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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During recent meetings between the two groups in California the final touches were put on another shipment of 550 wheelchairs to be sent in the next few weeks to Malawi. The wheelchairs will be distributed through the Malawi Project’s southern warehouse in Thondwe, Malawi at the Namikango Mission and Maternity Hospital. Upon arrival in the country organizations throughout Malawi will be notified, and the wheelchairs will be picked up for distribution to those needing them.

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Scott Gordon, President of the Malawi Project, was at the site in July for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new hospital. Nearby was the growing stockpile of bricks. He observes, “Can you imagine a pile of 200,000 bricks made one brick at a time, by hand? This is the commitment of the impoverished village people in the area. They are determined to do all they can to get this hospital constructed, and the school underway. In a western culture where the heavy lifting is done with machines, it is hard to imagine making bricks by hand, one mold of mud at a time. Their commitment leaves ours something to be desired. We have ample heath-care, even though we complain at times over its cost. The fact is that we have new hospitals all over America. We have pharmacies, manufacturers, and abundant supplies of drugs and resources. We have doctors and healthcare workers available at a moments notice, and we have emergency response teams in nearly every fire station across the country. Malawi has none of these. No wonder they are so eager to have this hospital.”

The current value of a brick in Malawi is 2 Kwacha. That means the brick contribution is worth at least 400,000 Kwacha, or approximately $2,500.00. In a part of the country where the average person makes less than $1.00 a day, and unemployment runs 50%, this work is compounded in value.

More Than Simply Bricks
This is the villagers’ contribution to building the new hospital. But this is not their only contribution. With a Shoes for Trees program in place much of 2010 and 2011 the village people planted thousands of trees all over the property to enhance the beauty and value of the land donated for the school, hospital, and training center for helping develop self reliance in the local population, primary the widows and orphans. The program stopped, and the shoes ran out, but the village people did not. They have continued making bricks, planting trees, and cutting a road across the mountain to give access to the upcoming facilities. This work is all being done by hand.
Your tax deductible  donation is needed:

Online:

Via Mail:The Malawi Project, Inc. c/o Mike Ferris – Treasurer 1356 5th Ave, Terre Haute, IN 47807

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I met a 9-year-old village boy who has a burning desire to be educated and crawls to school.  Fredson Mtentha of Nkanda Village is the boy, and  he has never walked. While some of us complain of worn out shoes, old-fashioned clothes, and boring channels on television, Fredson’s worries about how he can get to school. His burning desire propels him to crawl a 4-kilometer stretch of dusty road in order to reach school each day. Even though he tries in his classes, he lags far behind, and at the age of 9, Fredson remains in the first grade of a primary school. His case is a symbolic representation of many young boys and girls who are struggling with being unable to attend classes due to mobility issues and a lack of suitable wheelchairs.

At Namikango Mission each day is different from the others, and each day brings its own new challenges. Today I had to tell a 9-year-old boy that, at least for now, we do not have a wheelchair for him to go to school.  It’s been a painful day.

Report by Wilson Isaac Tembo

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If you haven’t visited Developing Countries, it becomes difficult to understand the “lack” of things. Just the simple act of traveling around and you’ll notice the lack of what you consider basics: drinkable water, toilet paper [even proper bathrooms], trash cans, mirrors, “rest stops” with all the amenities, and on and on. Now multiply these simple examples by a thousand fold and you’ll begin to understand the lack of things.

This deficit of “essentials” extends to healthcare. Being a physician who’s worked in rural Africa for many years, I am acutely aware of the lack of necessary supplies. And I’m talking about very basic supplies here: bandaging and casting materials; proper suture [for stitching]; needles for starting IV’s; IV fluids; proper antibiotics and other medicines; etc. How about oxygen – do you consider this basic? Once in Tanzania we went five months without any oxygen because of some government snafu. How necessary simple oxygen is for newborns who are struggling, for severe pneumonia, for heart failure, and other cases! At this same time, my wife’s aunt in Texas had two oxygen concentrators – one at her home and another at the home of her daughter. [America: the Land of Plenty]

I haven’t even gotten into needed supplies for proper surgery – with all the instruments and other supplies. Trying to “make do” without proper instruments is like trying to change spark plugs without a spark plug wrench. And like surgery perhaps it can be done – but with difficulty, not well, and often with complications. When I first started doing skin grafts for burns in Africa, it was awful – “whittling” off skin with a knife, little pieces at a time. Then I received a dermatome from America [instrument for taking off large sections of skin with the proper thickness] – the difference was like ‘daylight and dark’.

