Age is No Restraint from Serving

“I was on a plane heading for Ann Arbor, Michigan,” recalls Florence Crosthwaite who is approaching her 90th birthday. “During the trip I was reading the latest issue of Readers Digest magazine. It was the July 2005 issue, and it featured a story about Don Schoendorfer, the founder of the Free Wheelchair Mission in southern California. The magazine had nominated Don as an ‘Everyday Hero’ in its July issue, and I saw the opportunity to have them send wheelchairs to Malawi.”

Florence contacted the Free Wheelchair Mission in Irvine, California. They set up a program for wheelchair distribution with the Malawi Project, and the first shipment of 550 wheelchairs was on its way. This first shipment was quickly distributed, and drew national attention. Soon large numbers of people and organizations were contacting the Project in order to add their names to a growing list to receive the much-needed wheelchairs. The Free Wheelchair Mission specializes in all terrain plastic wheelchairs that are designed with bicycle tires that can easily be replaced in third world nations. The Malawi Project set up distribution points all over the nation and the program started growing. Since that first shipment the number of wheelchairs reaching Malawi, or in transit, has now topped 3,000. Florence will probably never travel to Malawi, nor will she meet the people whose lives she has changed. However, it is evident from stories that come from the cities, towns and villages that countless lives have been changed by the efforts of this one Florida resident. It is obvious she refuses to accept age as a reason, or an excuse, for not helping people half a world away.

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It is often difficult to recognize a chief from the rest of his or her village. They live in the same village among the people they serve, and in dress and possessions, there is often little or no difference between them.. It is quite different than with many, if not most, politicians around the world who are immediately recognized in their stand out appearance from those they are commissioned to serve.

As the ceremony begins the dignitaries are introduced. At one point tribal authority is recognized and the chiefs step to the front to be recognized. All of them are wearing tennis shoes. TENNIS SHOES. Tribal chiefs in tennis shoes! It is a gesture that is not missed by the members of the American team as the tennis shoes are part of one of the incentive programs put in place by the Dzidalire Agency and the Malawi Project at the new site for the hospital and school. Tennis shoes were given to those who helped plant 17,000 trees over the two sites; the school and hospital locations. It was their way of recognizing, and expressing their appreciation for the assistance being given to their communities.

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Jerry’s alertness to opportunity has brought aid and assistance to the Malawi Project. Recently his vigilance paid dividends again, as fellow church member Gary Lofton told him about a semi trailer filled with orthopedic supplies heading for a local landfill, because a single item in the shipment had been recalled. For some unknown reason the entire shipment fell into a no man’s land, and was doomed to the scrap heap, even though they were not part of the problem. Seeing a great opportunity for Malawi, the two men jumped into action to rescue over half of the 40-foot trailer of supplies. In a short time the Lads to Leaders youth group from the local congregation were preparing the treasure trove for shipment to Malawi.

From time to time the Malawi Project draws attention to individuals who stand out in the crowd because they see what others miss. In the everyday experience of life they see opportunities others do not see, act when others are still sitting, and change things while others are still talking. Obviously, Winstead and Lofton are among the number who fit a special category with the Malawi Project. “Be The Change”, fits their lives as they serve in unusual ways that benefit countless people among the poor and suffering in Africa, and in other places.

Suzi Stephens, the Malawi Project’s medical director, and one of its founders, recently saw the supplies the Goodman Oaks congregation was preparing for Malawi. It brought tears to her eyes as she relayed, “There are so many people in Malawi who have no hope of ever having a cane, a walker, or a wheelchair. Jerry, Gary, and the Goodman Oaks church are excellent examples of those who bring hope and change, for the betterment of mankind. We need more churches and individuals like these men, and the Goodman Oaks church.”

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“Mr. Barry when & where did you study carpentry,” asks one of the three students. Barry simply answers by saying, “I haven’t study carpentry, I took a ‘Do it Your Self Book’ out of the library, and followed the instructions.”

“Ah! Mr. Barry we would never be able to do that, we would not know where to start.”

Barry replied by saying, “If I can do it you can do it. Come on guys, I will show you how to use the library to find the DIY Book. Then you can make the bench that we need for the library.”

So the four of them got together the next day. They looked up the book and got busy making the bench. What a fantastic bench it is, and it was made by three of the students who never knew they could simply get a book from the library and make something like a bench. They were so very proud of their achievement.

According to Samantha Ludick, one of the principles architects of the library project, “This would not have been possible if it weren’t for the support of the Malawi Project, Universal Aide and a number of others who helped supply the necessary books for the library.”

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Floor Baby Deliveries in Mitundu
The article , “Floor Baby Deliveries In Mitundo“, written by Stonald Kuphunda and appearing in Zodiac Online in late July, recounts how pregnant women at Mitundu Community Hospital in Malawi’s capital city of Lilongwe are delivering babies on the floor because of the lack of mattresses in the maternity wing at the facility. The story reports the Clinical Officer for Mitundu Community Hospital Mr. George Mtambo has sent an SOS appeal for the donation of mattresses at the hospital.

