A place of safety and refuge for orphaned children in the heart of Africa.
LongArm Safe Haven is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit planted in the heart of Malawi, Africa. It was started as a place that can provide vulnerable orphaned children with their basic human rights & needs. Our purpose is to be a shining light of redeeming love to those in the community, and nearby villages of Lilongwe, and to the children left to fend for themselves. Family preservation is our goal, and if that is not possible, we hope to be a bridge in bringing children into the loving care of adoptive families. Currently, we have 17 children in our care here at LongArm all under the age of 4.
Why Malawi?
Malawi is known as "the warm heart of Africa" for it's kind, friendly and welcoming people
Malawi is the 4th poorest country in the world, with over 80% of their population under the age of 30. The median age being 16 years old.
Plagued with extreme poverty, diseases, such as AIDs, life expectancy is extremely low.
There is only one doctor for every 50,000 individuals according to the WHO. Making access to life saving interventions almost impossible.
Who are we?
Hi, we are the Canfields!
From the moment we met, we dreamed about living big for the Kingdom and letting God use our lives to glorify Him. Married for 13 years, we’ve been fostering for the past 10 years. With over 150 children coming through our home. Our passion is facilitating family reunification in our community, & family preservation across the globe.
Currently, we have 7 children 3 biological, 2 via international adoption, and 2 foster siblings.
We strive to bring awareness about the overwhelming orphan crisis, where millions of vulnerable children are desperate for a future & hope, as well as the overwhelming need for safe foster families in our communities.
We started the adoption process for Malawi in 2019 pursuing 2 children who were orphaned through tragedy. We successfully brought only one home, Vera Rose Irene in June 2022.
The vision for LongArm began in the summer of 2022 when a local humanitarian and adoptive family saw the need to reach and help the vulnerable children of Malawi. Together we brought LongArm to life.
Reheema is the director at LongArm but she is so much more than that! Reheema is a trusted friend who we worked with closely over the last few years throughout our adoption process.
When children in crisis are brought to LongArm, she makes sure every child in the care of LongArm has all their basic needs provided for them.
She worked for the Ministry of Gender, Social Welfare of Children, and with the local government fighting for community development and Justice in Malawi.
Author of two books, Reheema is passionate about the orphan crisis & building up her community.
Our Director
Our Facility
LongArm is located in the beautiful capital of Lilongwe, Malawi
With 17 children under the age of 4. We are currently renting a small 3 bedroom bungalow house, that we have quickly outgrown.
A flourishing garden for the children and community, with a small playground for the children.
God has provided in the most incredible way, shortly after we celebrated our 1 year anniversary of LongArm. We were able to purchase a building with one acre of land, thanks to our faithful donors.
Now we can continue to expand our vision for the future of the children of Malawi.