Nhlangano, Swaziland - Amitofo Care Centres, founded by Venerable Master
Hui Li, a Buddhist monk from Taiwan, is taking in orphans and
vulnerable children from several countries in southern Africa.Children KungFu in Shanghai
Li first visited the African continent in 1992 and was struck by the
children left behind by parents who died of HIV/Aids. He decided to
devote all of his time and energy into setting up orphanages, schools
and clinics for the most vulnerable.
The first centre set up in Malawi 12 years ago houses almost 500
children. There are also centres in Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia, with
many more in the planning stages.
Children brought up at the centres study the local curricula in the
mornings, while learning about Buddhism, Mandarin Chinese and kung fu in
the afternoons.
Children live and learn at the centres until they reach 18, when they
can apply for university or other vocational training. Some 26 students
from the Malawi centre are studying at universities in Taiwan, with
similar numbers predicted for the Lesotho and Swaziland centres, which
have been running for five and six years respectively.
Amitofo is 70 percent funded by private donors from Taiwan and Hong
Kong. Malaysian and Singapore nationals also contribute. Amitofo has no
ties to any government, and relies on donated land to get centres up and
running.
Amitofo goes through a rigorous process with the children, national
agencies and the local community to legally adopt those it takes in.