Mitundu Community Hospital serves 112,000 people in its catchment area. It is also a referral hospital for eight health centres from Traditional Authorities Chadza, Masula, Chiseka and Masumbankhunda in Lilongwe; and Traditional Authorities Chilikumwendo and Kachere in Dedza districts, according to the story in Zodiak Online, and forwarded to the Malawi Project by Wilson Tembo, with the Malawi Project’s medical supply distribution site in southern Malawi.

The Problem Would Be Worse
As the story went to press, two other members of the Malawi Project Board of Directors were in Malawi assessing the needs in future shipments. Scott Gordon, the President of the Project, and Dick Stephens, co-founder, both agreed that if this is the problem in the largest city of the nation, the problems faced with the lack of supplies in the village areas are far worse. Scott, upon seeing the picture of a baby being born on the concrete floor, and reading the report commented, “This is tragic. While the world goes on about its business this poor nation is suffering in ways unimaginable in other parts of the world. It is why we are seeking funds to build a second hospital in Malawi, and to increase future shipments of medical supplies to the country.”  Stephens shook his head in sadness. “How can we get the rest of the world to take note and respond? It is at catastrophic levels, and since these kind and gentle people don’t throw rocks at us that get our attention, we just pass them by without a nod or second notice. The world has to see. It has to learn what is going on in this place. It has to respond to the need. It has to.”

To contribute towards mattresses, and other medical supplies you can contribute online from our homepage at: www.malawiproject.org or mail your check to:
The Malawi Project, Inc.
3314 Van Tassel Drive,
Indianapolis, IN 46240

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Into this empty void came the worst famine Malawi had experienced in over 50 years, and the need for food, medical supplies, and other critical goods hit the top of the needs list for the nation. The Malawi Project was new, and had little knowledge, resources, or contacts through which to aid the people who were dying of starvation, malaria, HIV/Aids, and a number of other problems that could be relieved with the simple solution of trailers of supplies going to the hospitals, schools, villages, and trading centers throughout the nation.  The Malawi Project faced a bleak future without aid assistance. Enter Universal Aide from western Canada.

Contact between the Malawi Project and Universal was made, and the first trailer of medical supplies was off to Malawi at the height of the great famine. “This will be the only one. I can send you only one,” Shirley Gremyachev, the Director for Universal, said to Suzi Stephens on the phone. It was the beginning of a long and prosperous relationship that has added Malawi to the map of people’s hearts all over the world. World events, and the influx of other good intentioned Samaritans in recent years has also added Malawi to the international consciousness, but it was Universal and its assistance to the Malawi Project that raised the profile of the Malawi Project to a national level in the tiny African republic.

With a trailer of medical supplies valued in excess of a quarter of a million dollars, the Malawi Project, with the support from Universal, set out to “change the healthcare of the nation”. Universal was up to the challenge. Joining with its own network of suppliers, Universal Aide put the Malawi Project directly into the heart of famine and medical relief. After offering the one shipment in 2002, an additional 8 shipments were added to the list. In 2003 the number of trailers earmarked to the Malawi Project went up to 25. In 2004 the total added another 10 to the list, and the relationship between Universal, the Malawi Project, and the goal of changing the healthcare of the nation grew to include increasing the educational resources of the nation, influencing the agricultural output of the farm community, and generally helping to raise the quality of life for people throughout the three regions of Malawi. Because of Universal the Malawi Project gained national reputation in the highest levels of tribal and national government circles, and was given open doors in many areas with which to extend aid that could make a difference in the lives of the people.

“One never knows where one phone call can lead you,” notes Richard Stephens, one of the founders of the Malawi Project. “Imagine if Suzi had not made that phone call to Shirley on that most important day back in 2002. And, imagine if Shirley had not been available or tied up with something else, and unable to take the call? We might still be looking at the critical need, watching people die needlessly, finding ourselves hopelessly empty handed, and feeling the deep despair of not being able to do anything to help them.”

Concerning the way this all came about, Suzi notes, “May God be glorified by the way He brought these two organizations together to bring aid to Malawi. He is just so magnificent in the way He touches hearts to accomplish His goals.”

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Then the story hit the nightly news, and it touched the hearts of people all over the nation. The story opened the door to a massive outpouring of new dresses. Boxes and packages started pouring in. Rachel admits the outpouring nearly overwhelmed her fledging organization at first. But her dreams and plans quickly started catching up with the inflow of dresses. She has realized the opportunity is now available to send dresses by the 40-foot trailer load. That means, on each shipment, an estimated 45,000 dresses can make their way to villages, trading centers, and cities all over Malawi.

After learning about Rachel’s program members of the Malawi Project traveled to Michigan to meet with Rachel, and one of her co-workers, to discuss a co-operative effort where both organizations can work together in the shipping and distribution of thousands of dresses.

Plans are now underway to identify the best course to take to get the first shipment to Malawi, and distributed. In the picture Suzi Stephens of the Malawi Project, looks over dresses Rachel has ready to send to Malawi.  Learn more about  Little Dresses for Africa Here.

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A total of $25,000 will complete the mill construction, supply the equipment and build a residence for the mill operator. The mill will assist approximately 28,000 people, who otherwise would have to carry the maize nearly 20 kilometers in order to have it ground.

