A boy named Joseph carries a gift he received at Village of Hope, in Lilongwe, Malawi. (Lee Pitts/CBC)

In a small African village, children who had once been left to die now live and play in houses that have a distinctly Newfoundland ring to them.

Lewisporte House, Gander House and Grand Falls-Windsor House are among the names of the structures built at the Village of Hope, a project in Lilongwe, Malawi, that Gander residents Junior and Ivy Andrews founded six years ago, in response to an overwhelming number of orphans in the country.

Junior Andrews: 'I look into their eyes, and I say, you know, there's Malawi.' (CBC)

For some of the more than 30 children living in the orphanage, the Village of Hope is the only home they've ever known. Many come from tragic backgrounds, with some abandoned by relatives and some stripped of their belongings after their parents died.

"Some of them are single-orphaned, which means they've lost one parent. Some of them are double-orphaned, which means that they would have lost both parents," said Junior Andrews, who with his wife works with the Pentecostal Assembly of Canada's branch in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"Some of them were being looked after by family members, maybe an uncle or aunt or someone like that, who already has eight or 10 children of their own and was finding it very difficult."

UNICEF estimates that as many as 950,000 orphaned children live in Malawi, where the life expectancy at birth is just 40.

To fund the project, one of a network of similar orphanages in Africa, the Andrews tapped into their Pentecostal connections across Newfoundland and Labrador. As word spread, the money began to pour in.

Each of the buildings, which houses eight children, with a full-time "mother" assigned to their care, costs about $40,000 to build, and $12,000 for operations each year.

Andrews said that once the construction costs were met, the Village of Hope went back to the original sponsors with a targeted request.

"We ended up challenging the people who sponsored the building of the house and said, 'Hey, why don't you stay on stream with us? Why don't you support the operation of that home?'" he told CBC News.

"Man, they met the challenge."

Pentecostal congregations and many individuals across Newfoundland and Labrador have enlisted to be sponsors.

Broadened horizons

Maria Phiso, the first child to enter to the Village of Hope, is now almost old enough to leave. She attends a boarding school, and wants to become an accountant — and to continue her studies in Newfoundland.

"I can see that there [are] so many people who support this Village of Hope, and then I can come [be] with them, to continue my education," Phiso said.

Asha Banda, another resident, said the Village of Hope has given her prospects for the future.

"I want to be a nurse," she said. "I see some people in hospitals, where there [is] overcrowding … some people are suffering, not receiving medicine."

Grasham and Nixon are two of the children growing up at the Village of Hope orphanage. (Lee Pitts/ CBC)

Ivy Andrews said she continues to be overwhelmed by what the children have already overcome. She pointed to one boy, Mpatso, who was nearly thrown out with the garbage, and a baby girl named Ester, whose mother died in childbirth and who came to the orphanage after someone overheard relatives talking about having to suffocate the abandoned child.

"When you look at these things, and when you're having a bad day, that makes all the difference," she said.

The Village of Hope is still growing. The Andrews plan to have 12 buildings, although they recognize that means a commitment from a larger pool of supporters.

Andrews said the results have been worth it.

"I look into their eyes, and I say, you know, there's Malawi," he said.

"This is what's going to change Malawi. So what odds if I only get 96 children in this whole entire village? Well, there's 96 children that will become 96 adults, and as a result of that, some of them may become doctors and lawyers, judges and ministers and what have you. Who knows … maybe even the president of Malawi."