A missionary with a Vision- John Cashman

Dr John Cashman with his lovely family

Many people in life they respond to their callings with a very different aspects, As Ovaha's Hut we really appreciate the life of Dr. John Cashman who was working with Beit Cure Hospital in Malawi. Blantyre.
Regardless of all his duties at the hospital he took his time making sure that Ovaha's Hut is going further and his advices were like a tree planted in the river banks which always produce its fruits in good season. with his love of his family, Ovaha's Hut and the hospital it has made us to call him a missionary with a vision.

This is what John wrote on his facebook wall on 29 May 2015.

Last night in Malawi...... 
Family holding up well, but already missing our friends and sensing the magnitude of the challenge ahead as we will try and adjust to life back in Britain. However we are looking forward to seeing our other family and old friends in the UK and in seeing God's Grace unfold in our lives as we see what he has in stall for us all in the coming months. Rachel has been sharing Jer 29v11 with us tonight. God is good.
Thank you to everyone here in Malawi who has been so kind and supportive with our move. We will miss you all. Sentiment makes us feel that nothing could fill the void in our hearts that will be left by our leaving you and and the daily privilege of joining with our family at CURE to help share God's love and healing with some of the most wonderful and inspiring children and families that one could ever imagine. However we know that God is able to not only heal hurts of our sense of loss, but lead us in his plans and that these are for the good and so we give thanks for his Faithfulness and provision.
with our love to all,
John, Robyn, Hannah, Rachel and Sam.

Having good time.

                                                            

What if Bombs and Guns were the weapons to send back Girls to School?

“The best judge of whether or not a country is going to develop is how it treats its women. If it’s educating girls, if women have equals rights, that country is going to move forward. But if women are oppressed and abused and illiterate, then they’re going to fall behind.” - President Barack Obama

On March 8, 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day. Two years later, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace. Now celebrated around the world, International Women's Day recognizes and commemorates achievements towards gender equality and women’s empowerment.

On International Women’s Day, USAID is celebrating and advancing the incredible potential of women. Global stability, peace, and prosperity depend on protecting the rights of women and girls around the world. Additionally, research shows that progress in women’s employment, health, and education can lead to greater economic growth and stronger societies. And when women and men are equally empowered as political and social actors, governments are more representative and effective.

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Empowering Women and Girls

To end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies, we must empower women and girls. Out of the 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty, 70 percent are women and girls. Also,women continue to be underrepresented in government, with only 20 percent of women world wide participating as members of parliament or national government. 

Here is a good example of India.. If you educate a girl in India''' she can lift her country out of poverty. If India enrolled 1% more girls in secondary school, their GDP would rise by $5.5 billion.

She can feed her family and her country. Investing in girls' education could boost agricultural output in Sub-Saharan Africa by 25%.

She can increase her income. For every year a girl stays in school, her income can increase by 15 to 25%.

She will invest in future generations. Educated women invest 90% of their income into their family.

She will send her children to school, continuing the cycle of education. Educated mothers are more than twice as likely to send their children to school.

Now my question is what if the bombs and the guns today were the weapons to send girls back to school? and those people who are being massacred with different groups were levels of education for girls?

Girls get back to school Campaign in Muloza!!!

Some of the people who attended the Girls back to school campaign.

Early marriages has been a centre of talks in many media houses and again in parliament of Malawi but the fruits of all the meetings, gatherings and discussions on the public pulpits did not materialize as the way how it was planed by other civil society groups even the government itself. Every group of citizens and individuals had their own views on marriages according to the laws of Malawi, they tried all level best to discuss the appropriate age for a girl to marry. Some people said its good for a girl to marry at 16 years under a concern from parents while others fall on 18 years. As Ovaha's Hut we did not see the real results rather than people pocketing money after attending these meetings. And no any girl has benefited on the talks, Ovaha's Hut we talk and do, not like others who are good at preaching but not practicing what they preach.

At our Ovahas's Hut base in Muloza, Mulanje regardless of 16 or 18 for a girl to get married to us its a very lame development and as for us every girl must be in school and achieve what they want in life, many girls have dreams, big dreams for that matter which needs to be interpreted and its only education that can set them free. Some parents who have no parent hood skills they force their girls to marry so that the girl can bring some gifts to the parents and for now Ovaha's Hut is ready to put pressure in all parents who force their girls to marry at a tender age. In our community we have seen small girls dieing while giving birth, contracting HIV/AIDS and some of them are suffering from fistula, why? because they gave birth before their time was ripe enough. All of this happens because the parents have educational curses that they want to transfer to the young blood.

With the chief of our village and parents we are on a campaign called Girls get back to school, this task is to bring back our village girls to school without counting on past mistakes, some of the girls have children but they are still willing to start afresh in their studies, after founding that the solution to poverty is not to get married but books and ink thats the only weapon to destroy educational curse. We have managed to motivated more than 15 girls to go back to school and we will not stop until every single girl in our village has attended school.

Once all our projects are settled these girls will attend the skill centre which soon will take its shape.

We like to urge you all our friends and partners continue supporting us so that these dreams should benefit more girls in our community, you can pay school fees for some girls, buy uniform, buying books and anything you are feeling that will make this development be successful, its our responsibility to make our girls the leaders of tomorrow.

Ovaha's Hut will always make sure that our community its a best place to stay. We have started this project because we want to be the role model of our community.