Road to Relief is a ladies club in Blantyre that has committed to donating medical and surgical items to the Blantyre One Stop Centre over the next year.  This is amazing support and much needed.  Their first donation for 3 months came at just the right time as the Centre was running out of supplies. Now the FOL Counsellors and other staff at the One Stop don’t have to send the clients to the main hospital for HIV & AIDS tests but can do them right there – living up to the One Stop concept!

This same group is doing more than donating much needed materials. They are also helping the FOL counsellors do more awareness campaigns in Primary Schools as well as facilitating the printing of their brochure.  This kind of backing is extremely encouraging to the Counsellors and the victims they assist.  An example of the huge impact of simple support can be seen in the following story.

A 13 year old girl came to the FOL Counsellors after being raped by 3 men. She was covered in blood and the mother came to the Counsellors asking for K20 to buy air time so she could call home and get a change of clothes.  The Counsellors said, there is no need to do that.  We can let you use our cell phone and we can also give you a chitenji, some underwear and a shirt.  The mother broke down in tears and said, May God bless you, for what you have done, I don’t know what to say.

For Tandu – FOL Counsellors team leader –  this was a reminder – a reminder of why FOL is there. To let God touch lives in the midst of the trauma. For God to assure them that He is with them no matter how bad the situation.