Help Us

Volunteers
All Malawian workers at the Blantyre ACC including school staff, care mothers, gardeners, cleaners, maintenance workers and Malawian Administrative officers are regular paid workers. However, ACA depends on volunteers to keep it running. At present, all volunteers at ACC come from the East. It is hoped that South Africans and Westerners will also be inspired to volunteer in the near future. Depending on the job, volunteers can stay for a couple of months to a few years.
ACC will pay the travel costs of volunteers who stay for a year or more. Those who stay a shorter time will have half the cost paid by ACC. If volunteers wish to stay for less than a few months they will have to pay their own travel costs.
Donating
Large sums of money are needed to achieve ACC’s ambitious goals. Until recently all funds have come from the East. We hope, in future, to attract caring and concerned donors from Africa and the West, from many other cultures, religious and secular groups, to join us in aiding and empowering all the people of our continent so that each nation may achieve its highest potential. We trust we can put aside our differences and join resources to help Africa to create a better future.
Feeding and supporting the children
Food only for one child for one month costs MK 2, 000
Fully supporting a child for a month costs MK 10, 000
Any amount is appreciated and optional as well as other donations of food, clothing, blankets, stationary, shoes, resources, etc.
If you would like to know more about sponsoring an individual child please click here (chinese only sorry)


Donations may be made to one of the two accounts below.
Please send a copy of your deposit slip. Kindly include your name, address, phone number and email address so we can acknowledge your donation or send you an official receipt should you so wish.

INDE BANK Amitofo Carer Centre 002 412 791 0103 Limbe Branch	NEDBANK Amitofo Care Centre 021 000 005 678 Blantyre Branch

Ad Hoc
To date, Blantyre ACC has spent USD $3 million and needs about USD $3 million to completely finish construction details and plans. There is MK 4,5 million running through the local account monthly and
USD $ 30, 000 being issued to contractors every month end.
A high school has to be built urgently along with a central kitchen and the clinic needs to be upgraded so that ACC may help more children.

Community Based Organisations

Community Based Organisations (CBOs)
As well as taking full responsibility for about 250 children in its care, ACC is currently working closely with other community based organisations in the surrounding district that support over 2000 children and over 1500 adults. All Care Centres will aim to assist children in need in their areas not accommodated in the centre itself. The objective is to help with education and self-sustainability instead of being grossly dependant on donations.

The Blantyre ACC supports nine CBO’s monthly.

need more info, who are the other cbos, what do they do.  

 

Care Center

Accommodation
The concept of ACC is based on a “Big Family” or “Children’s Village” idea. A group of 16-20 children are put together like a family with one nanny, one ‘mommy’, and one child-care teacher who all live under one roof. These adults are responsible for managing the home and taking care of the children. Twelve families will form a “Village” that provides a domestic atmosphere so that the orphans may experience the warmth of family.
All meals are eaten in there little dining-rooms but food is cooked predominantly at a communal main kitchen.

Feeding the family
The children eat traditional Malawian food.
Breakfast: usually protein enriched porridge: soya, rice with ground nuts or bread and soya milk.
Lunch and supper: nsima (thick maize meal porridge) or rice and beans and vegetables. Eggs are served twice a week. The children receive fruit twice a week. All food is cooked centrally and then taken to the individual houses where the children eat in their own dining rooms.
The Care Centre needs 1920 kgs of maize flour a month, 900 kgs of rice, 200 kgs of beans 160 kgs of sugar, 120 kgs of cow peas 100 kgs of soya pieces as well as fruit, vegetables, salt, cooking oil and firewood.
Food is cooked on wood fires in vast pots.

Education and schooling
At present we have a preparatory school running on the premises, being facilitated by our hostel buildings until we can build a school for about 500 kids. A high school will be next on the agenda and a centre for Vocational Training. The main focus and push of ACC is in education and training not only within the walls of the orphanage but to the other organisations under ACC’s wing.

Health
The? clinic is run by 2 care mothers and qualified nurses, volunteers from abroad, that live on the property who administer first aid for minor injuries, care for children with minor illnesses and administer antiretroviral medication to the 15 or so HIV positive children. The clinic care mothers also take children with more severe problems to hospital in the make-shift 4x4 Ambulance. The HIV positive children cooperate well in taking their medicine and eating three meals a day. Each one has a doctor who supervises his or her treatment and helps if the child’s health becomes unstable.
The clinic can accommodate four or five ill children who need to stay in bed or be isolated from everyone else. Medical support from professional doctors is hard to come by along with reliable medicine to the other centres in Malawi so this is a matter that needs to be addressed.
Environmental protection
All centres will try to use “clean” energy. Wherever possible, environmentally friendly building methods and materials will be used in the construction of the centres. Resources and energy will be used frugally, waste will be recycled. The children will be taught the importance of caring for the environment.
The Care Centres will work toward being as self-sufficient as possible.

