North Olmsted Evangelical Friends Church (NOEFC) has partnered with the Maraan Foundation to support their mission work in Malawi, Africa. The Maraan Foundation's mission is to improve learning conditions, health, and wellbeing of underprivileged children and adults in Sub-Saharan Africa. (www.maraanfoundation.org)
The Foundation built Maraan Academy, a private school that scholarships over 70 motivated high schoolers with a free quality education. The Academy graduated its first students in July 2024, with nearly all going on to college. The Foundation has started building its second campus this year.
NOEFC began its support with donations toward school construction and student scholarships. In the summer of 2023, Senior Pastor Geoff Schultz led a team to Malawi to explore expanded mission opportunities. The church committed to send at least one team each summer to support the Maraan Foundation's work. In December 2025, I went with my friend and Maraan Foundation Founder, Martin M’Tambo, to explore potential mission opportunities for a second mission team, which included introducing Father Christmas (Santa Claus) at the Maraan Academy, local government school and the Dzaleka Refugee Camp. We (Santa included) provided food, which included live chickens and supplies to many teachers and families at these locations for their Christmas meal. One of the highlights of that trip was reading the first Christmas story to 220 first graders at the local government school. God willing, my goal is to return for the next 7 years, which will provide the opportunity for every child in that school to hear about the birth of Jesus!
I’m raising funds for my December mission trip to continue this partnership with the Maraan Foundation and support their expanding mission. Your donation will help with school construction and ongoing support for the teachers and the children and their families served by Maraan Academy.
Funds raised here will continue our expanded mission work supporting a local government grade school, a couple of local villages, the Dzaleka Refugee Camp, and the Zambezi Evangelical Church.
Last year, in a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya, my luggage with Santa suit, toys and candy did not arrive with me. A Sheraton Hotel employee, Nicholas Kinyua, helped me through customs and started the process to ensure my luggage made it to Malawi on time, which it did! Nicholas and I have maintained contact and developed a friendship. I will visit him for 3 days on my way to Malawi to explore potential new mission opportunities in Kenya for our church. Our plan is to visit several children’s homes…yes, as Santa Claus and an opportunity to share the first Christmas story with those beautiful children! A percentage of the donations will support my mission work in Kenya, too.
Thank you for standing in the gap with me in this important mission work. Your generosity is making a huge impact! God bless you!
Sincerely,
Ange
