Closure of LongArm Child Care, a Lilongwe-based orphanage, is pitting its American sponsors against its Malawi-based Country Director. The Americans believe the closure is aimed at stripping the orphanage of its assets and that officials from the social welfare office are part of the plot. The locals say the Americans use the NGO to steal. JULIUS MBEŴE The closure of a Malawian-registered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), LongArm Child Care, has opened a can of worms amid allegations that it could be linked to an extortion plot involving the local managers and officials from the Social Welfare Department, who put pressure on the American funders of the NGO to make payments amid threats of closure. The donors also fear that the NGO was closed quickly to strip it of property, including a recently built house, which the manager claims ownership of. The local staff and officials from the Ministry of Gender and Social Welfare accuse the American donors of abusing funds raised in the US. The standoff over the NGO has since led to the dissolution of a partnership between Mittawa and the US-based donor couple behind LongArm, a child-focused organisation with the American partners in the childcare organisation accusing the Malawian executive director of financial misconduct. Kelcey and Nellya Canfield, LongArm’s American partners further accuse Country Director Reheema Mittawa of allegedly misrepresenting herself as the organisation’s founder. At the same time, documentation lists her as an employee of the organization. The Canfileds argue that Mittawa’s role was to act as the local face of LongArm solely to comply with Malawi’s legal domicile requirements and have since threatened to sue Mittawa for unethical practices and financial mismanagement, according to claims detailed in a formal “Notice of Intent to Sue and Demand Letter,” sourced by PIJ. Things Fall Apart According to documents sourced and interviews conducted by PIJ, hell broke loose when the Lilongwe District Social Welfare Office through its officer Derrick Mwenda wrote the charity organisation warning that it risks closure because “the institution has failed to meet all the minimum standards for the operation of children's homes and orphanages.” The Social Welfare Office identified shortfalls, such as the septic tank not being covered, which could have jeopardized the safety of children, no functional toilet inside the house, kids using outside toilets, no clean water on the premises, and the house being incomplete. “We are therefore giving LongArm until 30th October 2024 to fix all the issues or be in progress fixing the issues. Failure to do so by the set date, we will close down the institution and transfer all the kids to other Childcare institutions for continued care and protection,” said Mwenda in a letter dated 4th October 2024. After receiving the warning, PIJ understands that LongArm, through its US-based donors, complied and fixed all the identified shortfalls. As a sign of smooth facility management, Mwenda requested a budget for training caregivers, nannies, and workers in quality child care and protection at LongArm Orphanage. “The training was necessitated during the inspection visit which revealed that caregivers and workers are not trained in quality childcare and protection as per the requirements of the government. Having untrained caregivers/ nannies and workers at the orphanage contributes to children not receiving quality care and protection. We are therefore for the quality care and protection for children from the caregivers,” said Mwenda. The closure of LongArm Child Care follows a bitter field But in a twist of events, the Social Welfare Office wrote another letter informing Nellya and Kelcey Canfield about the closure of the facility. The letter reads: “We have received a letter (dated 23/11/24) from the Main holder and founder of LongArm in Malawi (Reheema Mittawa) that she has terminated the working partnership agreement with you and that she is discontinuing operating LongArm which she founded in Malawi. By virtue of her being the main holder of LongArm in Malawi by which the registration was done, we have closed down LongArm in Malawi, and all the kids will be removed by the office for other alternative care options.” Among other reasons, Mittawa told the Social Welfare Office that the termination of the partnership follows the failure of the US-based donors to support the full budget, which led to the kids and employees not receiving adequate and quality care, and a lack of accountability regarding the funds raised in the USA versus money sent to Malawi. Mittawa further alleged discrepancies in financial reporting, pointing out that the US-based records did not align with LongArm Malawi's financial statements. She singled out the 2023 IRS form, which indicated that $110,518 had been sent to her. “The different amounts shown on the USA-side paper and LongArm Malawi records do not match,” she stated. Mittawa also raised concerns about trust issues, citing unilateral decisions by the donors. “LongArm Malawi is Reheema Mittawa. How does one get appointed to a director role (which is my current position) without my involvement or consulting me? How do I work with partners I do not trust and who have betrayed me?” wrote Mittawa. But the Canfields accuse Reheema of “fabricating crises” to solicit cash and exploiting exchange rate misrepresentation for personal gain. One such incident, allegedly, resulted in over $600 being