Project 248

In 2016, Hunter Boon’s trip to Nigeria and Cameroon inspired the start of a program that would help support vulnerable communities in Uganda and Kenya. His programs have since grown to include support for communities in Pakistan as well.

Working alongside local pastors, Project 248 has built churches and children's homes and provided food, medical care, and education to those in need. In Uganda, the program helped build a small church for John Mark Okille's congregation and a new compound for the Hope Again Children's home. In Kenya, the program supports Kelvin Yeye's children's home and has begun a building project to provide more space and better living conditions for the children.

In Pakistan, the program provides a home for 46 children and 16 widows, and in 2021, made three rescues, purchasing three mothers and eight children from their pimps/traffickers and providing them with a new life and asylum in the program's home.

Hunter Boon's vision and dedication have been instrumental in the program's success. His commitment to helping those in need has inspired many to get involved in making a positive impact on the world.

The program's impact can be seen in the lives of those it supports. For the past five years, the program has provided food, schooling, and medical care for the children at Hope Again Children's home and Kelvin Yeye's children's home. These efforts have allowed the children to grow and thrive in a safe and supportive environment.

In Pakistan, the program's rescue efforts have given new hope and freedom to those who have been victimized by human trafficking. The program's commitment to providing a safe and nurturing home for these individuals is truly inspiring.

It's important to acknowledge the role that Hunter Boon played in starting this program and the impact that his vision has had on so many lives. Through his leadership, the program has become a shining example of the power that one person can have in making a positive impact on the world. We are grateful for his dedication and inspired by the work that the program continues to do in Uganda, Kenya, and Pakistan.

UVT’s first trip to Malawi

It all started with a casual conversation over a glass of wine at a food festival in Napa Valley when Chef Claudia Sansone and her husband, Dr. Rob Hampton, told us about their experience of setting up a dental clinic in Malawi, Africa. As soon as we heard about it, we knew we wanted to be a part of their next trip, document their work, and help raise funds for their cause. Within a few months, we found ourselves on a plane to Malawi!

The journey from Napa, California, to Lilongwe, Malawi, took us 23 hours. As soon as we arrived, we met Ione Podgore, a friend of Claudia's and the head of an orphanage housing over 250 children. She gave us a brief tour of Lilongwe, including the Bethsaida Private Hospital.

On our first morning in Lilongwe, we visited Kusamala Institute of Ecology and Agriculture Center. Claudia even bought two mango trees as a housewarming gift for Malious Samson, our driver and dear friend. Later, we lunched  at Kumbali Cultural Village, where we learned about traditional Malawian food from one of the owner, Jes Pickering. She gave us a tour of their replica village, which was established to house expats working with Kumbali on projects around Malawi. They have very nice huts to rent, gift shops, volleyball court, soccer court, two stages for concerts, and a little bar/restaurant with great food and beverages.

The next day, we delivered the trees to Malious, his wife, Ruth Samson, and their three children. We ventured out into town to visit local businesses where we met with Lesley and Paul Sprowson, the owners of Four Seasons, a nursery and shopping center. They showed us around the grounds, including the feeding center that serves over 200 people breakfast every single day. 

Monday, October 13, was incredibly emotional. We visited Daeyang Luke Hospital, where Dr. Rob Hampton's dental clinic was established in 2011. We were given a tour by Idah Samidu, a lovely social worker, who quickly became family. She took us to Dothi Village, adjacent to the hospital, to see the progress on the preschool, which Claudia convinced the Chief to build on her previous trip, as well as the village gardens. At least 25-30 women came to greet us with song and dance, which was very emotional and made us feel so welcome. We met with the chiefs to discuss plans for the new school and garden. We were introduced to the three volunteer teachers who had divided the school into nursery school and kindergarten. The students were present as well and were clearly taking advantage of the education available to them. There were already 72 students in attendance. We then toured the village gardens, which were remarkably well done. It is the first time the village has planted something other than corn and were experimenting with crop interplanting. In the afternoon we visited Kamkanda Chifundokapha (Chifundo), a Malawian dentist, at the newly established dental clinic at Deayang Luke Hospital, and delivered a suitcase full of supplies donated by Dr. Hampton and his colleagues. That night Chef Claudia Sansone taught a class on basic nutrition to approximately 80 nursing students from the hospital.

On Tuesday, October 14, we met with Idah Samidu again to discuss lumber pricing for the roof of the new preschool in Dothi Village. We also donated funds for cement for the school to grout the bricks which had been filled with mud. Later in the afternoon, Jes Pickering, from Kumbali Lodge, took us on a tour of a local orphan-feeding center. The orphanage has developed a small ingenious business venture of making briquettes out of corn husks and groundnuts (peanuts) shells. 

