A Village of Hope

In the African nation of Malawi, families toil in fields as malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases go untreated. But hope is within reach: The Millennium Promise, a philanthropy run by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs and supported by Angelina Jolie, is working with 60 villages (so far) to make them healthily self-sufficient through such simple tools as schools, seeds and clean drinking water. Here is what PEOPLE reporter Mary Green saw in the village of Mwandana.

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PORTRAIT OF A FAMILY

For most of the impoverished in Malawi, home is a tiny mud hut with a thatched roof, like the one Cecilia Mkhota, 24, and her children (from left) Manuel, 10, Daniel, 3, and Anna, 13, live in. In the rainy season, "we don't sleep, we stand in a corner just to make sure we aren't wet," says Cecilia.