitment to"Move" ourselves in a myriad of ways. So we moved and in the end, $39,955.00 was raised!

2020 has been a year like no other as the effects of theCOVID-19 pandemic have been felt worldwide. However, wehave so much to be thankful for – even in a challenging yearlike this. We continue to see God’s hand at work as we pushdeeper into HIS plan for this ministry. Our Stand as Oneteams in Malawi carried on with as much passion anddetermination as ever. And as the year came to an end, weare making a massive impact transforming lives andproviding hope for communities. With so many charities having closed, our continuedpresence in the Malawian communities is more importantthan ever, so thank you for your support in making thatpossible. Going forward, we will keep working around thechanging situation with Covid-19, while creating moreresilient communities that are able to transform their ownfutures. So, on behalf of the Stand as One Board and our MalawiTeams we thank you for your continued commitment andsupport. Dan and Irene Schat