0:00:07 > 0:00:09SINGING
0:00:09 > 0:00:11This is Malawi,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14a country known to its people as "the warm heart of Africa".
0:00:14 > 0:00:16And it's easy to see why.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18THEY SING
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Mwah! Beautiful!
0:00:27 > 0:00:32But their faces hide the fact that Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Health services are limited and there is widespread malnutrition.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44This, together with the prevalence of HIV and AIDS,
0:00:44 > 0:00:49means that the average life expectancy here is 54 years old.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51And because so many parents die young,
0:00:51 > 0:00:54or are forced to leave their families in search of work,
0:00:54 > 0:00:581 in 5 children here grow up without parental care.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07I've come to visit 17-year-old Eletina.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10So this is your home, Eletina?
0:01:10 > 0:01:14'She shares this hut with her three younger brothers and sisters,
0:01:14 > 0:01:18'who she has cared for since their parents abandoned them several years ago.'
0:01:20 > 0:01:24All responsibilities now fall on Eletina's shoulders.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27Her sole source of income comes from gathering water
0:01:27 > 0:01:30for her neighbours and working on their land.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37TRANSLATION: It's very hard for me to afford food and clothes
0:01:37 > 0:01:39for my brothers and sisters.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I feel lonely, because having parents around
0:01:42 > 0:01:44makes children feel protected,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48but I get on with it because I have nowhere else to go.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52All four of them live out of this single room.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55I find it hard to comprehend, but what you see here
0:01:55 > 0:01:57is everything this family owns.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04My children are very lucky.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13You know you see things on TV in England all the time.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16We've grown up with images of poverty in Africa
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and I think we're desensitised to it.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24When you see these children have absolutely nothing,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27and it's shocking and overwhelming.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Overwhelmed by the responsibility
0:02:36 > 0:02:41of looking after three young children, Eletina dropped out of school to become a full-time carer.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49She is one of 300 children in her community
0:02:49 > 0:02:52living without a mother or a father.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55As the mother of two very small children,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59I find it excruciating seeing so many young children here
0:02:59 > 0:03:02being brought up without parental care.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05That's why I am appealing on behalf of EveryChild,
0:03:05 > 0:03:07a charity that works with communities around the world
0:03:07 > 0:03:09to protect the most vulnerable children
0:03:09 > 0:03:14and enable them to grow up in a safe and loving environment.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19This is 13-year-old Alefa.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24By the age of three she had lost both her parents to AIDS.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Her uncle and aunt took her in,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29but they already had six children of their own.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35TRANSLATION: I feel at home with my aunt and uncle. They treat me well
0:03:35 > 0:03:39and look after me as if I were one of their own children.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Four years ago, the harvest was so poor
0:03:44 > 0:03:47there wasn't enough food to go around.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52TRANSLATION: At mealtimes, we would be scrambling for food.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54We were always hungry.
0:03:59 > 0:04:05This is five-year-old Salome and her older sister Mwalimbitsa.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Their mother died giving birth to Salome
0:04:07 > 0:04:10and their father left soon after. The only relative who could
0:04:10 > 0:04:14take care of them was their 70-year-old grandmother, Malita.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19TRANSLATION: I'm worried
0:04:19 > 0:04:23because I'm an elderly lady and looking after my granddaughters
0:04:23 > 0:04:26single-handedly is very hard.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29I have nothing to give them.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Having struggled all of her life,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Malita wants her grandchildren to have a different future.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42Education is vital to break the cycle of poverty
0:04:42 > 0:04:46but for many families here, schooling is an unaffordable luxury.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51The charity believes that every child has the right to go to school.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55It runs over 100 childcare community centres across Malawi,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59providing vulnerable children under the age of five
0:04:59 > 0:05:02with the basic education that they so desperately need.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08EveryChild supports villagers to set up community centres,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11where volunteers teach children music, maths and reading.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Salome has been attending her local centre for over a year.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Today she is learning to count.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26SALOME REPEATS AFTER HER TEACHER
0:05:32 > 0:05:35TRANSLATION: I hope Salome will be ready
0:05:35 > 0:05:38to start primary school next year.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41This will give her the best possible chance of a future.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51More than 80% of the population in Malawi is rural
0:05:51 > 0:05:54so most people rely on the land for both food and income.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57But the climate is so harsh crops often fail.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Families with orphaned children to care for
0:06:02 > 0:06:03have more mouths to feed,
0:06:03 > 0:06:08and the charity provides grants of farming equipment and livestock
0:06:08 > 0:06:10when help is most needed.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14When Alefa's family was hit by poor harvests four years ago
0:06:14 > 0:06:19the charity was there to help, providing seed and fertilisers.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27TRANSLATION: The fertilisers enabled us to grow more crops
0:06:27 > 0:06:29and have enough food to feed the whole family.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38The charity also loans goats to vulnerable families
0:06:38 > 0:06:42because the offspring can provide both income and food.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45The goat lent to Alefa's family produced four more.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52TRANSLATION: When times were really hard we sold some goats.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55With the money from one, we bought school uniforms for Alefa
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and our children which meant they were able to go to school.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Last year, 17-year-old Eletina dropped out of school
0:07:07 > 0:07:08because she was struggling
0:07:08 > 0:07:11to take care of her three younger brothers and sisters.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15The charity had set up a community centre in Eletina's village
0:07:15 > 0:07:19and its volunteers enrolled her in some parenting workshops.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Along with other young carers,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24she was taught practical skills which helped her juggle
0:07:24 > 0:07:27her own priorities with those of her family.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30She is now back at school.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37TRANSLATION: My life has changed.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39I used to just sit here alone.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Being with other young carers has given me a purpose in life.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54It's overwhelming how hard life is for orphaned and vulnerable children growing up here
0:07:54 > 0:08:00and I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like without the presence of the charity here.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04The support and opportunities that EveryChild gives
0:08:04 > 0:08:07enables these children to be safe, to live
0:08:07 > 0:08:13and to have the best chance of a future surrounded by people who really care for them.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Please donate by going to the website:
0:08:16 > 0:08:24And if you don't have access to the internet please call:
0:08:24 > 0:08:30And if the lines are busy, please, please keep trying.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Calls are free from most landlines.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Some networks and mobile operators will charge for these calls.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38If you'd like to post a donation,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40please make your cheque payable to EveryChild
0:08:40 > 0:08:43and send it to Freepost, BBC Lifeline Appeal.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Remember, if you're a UK taxpayer,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49the charity can collect gift aid on your donation, worth another 25%.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Send in a note to say you want your donation to be subject to Gift Aid,
0:08:53 > 0:08:58and include the date and your full name and address.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Thank you.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:09:06 > 0:09:08E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk