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The goal of HUGS for Tomorrow is to raise the children from the Tambalale village in Malawi to know about the love of Jesus and break the cycle of poverty in their families. We do this by educating and equipping each child with the necessary skills and resources to become self-sufficient and give back to their community.
HUGS for Tomorrow is completely funded through generous donations. Our donors are incredible and we could not do this work without ongoing support. By donating, our donors receive regular project updates and have an everlasting impact in the lives of children living in poverty.
Malawi is located in Sub-Saharan South Eastern Africa just north of the country of South Africa. Malawi is slightly smaller than Pennsylvania and is a landlocked country.
John and Samantha Jewell began HUGS for Tomorrow in 2018 in collaboration with Snoden and Susan Kagalu. Both couples saw the need to address the challenges and poverty that were being experienced among the children living in Tambalale village.
John and Samantha Jewell lived in Malawi with their family for 3 years from 2017 to 2020. Now, they reside in York, Nebraska working at York University as an Administrator which has provided the opportunity to raise awareness about HUGS for Tomorrow and create additional partnerships to support the ministry. They continue to provide ongoing support and guidance to Snoden and Susan Kagalu who run the daily operations of HUGS for Tomorrow to include the feeding program and school.
No, HUGS for Tomorrow is not an orphanage. HUGS for Tomorrow is a school that provides comprehensive care to children to ensure that they receive the needed services to develop into strong and healthy adults. Our school offers a daily feeding program to kids since many children in Malawi do not have both parents and are considered to be orphans. We do our best to keep each child with their primary caretaker and support their entire family unit. We are very proud to share that our program was recently recognized as an accredited school in Malawi which will give us the ability to expand our outreach to serve more children in the village.
The kids who participate in our feeding program and school walk by themselves or with a caretaker.
It is important that the kids who are connected to HUGS for Tomorrow wear a uniform as this identifies them as belonging to a group which reduces their risk of becoming a victim or getting lost. The colors of the uniforms are imperative as they contrast with the colors of the land ensuring that kids can be found if they become lost in the fields.
Africa has one of the highest rates of Human Trafficking. This is partially due to the extreme poverty that is faced by many people, making them susceptible to false promises by would be predators. They are also targeted because there is no official record of them and they cannot be traced. When kids join our program, they are supported in receiving the critical details and documents that they need to legitimize their lives. This includes, proper spelling of their name, their birthdate, and a birth certificate. In addition to this, all children participating in our program are provided with a uniform with distinct colors. This not only creates an inclusive environment for them, but also displays to others that these children matter and that if they are taken or something happens to them, someone will come looking for them.
To learn more about the human trafficking crisis, visit the articles below:
https://www.dw.com/en/malawi-struggles-to-curb-human-trafficking/a-61760165
Currently HUGS for Tomorrow feeds 150 kids two times a day, 6 days a week. This model allows for their caretaker to provide for them 1 day a week which supports maintaining their dignity of caring for their children.
When the program started in 2018, we started out feeding each child a porridge made up of ground maize, soy beans, peanuts and other available grains. Now, we have added eggs, milk , chicken, and a variety of vegetables. We have been able to expand our menu to our children through generous donations to be able to purchase animals, land and seeds so we can grow and harvest food ensuring that our kids receive the nutrients needed to grow strong and be able to focus on their learning.
Our school offers Pre-K thru 3rd grade. We continue to expand and add grades as the children successfully complete each grade with the goal being to build out our program through high school.
We have a total of 11 employees at this time that support the HUGS for Tomorrow ministry.
Send us a message and we would be happy to answer any questions you may have.