The Malawi Project, Inc.

     Large numbers and statistics harden us.  Daily the media bombards us with facts and figures about suffering in the world.  Maybe because all of this information is so abstract we too easily forget that it represents real people who have the same feelings that we do.  The staggering numbers of Africans being cut down in their prime by tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases barely register a blip on our radar screen, a single column on page 5, pushed to the side by that big half-page car advertisement, because we just can’t grasp what these people are living through.  Lack of identification brings numbness, indifference.  Yawn.  Let’s turn over to the Sports section instead and see how the big game went last night.

    For those of us who live in Africa the suffering takes on real faces with real histories.  It’s impossible to be indifferent if it’s your friend or loved one who’s wasting away from some incurable illness whose terminal end is inevitable.  You can’t dismiss it from your mind by a flip of the remote.  It’s all around you, touching every person you interact with in one way or another.  Sometimes it destroys those closest to you like my best childhood friend Timothy.

    Timothy and I grew up together since our dads worked with one another on the same church mission.  Two years younger than I, Timothy made the perfect friend.  He experienced with me the games that African kids play like rolling old car tires down the narrow village paths and making toy bulls from local clay mounds.  He taught me how to make the local food called sima in the Tumbuka language, a thick mush made from corn flour.  My first experience cooking was with him as we boiled the sima and fried potatoes over an open fire in our yard.  The good times spent with this loyal friend formed the kind of memories that bring joy to look back upon 30 years later and at the same time inspired hope in us as we looked to the future then.  Timothy wanted to be a bus driver when he grew up, manoeuvring one of the big buses that we used to admire over the rutted muddy roads of our valley.  He would simulate the bass roar of their diesel engines and demonstrate how the driver switched gears. 

    Later when I moved away from Malawi Timothy and I kept in touch by letters.  Two decades passed before I would once again return to live.  Seeing Timothy again after all these years was a priority.  What would he be like as an adult?  Pictures of him indicated he was tall like his father, well over 6 feet, a height rare in Malawi.  Upon our arrival in Malawi it wasn’t possible go to Timothy’s area immediately.  He lived 400 miles away.  And before my family could make this trip the disturbing news came to me that Timothy was off work suffering from tuberculosis and had been for some time.  Friends assured me that he was getting the necessary treatment and was "improving to better."  Discharged from the hospital, he could now receive guests at home.  One day he surprised me by borrowing a friend’s cell phone and calling me.  His deep voice, no longer recognizable as that of the little boy I had known, further encouraged me by its exuberance.  As we made plans for the trip to his area we included a stop at Timothy’s house for the anticipated reunion with my friend.  But this was not to be.  Five minutes from his house the road was barricaded.  Some type of road work was going on up ahead.  We would have to wait three more months until our next trip to see him.  Three more months!  Well, I’d waited more than 20 years.  Timothy was getting better now, so we could wait and possibly find him back to normal when we met again.

    Within a month Timothy was dead.   The TB had had not responded to the drugs.  There had been ups and downs as his body fought the disease, but later I learned that he had been in this struggle for over two years until the TB caught the upper hand and claimed another victim. 

    Another number.  Another statistic.  Another fact for publication.  But for me and all those who shared all or part of their life with this son, brother, friend his death represents the annihilation of any illusions that we might have had about this world, an affront to dreams, hopes, and love everywhere. 

    I wonder what it would have been like to meet my friend as an adult.  What would he have done with his life had it not been cut short by this dreadful disease?  In his maturity had his passion to drive a bus been replaced by other goals and dreams?  Did he plan to marry and have a family?   Cut down in his prime, he never achieved his dreams, whatever they might have become in the years since we had last met.  Instead he left behind grieving loved ones who will always wonder what might have been.  His mother said she felt comforted whenever she sees me because it reminds her of the old days of his childhood when her boy was young and healthy, hopeful and happy.  Memories are all that she has to hold onto now.

    Timothy’s story is just one among millions across a continent ravaged by TB, malaria, HIV, and a host of other diseases.  None of the other stories can be reduced to a cold statistic any more than his can.  There is no way to convert such pain and devastation to figures.  Only God can understand.

By Mark Thiesen

Thwonde, Malawi

    A sudden, emergency trip to the lakeshore trading center of Nkhotokota resulted in three children from a family of 12 coming to Mtendere for care. The father and mother had both died, and her older sister had to get a job in order to attempt to care for the family. It fell to young Stella Banda to care for the others who were younger than herself, all 10 of them! She was only 8 years old at the time.

    The rushed trip on that July day had taken place as a result of a request from the tribal authority in the area. They had become aware of the plight of the children who were destitute and living alone. Representatives from Mtendere picked up the three children who seemed to be in the worst condition of the 12 at the time. Stella and her sisters, Elana and Jannet came to Mtendere to live.

    Today Stella is becoming both a beautiful, as well as a successful child as she progresses in her school studies and dreams of one day becoming a nurse.

    Pictures show Stella shortly after her arrival at Blessings, the enjoying meal with American guests several months later.

    The children of Mtendere Village are supported through contributions to the 100-X Missions Group in Montgomery, Alabama. For further information about assisting children at Mtendere contact http://100xmissions.org/

        After the two doctors left the children came to Ludwick to demonstrate what took place when the two doctors examined them.

        "Open wide and let me see if you have any cavities."

        "Look directly at me and open your eyes."

    Christmas is over; the last of the gifts opened and the wrapping paper has been hauled away (or tucked away by mom for use another year). But for the Peterson family of Colorado, Indiana and Texas the giving continues.

    Instead of giving gifts to each other the family, spread out from Indiana to Texas to Colorado pooled their gifts to each other and presented instead a group of checks to the Malawi Project for aid to Africa. These donations were made in honor of Dean and Marita McKay who live in Colorado.

    "Concerning their gift Bonnie Peterson writes, "Our family decided a few years ago, instead of buying each other gifts, we would rather donate the money to a charity, in our mother’s honor.  Each year, someone different chooses a charity, finds information to share, and collects money from the siblings.  There are five children, all married to wonderful people.  Three children live in Colorado, one in Texas, and one in Indiana.  Plus, there are 15 grandchildren, some married with children." 
Sincerely,
Bonny Peterson

    The Malawi Project deeply respects and appreciates the concern this family has for the poor, the examples they are setting, and the contributions that have been made.

    The plan calls for visits to the children’s homes to begin with general health assessments and identification of health problems. A health attendant at each of the facilities will maintain contact with the main clinic as to the ongoing health needs of each of the children are accessed and care is extended. Up to date records will be maintained at the Sacred Promise Clinic and reporting to sponsors will take place from there.

    The Malawi Project has made a sizeable contribution of funds in order to begin the establishment of this program. Plans in coming months call for enlarging this program as the need for medical care for orphans continues to grow in Malawi.