For many children with disabilities, we are their village.
Thrive Malawi is proud to exclusively partner with Children of Blessing Trust in the provision of services for children with disabilities and other disadvantaged children. With few places in Malawi to turn to for support and belonging, programs like COBT aren’t just life-changing, they’re life-saving. Join our growing village of people who believe in these kids
We proudly partner with:
Children of Blessing Trust (COBT)
Founded in 2007, COBT quickly developed a reputation as a leading organization for the children with disabilities in Lilongwe Malawi. With more than 20 Malawian staff members, COBT provides rehabilitation services, including physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy, an orthopedic clinic, nutrition and feeding programs, and more. Thrive Malawi provides funding to CoBT in order to deliver health and education services to children with disabilities and other disadvantaged children in Malawi.
Children of Blessing Trust
Founder: Kathy Bowler
Canadian physiotherapist and occupational therapist, Kathy Bowler, has been providing services to children with disabilities and their families for more than 25 years. During this time Kathy has developed a reputation in Malawi for her groundbreaking work with children with disabilities, including a children’s rehabilitation program she started in 1997 which provided therapy to 400 children and services to 30,000 patients a year. In 2007 she successfully transitioned this organization to Malawians she trained, and founded Children of Blessing Trust later that year.
With a passion to focus her energy directly on children with disabilities, Kathy began to create programs that instilled a sense of pride in children and equipped their caregivers with the tools needed to help their kids succeed. Under the leadership of Kathy, Children of Blessing Trust has provided support, care, services and equipment to thousands of kids throughout Malawi. Her empowering and compassionate leadership has been even farther reaching as she continues to demonstrate the value and capabilities of children, teaching people of all ages to recognize potential rather than focusing on limitations.
“When you do something that’s really hard, you are proud of yourself — and that is something that’s really important. We want our kids to experience that feeling for themselves. It’s that end picture of the child achieving something that we want to hang on to and show to the world.”
Kathy Bowler
Founder of Children of Blessing Trust
Organizations and Centres Children of Blessing Trust has worked with in Malawi:
Lilongwe District Health Office and Area 25 Health Centre provides medication/specialized food for the Epilepsy and Nutrition Clinics
ABC Community Clinic regularly sends 2 clinical officers and pharmacy technicians for sick children.
500 Miles Orthopedic and Prosthetic Centre offers discounted prostheses and orthotics
Baylor Centre of Excellence for Children provides confidential HIV/AIDS testing and counselling, as well as assistance with Parent Workshops
Daeyang Luke Hospital & Blessings Hospital provide locations for Outreach Clinics
Adziwa Community Based Orphan Care Support Program provides sites for Outreach Clinics
Lilongwe Roundtable donates bicycles to families of children with disabilities
Over the years COBT has also worked with Partners in Hope who provided doctors for the Epilepsy Clinics and an HIV/AIDS educator for the Parent Workshops, ARL Malawi who offered an Equipment Loan Program, The Rehabilitation Technician School in Blantyre by providing students with placement opportunities, The Rotary Club of Malawi by providing wheelchairs.
Children of Blessing Trust’s
Global Village
Over the years COBT has also worked with Feed the Children International to provide maize soya porridge for the Nutrition Program, Raising Malawi who provided funding for the Pre-school and Chiponde for the Nutrition program, Bicycles for Humanity who donated bicycles to families of children with disabilities, US Ambassadors Small Grants Fund who funded equipment such as walking frames, wheelchairs, standing frames, specialized chairs, U pillows, harnesses, seatbelts, arm and leg wraps, and ELMA Foundation.