Over half of the needed funds have now been secured, with ground breaking scheduled for later this year.

Hospital Also on List
At the same time as the maize mill is coming off the drawing board, the Project is also focused on beginning construction of another major medical facility in the central region of Malawi. It’s first venture in hospital construction took place between 1999 and 2006, when a five building, 110-bed medical complex was completed north of the capital.

Ground Breaking Anticipated
Working closely with the Dzidalire Community Development Agency in Dedza, this new medical complex is expected to have construction underway later this year. The villagers have already made thousands of bricks, and are eager to see the construction begin. Fund raising has started, with ground breaking anticipated to take place in June or July. Pouring the foundation is hoped to begin shortly after that.

The medical complex is expected to take multiple years to reach its full capacity, and the cost of the buildings is estimated at $300,000.00. The first phase is an out patient clinic with a birthing center to follow. This will move forward as funds are available. As with the maize mill, the villagers of the area must travel many miles to reach the district hospital, and this is most often in the back of an ox cart, on a bicycle, or walking.

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Sitima Village, Zomba, Malawi… Msamba Community Based Organization provides physical and moral support to the local community with a major focus on the orphans, elderly and HIV/AIDS support group members. Their outreach extends to at least sixteen villages with a population of over six thousand people.

Situated eight kilometers northwest of the Namikango Mission, this community-based organization has a sound work structure of voluntary workers who combine resources to reduce the suffering of their community. With the government’s decentralization policy in place, village organizations are encouraged to provide solutions to the problems they face.

Registered with the local government’s social welfare office, Msamba is authorized to receive donations to serve the community.

A major focus of the organization is to provide preschool services to children below five. These services prepare them to begin their primary education by introducing them to academic basics.

Secondly, Msamba has created a group for HIV positive people. They meet weekly to share their challenges and encourage each other. Discrimination is a major problem, as well as the serious lack of nutritious food. The Msamba group carries out small income generating activities to support group members. Supplies like soap, salt and used clothes are provided to the needy. .

The elderly are another target group that Msamba Community Group assists. Culturally many elderly people are regarded as witches. In many instances, they are deserted and helpless. In this community, however, there are not such issues. Martin Bernard, the organization’s coordinator, reports, “Such issues are widespread of course, but in this area we have never experienced this to an extreme, where the elderly are chased out of the village after being accused of practicing witchcraft. However, many of their supposed victims and children are indeed victims of HIV/ AIDS. These elderly are escorted to the clinic when they are sick and their home surroundings are swept, to ensure cleanliness all the time, to check the spread of disease

As a preventive measure to the widespread effects of the deadly HIV/AIDS and its rocket speed spread amongst the youths, Msamba has a youth arm that disseminates the HIV awareness message to the community. Discussions through different means including debates and drama are conducted to develop skills and share knowledge on the dangers of the HIV/AIDS.

After we learned of this village based organization that is working so hard to meet it’s community’s challenges, supplies from the Malawi Project were taken to support them in this wonderful work.
By Wilson Isaac Tembo

Next week: Meet Mary Saikolo and 4-year-old Chisomo Rodrick

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Paris, Texas … It is Sunday morning in Colorado and the web-master for the Malawi Project posts another news story about the work of the Project. Colorado is in the mountain-time zone, while Indiana, where the Project’s board of directors is located, is two hours ahead of Colorado in the east coast time zone. Right in the middle between the two are the residents of the small Texas town of Paris, in the central-time zone.

In spite of three different time zones that is one thing clear. Every time a new story goes on the web one of the first, if not the first person to respond to its content is one of the Projects greatest encouragers. This great encourager has never been to Malawi, and until recently, had never met any of the members of the Malawi Project’s board of directors. Yet everyone on the board knows who she is, and most Sunday’s the afternoon hours bring the encouragement that comes from that first message in from her in reaction to that latest news story

Aline Edson is over 90 years of age, and can only travel to Malawi through the stories that appear on her computer screen at the Malawi Project web site. Yet, she knows more about the country and the work of the Project than even do some who have traveled to Malawi in years past.

On top of her acute knowledge of what is taking place in Malawi is her ability to encourage those who are working in Malawi. She gives new meaning to the life of Barnabas in the New Testament, who was one of the great encouragers of Biblical times. Edison is a modern day Barnabas.

When one seeks to know about the good works Aline has carried out during her life, she will quickly divert attention to what others have done. One must go to one of the books she has written to get additional information. The books are titled, “On Our Way Home”, and “Our Whirling World – To Be In It But Not Of It”. (A Pilgrim Writes of Passage). Not surprising, when the first book was written, the only description she allowed at the time was, “The author is an eighty-seven-year old widow having lost her husband of fifty-four years to Alzheimer’s. Four children, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren make life exciting and joyful. She has taught language arts in public schools and has worked in libraries. She loves the mix of words and people, with a dash of humor.” The explanation does not nearly reach the depth of who this encourager is, nor what she has contributed to those with whom she has come in contact.

Another Sunday has come, and it will only be moments before that email from Aline races across the invisible web, and lands on computer screens in Indianapolis.

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