Dear children, let us not love with word or tongue but with actions and in truth.

– 1 John 3:18

MISSION

God’s Church, the body of believers empowered with His Love and Compassion will act by becoming “Repairers of Walls” – the walls of our communities – by reaching out to the poor the vulnerable, the marginalized, the orphan, the widow and to those affected and infected by the HIV & AIDS pandemic.

VISION

The vision of Somebody Cares is to positively affect and impact individual lives in homes, schools and communities, resulting in the ultimate restoration of integrity of the family (the root of society) and affirm their God given dignity, by working positively with people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS through behaviour, right attitude, social and cultural interventions and spiritual nourishment.

This is done through a holistic approach to effective Christian living by focusing on psycho-social needs. This is achieved through a strong emphasis on strategic partnership with rural community churches and traditional leaders through a spirit of volunteerism to enable community ownership and sustainability.    

OBJECTIVES

Somebody Cares, partnering with rural communities, has 5 key objectives derived from the acronym CARES:

CARE – Caring is the active demonstration of Christ’s love to those in the communities where SCM ministers. Somebody Cares acts as the hands and feet of Jesus in caring and supporting the vulnerable. This is achieved through provision of food, clean water, volunteers, medical support, counseling, love and compassion.

ADVOCATE – SCM endeavors to challenge communities to speak for the rights of each individual. This is done through awareness workshops for leaders, biblical trainings for family and leadership, awareness of violence against women and children, promotion of the girl child education, a voice for the voiceless, protecting, and speaking out for justice.

RESOURCES – SCM provides and facilitates connections to access resources within and outside communities that are needed for development – infrastructure, finances, nutrition, training manuals, human resources, best practice examples, bibles, bikes, boreholes, etc.

EMPOWER – SCM helps people to realize their full potential – that they are capable of driving their own development by empowering them with the knowledge and skills needed. This includes education, poverty alleviation (IGA’s), community gardens, food security, spiritual transformation, restoring dignity and self-respect, and hope.

SERVICE/SUPPORT – SCM provides the support and service that is necessary in order for all of the above to be achieved – infrastructure, leadership development, community logistics, communication, networking, pastoral care, etc.

Our Story

Chief Theresa Malila is a traditional Senior Group Village Headmen in Malawi, a mother of five children, a grandmother, a local pastor, and Founder and Executive Director of Somebody Cares Ministries. In 2000, Chief Theresa was brought face to face with HIV/AIDS and the failure of the church when her brother died of HIV. She began the ministry with nothing more than the ability to walk, a bible and a small jar of oil for praying and anointing in the peri-urban slum areas of the capital city of Lilongwe.

When Malawi was hit by it’s worst famine just one year later, Chief Theresa continued to visit and pray with the sick and bedridden. Others expected her to bring them something to eat. She would say to them “The only thing I have brought you is Christ and His Word.”

Since that time, she has been passionately committed to helping the critically ill, as well as the widows and orphans hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The ministry is now involved in 18 communities; feeding 14,500 orphans & vulnerable children, and assisting 7500 widows and countless people who consider her their “Amai Theresa”.  

Our Ministry

Today, Keta Ngosi, Chief Theresa’s oldest daughter, oversees all daily activity at Somebody Cares Ministries with the support of her mother. Together they do so with the help of:

  • 40 community field leaders and focal area heads
  • 160 pastors and other church leaders from 45 rural churches
  • 200 community home-based care volunteers
  • 600 gender-based violence counsellors and advocates
  • partnering with 7 traditional authorities
  • working alongside 575 chiefs
  • 64 early childhood teachers and caregivers
  • 380 HIV/AIDS support group members

Our current ministry structure focuses on creating Shalom Satellite Communities (SSC) by enhancing the quality of life and standard of living in a holistic manner; to enable families to flourish spiritually, socially, economically, politically, and environmentally through implementing catalytic programs for sustainable growth. We do so by facilitating partnerships for the beneficiaries [communities] to take ownership to rebuild their social fabric and improve access to disposable income, services and improved living conditions through the establishment of good governance systems and networking based on 4 primary and 4 additional focal areas:

  • Education
  • Family & Religion
  • Health
  • Legal Framework
  • Agriculture & Environment
  • Business & Markets/ Economy
  • Roads & Infrastructure
  • Water & Sanitation