We then met with the US ambassador Michael Gonzalez and two of his colleagues, Doug and Peter from USAID and we were interviewed by TVI (Timveni) Television on the purpose of our trip and all the work we had in mind. Lastly, we met with Patricia Liabuba, the Director of Malawi Tourism, and arranged for her to handle transportation using a 26-passenger van and a sedan for next June. She also contacted Sunbird hotels (which are government run) in Lilongwe and Zomba to work with the team.

On Thursday, October 16th we departed at 8:00 am and four hours later we arrived in Zomba, the academic center of Malawi. We picked up Charlotte Day, founder of Gogo Grandmothers, and SAFE Africa on the way to Chancellor College. Met with Vuwa Phiri, the head of college libraries who has a very inspiring success story. He grew up in a rural village with little hope of getting an education and worked his way to completing a PhD in Library Science through Chancellor College. Vuwa encouraged us in our charity work, demonstrating that it’s possible to succeed in challenging circumstances.

Friday, Oct 17th was a meaningful day. We went with Charlotte Day’s house to an orphan-headed household (meaning that their parents have passed on, and the eldest child or grandparent were raising the siblings). We met a Gogo (grandmother) who had twenty children and one of her great-granddaughters was eighteen and had her third child. The granddaughter was twelve when she had her first child, and she was such a beautiful young lady. 

On Saturday, Oct 18th, we started the day by visiting the house of Joyce, a woman who had been severely burned and was in need of medical care. We brought her to the hospital and helped with her treatment expenses. In the afternoon, we visited a preschool funded by Gogo Grandmothers, where we played games and read stories with the children. We had a meeting with approximately 80 Gogos (grandmothers and grandfathers). The meeting was held at a school for little ones and teenagers. We learned that over 20 percent of children are raised by their grandparents due to deaths caused by childbirth, AIDS, HIV or malnutrition.  We met a Gogo who was raising twin grandchildren that were 2 years old; her daughter had passed giving birth. There was lots of music, singing and dancing after the meeting which helped to lift our spirits. 

Sunday, Oct 18th was our day to visit SAFE Haven, an organization derived from several churches. As a result of their fundraiser they purchased a container, filled it with supplies, and shipped it too Malawi. It is empty now and used for a meeting place for schools. While visiting we met Cathy and Noel, the teachers at SAFE Haven. Noel has a remarkable story of receiving an education while being incarcerated. He is currently working in an after school program sponsored by SAFE and is an  inspiring young man. 

At noon we met with Reverend Timothy, the Religious Advisor to the President of Malawi's.  At the advice of President Mutharika, he drove four hours to Zomba to have a twenty minute meeting with us. He says that President Mutharika would give our work  his seal of approval and will consent to be interviewed by us at a later date. He encouraged us to work with his wife on a few programs. Then, a meeting with the general manager of the Sunbird, who agreed to meet with the corporate head from Blantyre to ensure The Sunbird lodges consented to partner with us.  

Sunday, Oct 19th was our final day in Malawi and so we visited a preschool supported by Gogo Grandmothers. We were impressed by the dedication and passion of the teachers, who work tirelessly to provide education to children who might not otherwise have access to it. Afterward, we said our goodbyes to our new friends in Zomba and headed back to Lilongwe. Once we arrived we walked to the village to say our goodbyes and were surprised that the volunteers had completed the roof on the preschool. Everything was coming together nicely. They bid us farewell and stated that they looked forward to being able to work with us on our return visits. 

Our entire trip was a life-changing experience. We were able to witness firsthand the incredible work being done by organizations and individuals to improve the lives of the people of Malawi, the “Warm Heart of Africa”.  We were inspired by the resilience and strength of the Malawian people, and we left feeling grateful for the opportunity to have been welcomed to be a part of their community. We hope to continue to support the work being done here and to inspire others to get involved as well.

AN AMERICAN DENTIST AND A CHEF VISIT MALAWI AND FALL IN LOVE WITH THE PEOPLE AND CULTURE.

Rob Hampton, DDS and Claudia Sansone visited Malawi and changed the lives of thousands of villagers with medical care, education and nutritional counseling.

In 2010 Rob Hampton and Claudia Sansone visited Malawi, a landlocked country in sub-Saharan Africa sharing boundaries with Zambia to the Northwest, Tanzania to the North and Northeast and Mozambique to the East, South and Southwest. Malawi is small in size but large in numbers. Their population at the time was 13,947,00 million people with half of the population under 15 years (48%), and 49% between 15-64. Learning that there were only 19 registered Dentist and 58 registered dental assistants and therapist in the entire country, Dr. Hampton decided to open a dental clinic in a rural hospital north east of Lilongwe.