Proper medical care is all about having proper SUPPLIES, SUPPLIES, SUPPLIES!! “The Malawi Project” is about sending supplies, medical and other, to needed areas. I can totally attest to the phenomenal needs that exist in developing countries. The resulting gratitude of the recipients is overwhelming and most humbling. Those of us with plenty should give to those who have little!

Frank Black, M.D.,
Medical Missionary to Tanzania, Africa for 5 years, and short term
medical mission work in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Guyana and Honduras.

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“Having a picture of a small health facility like Msipe, one may think the situation is better in some main hospitals of the country,” Wilson starts his report. “But contrary to expectations, these government run centers are in a critical situation with many challenges when it comes to acquiring drugs and equipment that are needed to deliver health care to the masses.”

“A few days after visiting Msipe in central Malawi, we made some donations to the southwestern district hospital of Mwanza. This hospital serves a population of 94,000 people, near the Malawi-Mozambique border. Like Msipe, it has a massive task in trying to serve the needs of the people because of inadequate supplies. The District health Officer, Dr. Bwanali Jereni confirms that with a 250-bed capacity, the hospital has over 350 patients at a time. This means that over 100 people sleep on the floor without beds and mattress.”

“Dr. Bwanali Jereni explains why there is such a high population count of patients at this hospital. ‘More patients come from neighboring Mozambique, and other districts like Chikhwawa and Neno, because of the geographical position of this area. It is impractical for patients to walk to the Chikhwawa District Hospital, or to other centers in Neno. As a result they flock to Mwanza, because it is accessible. The roads are poor and hilly in the other areas so people prefer to come to our hospital. This increases our count, and the need for more supplies goes up.’”

“Like Msipe Health Centre in Central Malawi, Mwanza district Hospital has a high number of cases of malaria, HIV/AIDS related cases, pneumonia, tuberculosis, measles and malnutrition. There is a critical need for oxygen concentrators, mattress, beds and Elite glucometers.”

“At the conclusion of our visit, Dr. Bwanali Jereni thanked the supporters for making available the donation of syringes, orthopedic supplies, beddings, walkers, toilet chairs, and other medical supplies. The doctor observed they will make a big impact on the people along the border region.”

Report by Wilson Isaac Tembo

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One is the fact they are using the supplies to help the very, very poor. This is a major reason we choose these types of facilities to receive aid. Second, if we can outfit these rural facilities with supplies the people will attend close to home and not overload the district facilities who are overwhelmed each time the rural facilities run out of supplies. Third, it is in a rural area. When these facilities run out of drugs people are forced to walk, cycle, or go by ox-cart to other facilities. There is a high chance that by the time they get there these other facilities will also be out of supplies.”

The trip through the facility begins to draw to a close, and Tembo concludes his report.

“The nurse said to me, ‘Our challenges are many. We generally lack drugs, gloves, exam couches, beds and mattresses, among other things.’ I noted this facility has only one medical assistant and four nurses. They are delivering 60 babies a month, and they admit 30 patients a week.”

By Wilson Isaac Tembo

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Namikango

Church Building Becomes Distribution Site
Four years ago the Malawi Project established a strong working relationship with the Namikango Mission and Maternity Hospital, near Zomba. Forty-foot trailers of supplies had been directed to three sites in the central region for a number of years, but Namikango became only the second site for distribution in the south. A former church building was refitted to be a major warehouse, storage and distribution facility, and millions of dollars in aid started flowing through this new venue. Wilson Tembo, who had worked with the Project in the central region, moved to Thondwe to oversee the program. Tembo set up an intricate reporting and follow up system in order to track supply distribution. He started accessing various medical facilities in the south, and accumulated their needs lists. He makes site visits that are a vitally important component to this work.

Responsible Malawians Know the Territory
“With these site visits, Tembo can assess where future supplies are needed, and what items should be at the top of the list. These trips are vitally important to the health of our medical supply program throughout Malawi,” according to Richard Stephens, one of the founders of the Project. “Americans cannot be everywhere on site, all the time, in order to track these supplies. Responsible Malawians know the territory, and they are better qualified to manage the program. They form the front line management team who exercise responsible oversight of this program. We have a great team in Tembo, Bisini Mphongolo, the administrator of the mission, and his staff. They are doing a great job.”

