Mission groups team up to help Malawi AIDS orphans

Published: 2004-01-09

PULASKI, N.Y. (CNS) -- Marianist Brother Peter Daino believes in miracles. They are the foundation of his life. In fact, miracle is the name of the mission that Brother Daino and his team of Marianists started in 1999 in Karonga, Malawi. MIRACLE -- Marianist Institute of Rural Artisans for Christian Life Education -- is a two-year technical school for orphans ages 15-25 whose parents have died of AIDS. Brother Daino has spent 28 years in Niger, Kenya and Malawi working with orphans. Malawi is the third-poorest country in the world, and Karonga is one of the most remote and isolated parts of Malawi. According to Brother Daino, there are 25,000 people in the town Karonga; of those, 5,000 are orphans. In an interview while visiting Pulaski, he said there are about 30,000 orphans in the Karonga District, which has a population of about 220,000. The orphans accepted into MIRACLE learn carpentry, tailoring and home management. The two-year training provides the students with skills that will enable them to support themselves and their parentless families.

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