The U.S President sent an autographed picture to our 320 orphaned primary and secondary school students.

The picture was delivered in July 2009 by Sam Steinberger, an American teenager who came to visit and work at the Jacaranda school with his family and who helped raise funds to build the new secondary school classes. Fifteen-year old Sam had written to the US President to let him know about the Jacaranda school for orphans, and Obama replied by sending his portrait dedicated “To the Jacaranda School”.

“This is an amazing surprise to our school and our children”, says Marie Da Silva, the founder and president of the Jacaranda Foundation, who was recognized as a CNN Hero in 2008 by the American news channel for her work for the orphans in Malawi. “Obama is such a symbol for the world; knowing that he thinks about our children here is unbelievable. Now we are all praying and hoping that Obama will come to visit us in Malawi!”

Malawian newspaper The Daily Times reported about this great news, cf the article below.