misappropriated from a LongArm board member during a trip to Malawi, according to a memo seen by the PIJ. The document claims that LongArm has carefully “documented instances of corruption and wrongdoing,” including eyewitness testimonies, recorded interviews with childcare staff and security personnel, depositions, and other supporting evidence. The memo says that LongArm has contributed over $100,000 to Malawi’s vulnerable children, adding the organisation’s representatives will pursue legal channels both in the United States and Malawi, including pressing criminal charges. Finger-pointing Mittawa did not respond to several attempts by PIJ to get her side of the story. Still, Mwenda, in a separate interview, denied working with Mittawa to strip the orphanage of its assets or to extort the American donors, saying the closure of the orphanage was due to non-compliance with the laws. Mwenda said his office initially directed the orphanage to relocate from its original premises in Area 49, which was a rented property, and after the orphanage’s move to Chitsime along the Bunda Road, government inspectors discovered further operational challenges. “We were informed by Reheema that there was inadequate funding for the facility’s operations. Documents provided by Mittawa indicated that donors were mobilizing funds in the United States. Still, these funds could not be transferred to Malawi for the intended operations of LongArm Childcare,” said Mwenda. Mittawa at the centre of controversy Mwenda added that after assessing the situation, including alleged mismanagement of funds and the poor condition of the facility, the government decided to shut down the orphanage in the best interests of the children. “As a government, we prioritise the welfare of the children. When it became clear that the facility could not sustain itself and provide adequate care, closure became the only option,” said Mwenda. “LongArm was a private orphanage run by Reheema and her management team. If funds were sent, they went through LongArm’s bank account, not through our office,” he clarified. “When the orphanage was closed, both the house and all materials remained in the custody of Reheema, who is the Director and Founder of LongArm in Malawi. The house was not sold and remains intact. As a government, we advised them to resolve custody matters concerning the materials, but we have not conspired with anyone to sell the house,” he added. Mwenda said the government would never endorse any sale of the orphanage’s house but turned the heat on the LongArm’s American partners, accusing them of misappropriating funds raised in the US. “They are raising funds in the name of vulnerable children here in Malawi, yet the funds are not reaching the intended beneficiaries,” he noted. Good Old Days! Nellya and Kelcey Canfield with Mittawa (centre) In an interview with PIJ, Nellya Canfield, who said she is the organisation’s vice president, dismissed Mittawa's claims of underfunding as baseless and fabricated. “We were completely shocked by these allegations,” Nellya said in a written response via WhatsApp. “We met the budget each month. She was receiving a competitive salary of $1,000 a month, and we never sought to replace her as director. Every single accusation outlined was fabricated and extremely hurtful, as we thought we were in ministry together. These issues had never been discussed before.” Nellya further accused Mittawa of mismanaging the funds sent to her from the US. “We couldn’t understand how 5 million kwacha a month was not enough, especially with only 14 children left and no willingness on her part to implement any programs,” Nellya alleged. “I want it exposed that we have been sending money each month for village outreach, but that hasn’t been executed since March.” She added: “I can provide every single bank statement for 2024 to prove our accountability. We have nothing to hide. We have been sending her thousands of dollars each month, along with her salary, which was always paid on time. The problems began once we started to question her schemes.” When contacted over the matter, NGO Regulatory Authority (NGORA) Chief Executive Officer Edward Chileka Banda said the orphanage was not registered with the authority and said NGORA could not immediately comment on the various allegations made by the various parties in the matter. “Upon checking in our database, LongArm is not registered with NGORA,” said Chileka. On allegations that NGORA officials might have been involved in extorting LongArm, Chileka Banda said NGORA would have to investigate the allegations. The Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability, and Social Welfare said Mittawa did not comment on the matter. The closure of LongArm Childcare raises broader questions about transparency and accountability in the management of private orphanages. Authorities prioritize the welfare of children and call for stricter oversight of institutions that rely on foreign funding. READ MORE: Pastor At the Centre of Kondanani Sexual Abuse Allegations Found with A Case to Answer This article was produced by the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ), a non-profit and public interest centre for investigative journalism. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JULIUS MBEŴE is a journalist based in Lilongwe and regularly writes for PIJ. He has previously worked for YONECO FM. Email: [email protected] X: @CaleoneMbewe
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