Every day, Open Arms Infant Homes provides essential nutritional and medical support to some of the most vulnerable children in Malawi, who would otherwise have nowhere else to go and little chance of survival.
This is the story of Miracle, who was recently welcomed at Blantyre Infant Home in desperate need of love and care.
Like many of the babies who are referred to Open Arms, two month old Miracle has had a very difficult start to life, with a complicated family situation.
He was born to a mother with uncontrolled epilepsy, who despite her health issues very much wanted a child.
Unfortunately, her husband did not want the same and when Miracle was born, conflicts arose and their relationship started to break down.
Soon after, his mother took Miracle and left her husband, returning to her home village. She later came back to her marital home, but abandoned Miracle with his father before disappearing.
Miracle’s father kept him inside the house for about a week without any proper nourishment or care.
Neighbours soon became aware of a baby constantly crying in the house and, realising there was no mother in sight, informed the Child Protection Officer in the area.
Upon investigation, authorities found Miracle to be neglected, starving and vulnerable.
They took him to the hospital and the following day he was welcomed at Open Arms for much needed care.
When the team assessed his condition upon arrival, he was promptly returned to hospital for urgent treatment.
Now stable, Miracle is settling into Blantyre Infant Home. He is still very underweight, has a sunken fontanel, is HIV exposed and doctors suspect a lung problem.
Nevertheless, thanks to the 24/7 monitoring, love and expert care he is receiving, Miracle is showing improvements with each passing day.
The whereabouts of his mother are still unknown, however once Miracle has fully regained his health and is a fit and healthy toddler, Open Arms will work with local Social Welfare Officers to plan his next steps and find a loving family home for him to grow up in.
The care team at Open Arms Infant Homes work tirelessly to support children like Miracle, so that they can survive their infancy, recover their strength and go on to grow up with the love of a family.
It costs around £3,000 to care for a baby for one year and prices of formula milk and other essentials continue to increase rapidly under current inflation.
Please consider making a one-off or regular gift today to continue this lifesaving work - donate today.
Your donation will help children in Malawi grow up healthy with the love of a family
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