A group of IHH volunteers from Istanbul-based Boğaziçi University have funded the construction of an orphanage in the African country of Malawi by selling bookmarks they produced.
With the funds raised in “Bookmark Project,” in which the students sold bookmarks, notebooks and badges, Boğaziçi University students opened Boğaziçi Orphanage in Malawi.
Built in Kanyenda town in Chiradzulu District, the orphanage will also serve as an educational center for Malawian orphans who are living in extremely difficult conditions and cannot resume their education.
The complex has two separate dormitories for boys and girls, and will initially accommodate 80 children in total. The orphanage, built on 750 square-meters, includes such facilities as dormitories, bathrooms, laundry room, guest room, kitchen, infirmary, and cafeteria. An educational center is also planned to be set up inside the complex to serve the orphans as well as the local population.
Malawi, which gained its independence in 1964, is one of the least developed countries in the world and has one of the highest numbers of people per square-meter. As internal conflicts and economic instability continue to push more and more people below poverty line, the number of orphan children also rises. The projects carried out by IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation in Malawi are of great significance to Malawian orphans who are suffering from many problems, including a place to shelter.
