Being an SOS Mother at Blantyre, Malawi

The role of an SOS mother could never be described as easy, so what sort of woman would take on this challenge? Dorothy Napolo, a Malawian is an SOS mother at the SOS Children's Village Blantyre, explains in this interview, why she wants to carry out this very special role as she was training to become an SOS Mother.

Please introduce yourself to us. What is your name and age? Where do you come from? What were you doing before you applied to be an SOS mother?
My name is Dorothy Napolo. I am 40 years old and come from the District of Zomba in southern Malawi. I was working as a receptionist in the Veterinary Department of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations in Malawi.

How do you feel about moving into an SOS Children's Village and living in such a small community?
I am not worried about living in a small village community because I am excited about having the opportunity to dedicate myself to the noble task of looking after orphans and vulnerable children living at the SOS Children's Village.

What experiences have you had that you think will help you during your training and later on with your work with SOS Children?
As well as being a receptionist, I used to work as a volunteer carer for a home-based care programme linked to a community radio station called "Alinafe". I looked after children with tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

What do you think will present the most challenges for you in your life as an SOS mother?

a. Making sure that each of the children I am looking after does well at school
b. Ensuring that all my SOS children behave well at school as well as within the community

What do you remember about your own mother and your own childhood? Is there anything that she did as a parent that you would like to copy or anything about your childhood that you would like to reproduce? Is there anything that you would do differently?
My mother was very loving. She encouraged me to work hard at school. She used to get me to help out with the household chores so that I learnt how to do them myself. This I will definitely copy as an SOS mother. But on a number of occasions she hit me to punish me, which I definitely do not support because it is against the rights of the child.

What do your friends think about your new job? Are they supportive or do they think that you have made a foolish decision? Will they come to visit you at the village? What about your family - what do they think?
My friends and my relatives encouraged me. They are excited about coming to visit me at the village to learn more about my work as an SOS mother.

Some people say that orphaned children should be looked after by their extended family and not by 'strangers'. What do you think?
It is definitely a good idea for orphans to be looked after by their biological relatives (extended family) if possible, but when children's relatives are not able to ensure a good future for them or if a child is abandoned, other people or organisations, such as SOS Children, should be there to step in. The most important thing is to encourage children to have links to their biological family

SOS Children has been working in Malawi since 1994 and now has three children's villages at Lilongwe, Mzuzu, and Blantyre. More than 300 children are cared for at these children's villages as well as a further 20,000 children and families through community programmes such as schools, medical centres and social centres.

You can help children in Malawi by becoming a child sponsor.