“During their visits to the various facilities they are able to gain a better picture of the health situation and need. They can quickly communicate this information to the states, and the most critically needed items can be sourced for future shipments,” reports Suzi Stephens RN, Medical Director for the Project. “It is a great benefit to have them making these first hand, on site, visits to report what these resources mean to everyday Malawians, and how they are being effectively used.”

A Heart Warming Sight
During a recent trip to Malawi, Scott Gordon, President of the Malawi Project, looked in on the team at the warehouse and observed, “It is really heart warming to see the way the Malawi staff has taken hold of this program, and are faithfully executing it to the benefit of the people. It is very different than many other programs where upper staff and management are from the expatriate community, and the Malawians are secondary players. In our programs the Malawians take the lead. For them to be responsible for their own future is the way we think it should be. It is working.”

In coming weeks new information will be posted on this site giving first hand reports of trips by this management team to sites where millions of dollars are being distributed. New stories post every week. Sign up today for an instant email as the stories are posted.

In the picture Wilson Tembo, far right, poses with the staff of a health care facility as they receive a portion of a recent shipment of supplies from the Malawi Project.

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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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While a joint Malawi-American group started planning for the international school, the Malawi Project obtained information about the medical need that sparked the Chief’s request. It was learned that literally thousands of villagers in the Lintipi area have to travel 15 miles or more to reach the district hospital in Dedza. With no mechanized vehicles to transport ill patients it is necessary to walk, ride the back of a bicycle, or bounce along pothole laced, dirt roads in a wooden cart drawn by a pair of oxen. Few people from developed nations can imagine the harrowing trip, bouncing along on the back of a bicycle, or thrown around on hard slats in the wooden bed of an ox-cart. It is a long, dangerous, and harrowing trip, as the patient and the caretaker make their way slowly down steep, winding, mountain roads. Then, as if this were not enough, realize that when they reach the hospital there is the very real possibility the cash strapped government facility will be out of supplies, and unable to give the proper assistance. There is always the risk they will be returning home without care. No wonder, the chief extended her first and only request for someone to hear her plea for healthcare for her people.

Two Groups Respond with Assistance
Not only did members of the Malawi Project hear her request, so did the Board of Directors of the Dzidalire Development Agency. This later agency was formed in 2008-09 to assist the people in this exceptionally poor region of Malawi to develop the needed skills to become self-reliance. The Malawi Project assisted with funds to obtain land, and also helped in the creation of the marketing literature for the organization. (See upcoming story about Dzidalire in the next few days).

The two groups have set out to fulfill the request of the Chief, and build a medical clinic and birthing center that will be adequate to supply the needs of the people in the neighboring villages. The facility will contain twenty-eight rooms, with a construction cost estimate of $300,000.00. The Malawi Project has already been successful in sourcing most of the needed equipment, and the supplies to make the facility a first-rate asset to the surrounding communities. At the same time sufficient funding is available to pour the foundation for the buildings, and begin construction.

Village People Making Bricks
Meanwhile, the village people who live around the needed facility have been hard at work making bricks for construction of the buildings. While the bricks are a major expense to the project, the cost of concrete for the floors, the windows, doors, and metal roof will compose the major outlay for the buildings.

Both Sides Working Hand in Hand
At the conclusion of the project the facility will be solely owned and operated by Malawians. This is in line with the long-standing position of the Malawi Project to not own, manage, or control what should belong to the people of another country. This, as with its other programs, is built on joint respect, joint relationship, and the confidence that if the Malawi people own and manage their own programs, the pride of ownership and the self confidence that comes with personal achievement will sustain the programs long after the western supporters have ended their support. According to Scott Gordon, President of the Malawi Project, “The part the Malawi Project plays is to bring needed resources to the table for a project. The people of Malawi bring their creativeness, commitment, skills, and long-term sustainability to the program. Combine what both of us offer the other, and one can see a successful and dynamic relationship that can only lead to success. We feel the time has come for contributors to follow a different approach to helping Africa, and the Malawi Project intends to be in the forefront of this movement. Our relationship with the Dzidalire Agency extends to the time of it’s creation, and we have the greatest respect for those who brought this non-governmental organization (NGO) into existence.”

Members of the Malawi Project Board of Directors are currently taking the story to possible contributors in order to reach the funding goals and the completion of this joint program. It is hoped the buildings can be under roof by the time the rainy season begins in October 2011.

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