Carrying all of the supplies, including a dental chair, with them on their flight the two were welcomed with open arms. While Rob was seeing patients at Deayang Luke Hospital Claudia and a friend decided to venture to the local villages and the rest as they say is history. Claudia fell in love with the people and the culture.

The couple would return three more times, carrying dental supplies from donations for the dental clinic. On the third visit in 2013 Claudia met with the Chiefs of Dothi Villages asking how she could help. She suggested that they build a preschool school and an extended garden to feed the small children. In Malawi the average child walks 6 km to attend school. Most younger children are not allowed to walk the enormous distance and therefore do not start year 1 education until 7 or 8 years old. Little did Claudia realized the effect her visit would have on the people of the villages. During the next year the villagers got to work and completed a 24x36 foot structure that was to become the first preschool, with 56 children ages 4 to 7 years old enrolled, and expanded the village garden adding the different types of vegetation Claudia suggested.

MISSON TO MALAWI

Dr. Robert Hampton and his wife, Claudia Sansone spent two weeks in Malawi, Africa, last October on a humanitarian mission to provide dental care and nutritional counseling.

Message from Claudia Sansone, CCP, Co-Founder United Village Transformation (contributed to Napa Valley Register June 16, 2011)

Last October, I was one of two Napa husband-and-wife teams, when my husband, dentist Robert Hampton, and I joined retired dentist and vintner Mary Rocca and Dr. Eric Grigsby, founders of HealthRoots Foundation, on an extraordinary humanitarian adventure to Malawi, Africa.

Usually, the first question is “Where on earth is Malawi?’ It is a small, narrow, land-locked country in Africa bordered by Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania, and it was our home for two weeks.

The next question is “Why Malawi?” Malawi is a country of 15 million people of which 50 percent are under 16 years of age. On top of that, approximately 1 million are orphans as a result of AIDS wiping out the middle generation. Only two percent of the population has electricity, and that is in the main cities. The villages consist of mud brick homes with thatched roofs, dirt floors, an outdoor cooking kitchen and no electricity or running water. Thirty-three percent of the children have chronic malnutrition and 52 percent live on less that $1 a day; 22 percent live on less that two cents a day.

With only 25 dentists to serve 15 million people, the need for dental care is great. Rob took care of patients who would otherwise have no way to relieve the pain. They waited hours in long lines for a chance to see him. For me, my work had started six years ago while doing another dental mission trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. My intention was to assist my husband with the never-ending lines of patients. When I realized that my aim with the water syringe wasn’t always on target, I relocated to the kitchen where I met Charlotte Day, the founder of Gogo Grandmothers. She and husband, Dick Day, were academics at the University of Malawi in Zomba. She had founded the Gogo Grandmothers to help grandmothers find ways to support the orphans whose parents were lost to AIDS. I wanted to be her groupie.

After Lilongwe, we headed south to Zomba, where we visited Charlotte and Dick Day. I spent time with her and the Gogo Grandmothers doing recipe development for more healthy foods for the orphans of Malawi who are grossly undernourished. Twenty percent of the children don’t reach 5 years old. I discovered the daily chores of the women consist of walking long distances to the wells, most in bare feet. They fill a large plastic container with water, place it on their heads and off they go, not spilling a drop. Then they head out to collect wood to build a fire for cooking.

Their babies go everywhere with them, wrapped in a chintenje, a piece of colorful cloth tied like a skirt or around their backs to hold their babies. No Baby Bjorns there!

Here in the Napa Valley, my culinary career has morphed into working as an art director and set designer for culinary television programs and as a cookbook producer. My latest project was Michael Chiarello’s new cookbook, “Bottega.” My time in Malawi took my culinary skills to a new and different level — survival. I saw children waiting for what might be their only meal of the day, a white corn flour porridge called nsima. Their diet lacks just about everything. We worked on recipes like Malawian Bonongwa (pumpkin leaves with ground nuts), soy utilization and snack bars with local ingredients. We also worked on ways to start micro-businesses of healthy snacks for the young children. While our mission was to set up a dental clinic in the hospital, it turned into something far greater. After seeing the dental clinic in action, Mr. Chung, a shipping magnate of South Korea and Christian benefactor of the Dae Yang Luke Hospital, realized the tremendous need for dental care. He asked Rob and Mary Rocca to research a plan to build the first dental school in Malawi. They are both fired up and meeting with the deans of several dental schools to make their plans.

It appears our work in Malawi has only just begun.

We are grateful to have the opportunity to give back. The sign inside the Daeyang Luke Hospital says it all: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25-40. To those who would like to reach out, but wonder what you might do, the needs are great throughout the world. What pulls your heartstrings? For more information Gogograndmothers gogograndmothers.com Kumbali Country Lodge kumbalilodge.com Healthroots Foundation roccawines.com/healthroots.html