Hebron Academy faculty and students will travel to the Little Field Home, an orphanage in Malawi, this summer. Going to the southeastern African country are, from left, teachers Katie Coyne and Ian Cross, students Mario De La Isla, Geoff Bowen, Camree Thompson, Andy Churchill, Charles Evans, Jordan Wade, Emma Leavitt and Seung Hee Lee, and teachers Bill Flynn, Ashley Webb and Janet Littlefield, executive director of the Little Field Home.

Students to assist Malawi orphanage

HEBRON – Eight Hebron Academy juniors will travel to an orphanage in Malawi this summer to help make a difference: Andy Churchill, Emma Leavitt, Camree Thompson, Geoff Bowen, Charles Evans, Jordan Wade, Seung Hee Lee and Mario De La Isla.

They will be accompanied by five academy staff members: Katie Coyne, Ian Cross, Bill Flynn, Janet Littlefield and Ashley Webb.

The students and staff will live at the orphanage, Little Field Home, for a month, alongside the 72 children and 14 workers who live there permanently. Their main focus will be to do projects at the orphanage and the community on health, education and agriculture.

Littlefield, home executive director and dorm parent and coach at Hebron Academy, said she is looking forward to seeing the students make connections with the children in Malawi.

The students are expected to work hard at the home and live like the Malawians, with no electricity or plumbing and few health or educational resources.

“They will be working collaboratively with the Malawians on projects to help alleviate poverty in the area, and they will return to Maine global citizens with a better perspective. I appreciate the work they do for the community and orphans over there, but as an educator to see these kids thinking and acting globally is fantastic. I hope what they learn will help shape their future,” said Littlefield.

The students will conduct workshops on HIV/AIDS and malaria, two diseases that are rampant throughout Sub-Sahara Africa. Malawi has more than 1 million orphans and most of the population, especially in the district the orphanage is located in, is under age 14.

The students will participate in building a sustainable farm at Little Field Home. Malawians rely on their short rainy season to harvest their crops for the year.

To help in the effort, students will host a walk-a-thon at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 17, at Hebron Academy to raise the funds to install a borehole/well and solar-powered irrigation system at the home.

The project costs $14,000 and will allow crops to grow year round with multiple harvests and a high food production. If sufficient funds are raised, the students will help install the system in July.

Those interested in learning more about the walk-a-thon or about Friends of Little Field Home may visit www.littlefieldhome.org.