Youth raises funds for orphaned children in Malawi
Creative online fundraiser shows energy and initiative
Since 2011 the Parker and Renaud families of St. Thomas, Ont., inspired by their Christian faith, have been raising funds for Turn the Tide, a nonprofit founded by Michelle Jones that supports orphans in Sorgen, Malawi – funds totalling $40,000 to date. When the global pandemic brought the families’ usual in-person spaghetti dinners, dances and bake sales to a screeching halt, 15-year-old Anika Renaud had an idea.
Tasked with building a Wix website for her Grade 9 business class, Renaud, now in Grade 10, used the project to create an online fundraising platform for Turn the Tide. With the website in place, the Parkers and Renauds got to work creating T-shirts with inspirational sayings like, “Today I Choose Joy,” as well as tea towels, macrame plant holders, embroidery and an online bake sale. They raised just over $3,500 in 2021 and plan to do the same again this year.
They will use that money for food and tuition fees for Malawi’s orphans living in child-led homes. “The cost of university in Malawi is $3,000 per year and high school is $850 per year,” says Renaud. “We believe so strongly in education for children, especially girls, so that’s our main goal.”
Renaud’s older brother Clark, along with their mom Jen, the Parker matriarch Kim and her daughter India travelled to Malawi in 2019, just before Covid-19 hit. They hosted sports camps and conferences to teach, encourage and inspire children to be changemakers.
Renaud herself has yet to visit, but is adamant her turn will come soon. “When I go to Malawi, I would like to raise enough money to organize the installation of a well. When my brother and mom went, there was a huge lack of water in the village.”
“When I go to Malawi, I would like to raise enough money to organize the installation of a well.”