Mission

Amitofo Care Centre (ACC) is an international, Taiwan Buddhist charity organization that aims to relieve the desperate plight of children orphaned by the Aids pandemic in Africa. ACC builds care centres to house, care for and educate the children. It is supported by other charitable foundations in Taiwan such as the Yuan Tong Foundation who help to raise funds in the East and help with organisation and marketing.

ACC’s goals are:

1. to assist, care for and educate Africans in need;
2. to engage in charity and outreach work;
3. to promote world peace through positive cultural exchange; and
4. to protect the environment.

Challenges
Building orphanages and schools in every country of Africa is, by any measure, a huge undertaking. The Blantyre Amitofo Care Centre is the first. The difficulties that come up here which are resolved will be the guidelines for subsequent care centres to have fewer challenges.

About ACC

General
The Amitofo Care Centre; ACC - which is comprised of an administration centre, children’s dormitories, youth dormitories, preparatory school, kindergarten, library, activity centre, medical centre, vocational training centre, religious centre, CBO, etc - is founded and directed by Buddhist clergy from the East with an aspiration and mission to directly rear and care for orphans of Africa within the humanitarian and educational umbrella. The main principles of ACC are based on local African culture, Chinese culture and Buddhist philosophy which are given to the orphans in need. This is considered a unique and remarkable characteristic of ACC.
After an arduous ten years ACC’s caring programme has spread from one location to a number of African countries benefitting thousands of children and adults alike. ACC’s compassionate and philanthropic foot-prints have been left not only in South Africa but also in Swaziland, Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, etc. as well as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia and several South American countries as St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The total orphans that ACC has adopted to date number around 3000.
The current ACC is in association with two charity institutes namely; the Yuan Tong Culture and Care Association (R.O.C.) and the ACC African Executive Association that continuously organise and manage ACC operations along with financial support.
Venerable Hui Li, born in Taiwan and tagged as the ‘African monk’, founded ACC specifically for African orphans in the early 90’s and is still the residing chairperson. With his enthusiasm and big heart to bring love and care to the orphans Ven. Hui Li has been awarded the “Loving of Life” medal by the Chou Ta-Kuan Foundation of Taiwan. He has also been invited by a number of First Ladies of certain African countries. Some of whom refer to him as the Buddhist Albert Sweitzer in praise of his significance and contributions thus far. Nowadays ACC, and Ven. Hui Li, is widely recognised as an international charity and educational institute and sponsored by numerous people in Asia.
ACC the Organisation
Ven. Hui Li, stepped foot in Africa from Taiwan in 1992 and witnessed the grief of AIDS on the helpless orphans left behind from its wake and the constant threat of disease and poverty on the majority of people. Stricken by the experience he vowed to give this life and after to heal and nurture the suffering in Africa using the Buddha Dharma. His first step was to build Nan Hua Temple; the first Mahayana Temple in South Africa. Then he founded the first Buddhist orphanage, Amitofo Care Centre, in Malawi and started to rear, educate and offer medical care to those in need as well as revive African culture. The well-rounded programmes and services ACC have are providing the orphans a safe and comfortable environment with sufficient opportunities to learn basic morality and insight through Buddhism and some life skills.
This is the goal of ACC; to bring up orphans with a healthy mental, physical and spiritual disposition.
Unique Features
The concept of ACC is based on a “Big Family” or “Children’s Village” idea. A group of 16-20 children are put together like a family with one nanny, one ‘mommy’, and one child-care teacher who all live under one roof. These adults are responsible for managing the home and taking care of the children. Twelve families will form a “Village” that provides a domestic atmosphere so that the orphans may experience the warmth of family. Consequently they may experience a social life, interacting with each other as well as learning the responsibility and obligations a resident ought to undertake.

Present and Future
At present the Head Quarters of ACC, the ACC African Executive Association, is located in South Africa. The ACC in Blantyre, Malawi, is in the process of building a staff dormitory and the Yuan Tong elementary school while in Lilongwe, Malawi, plans are being set up with regards to construction. The ACC in Harare, Zimbabwe, is undergoing phase one of its construction of 30 buildings expected to be completed by the end of the year. In Swaziland and Lesotho construction began in October 2008 with ambitions to start providing shelter for orphans in those regions after one year or so of construction.
In summary; ACC is an integration of mundane life with Dharma teachings as well as an exchange of bi-polar cultures with the focus being in Africa considering the present conditions of most of the 3rd world countries in Africa. ACC will continue to expand its mission and share its ideals and experiences to all 53 African countries. It is hoped that all the children will be capable of propagating their remarkable culture with the wisdom and essence of the Dharma along with upholding the vows of compassion and liberation for all beings. It is also hoped that the children will become the new African generation who posses the mind of gratitude and morality to enable the positive transition of a land of poverty and suffering to a land of abundance and fellowship; from a deserted land to a Land of Bliss in Africa.
With the support of committed sponsors, we have been able to nurture hope in Africa. With unconditional love and kindness, you have given some African orphans vitality in life!
Let us realise our intrinsic nature and continue on our path of cultivation in Africa with diligence and wisdom till the day dreams do come true.