By and large, even when you factor in the downtime for the fuel problems the entire trip, the lost luggage at the beginning of the trip, and the demonstrations that turned violent in the middle of the trip, we still had a very productive trip.

Namikango
Going to Namikango, even for just a short time, is always a delight. It will not be the same with the Thiesen family returning to the states in just a few days, but the Malawi staff is well trained, conscious and more than able to carry forward. Mark has spent the past year moving responsibility over to the staff, and from what I have seen they are and will continue to move successfully forward without missing a beat. A real compliment to them and to Mark and Era and the work there during the past 7 years.

Wilson, Basani, Roderick, Sampson, all of them, they are just doing a great job. The warehouse looks excellent, and the distribution network for medical supplies and wheelchairs continues to enlarge. It all looks good.

Cool Runnings
With another V-Tractor about to arrive Sam is really going to have her hands full. Don’t know how she does it. Two tractors, working closely with the Paratroop Battalion to complete the library, distributing wheelchairs, the successful work at the Safe Haven, the Cinderella Program, the widespread help through Clinic at the Gate, the community policing assistance, and all of the other things she is doing to help. Just one person, making such a difference.

Dzidalire
I’m really excited about the new hospital, and then there is the international school. It’s going to be our biggest project to date, and the people in the villages are already outrunning us with the work they are doing. Thousands of bricks already made, the road over the mountain, and 17,000 trees planted all over the mountain, they are just going all out to make this a reality.

Medicine and Medical Supplies
There is just so much more that is going on. The millions of dollars in medicines and medical supplies, and everything that brings to mind all over the country. It just makes my head swim to thing of it all. Wish we could have looked in on the other programs with which we have involvement. There are just too many. God is so good, and He has sure opened the door for us to help the people of Malawi. Wonder what will be next?

For me, I think I’m going to try to get some sleep before we reach Rome. Maybe this time I can sleep on this plane. The height of the luggage racks above our heads and down the center isle sure gives you the feeling of having a lot more space. This is the first time I have been in the center seat and felt even remotely comfortable. Guess we better make sure we are on 777’s from now on.

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Speaking is Suzi Stephens, a co-founder and one of the Directors of the Malawi Project.

“Everyone is insecure at first, and they are afraid they will not have a purpose when they reach the tiny nation of Malawi. It does not take long, however, for them to realize how important their visit is to the people who live in tiny villages scattered across the sub-Saharan landscape.”

Dick Stephens, co-founder of the Project, picks up the story about the Gourleys.

“They had a lot of questions, but neither of us were worried about what they would find when this young couple arrived on their first trip to Africa.”

“They had planned for months, and in their luggage was actually thousands of pencils for the students, along with paper and other school supplies. These things are so badly needed, as the children in the schools often have no pencil or paper with which to take notes. For that matter, people all through the culture often do not have a pencil or paper. You can’t imagine how excited they are when you have bring pencils and paper. The Gourley’s learned this first hand as they traveled around the country on their first trip. Whether it was a school in Senga Bay, a library built for the community by a paratroop battalion, the high security prison in Zomba, or the farm of Mama Kadzamira, Brent and Molly found receptive audiences for all of the things they brought from America. We were pleased to have them in Malawi, and pleased as well with the support and supplies given to them by the Oak Hill Church of Christ in Evansville, Indiana.

In the picture Samantha Ludick, owner of the Cool Runnings Lake Resort, accepts medical supplies from Brent Gourley for use through her Clinic at the Gate. This program gives minor medical aid to hundreds of villagers in the area along Senga Bay. Thousands of village people live in this area, yet none have a motorized vehicle that can transport them to a distant hospital. They come to Ludick for medical help.

For information about how your school group, scout troop, youth group, or just you as an individual can help get school supplies to the children of Malawi, please contact us at: info[at]malawiproject.org

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The women in the bay area collect sand along the lake’s shore (Lake Malawi is the twelfth largest fresh water lake in the world), in order to sell it for well drilling rigs, and for building contractors in the Salima/Senga Bay area. The request was to be able to contract  the V-Tractor to assist them. It seemed the ox presently being used eats too much, and it is sometimes difficult to get them to work when they get overly tired.

Ludick calls in her two  drivers. What they know that the women do not know is the fact the V-Tractor can do far more than just haul the sand. It can go right down to the water���s edge for the sand collection, and then carry it right up the house, or work site, where the sand is needed. On top of that if they will put the sand in the “tipper” wagon the sand can actually be dumped right on the site.

According to Ludick, “It only takes a short time for the women to see the way My Ferrari can help them with their heavy loads in a way no ox can. No food required. No sitting down on the job. No getting tired and trying to go home. It has become the hit of the neighborhood and is helping them support their families. We have a backlog of requests that extends weeks out. Our guys are working 12 to 15 hours a day, and the request list keeps getting longer and longer.”

Ludick received her V-Tractor in November 2009. She also runs the Cool Runnings lakeside resort, and works with the Malawi Project in operating the Clinic at the Gate, a medical care program for people in the villages of Senga Bay, and a number of other programs in the Salima/Senga Bay area that are designed to help the community.

The V-Tractor is the invention of Tom Rich of Agricultural Aid International, Lebanon, Indiana with the help of the Malawi Project, of Indianapolis, Indiana. Four units have been sent to Malawi in recent years, and a fifth is expected to arrive before the end of the year.

- Samantha Ludick and Richard Stephens

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“I quickly put on a pair of rubber gloves and ran to the gate,” reports Samantha Ludick of the Clinic at the Gate, and the Cool Runnings Resort in Senga Bay. “The very sound of his voice indicated it was serious.”

“When I reached the gate I met a young woman named Hawa Admini. She showed me her arm, and started to explain what had happened. It seems that three weeks earlier she was sleeping fine, except for her dream. When she awoke she felt like she had a mountain on her arm. She discovered a lump on her arm. She did nothing for a time thinking it was just the dream, but the lump kept getting bigger and bigger. She had no money to go to the hospital. Finally a neighbor told her to come to the Clinic at the Gate.”

“When I saw the wound I knew I needed to take her to the Salima District Hosptial. I clearned the wound, and gave her a strong painkiller. At the hospital we were faced with the question, ‘Would they have the supplies to care for her?’ I quickly learned they did not. Only if I could source the needed supplies could they help her. I made a list from the doctor of the things he would need.”

“Back at the Clinic at the Gate I gathered up supplies given to me by the Malawi Project, and made some calls to find other needed supplies I did not have. Before long I was able to go back to the hospital with the supplies, much to the delight of the doctor. He noted how hard it is to help people when you do not have the medical supplies to do the job.”

Ludick concludes, “We are so very appreciative of all who help get the supplies to us that are helping people like Hawa.”

To assist us in providing medical supplies to the Clinic at the Gate and others like it, please click here to   contact us.

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Wheelchair Arrives for Bicycle Repairman

    Mukuti Village, Malawi… Ndiche Kosa is from the village of Mukuti 1 in Senga Bay, Malawi. He is a bicycle repairman, and he has been paralyzed from the waist down for as long as he can remember. One can hardly imagine the feeling each time he repairs a bicycle for someone, then watches them ride away free to ride and explore the world while he remains confined by his disability.

    When Samantha Ludick and her staff at the Clinic at the Gate and Cool Runnings Resort on Lake Malawi presented Ndiche with a brand new wheelchair he was all smiles. It was a gift from the Malawi Project and the Free Wheelchair Mission.

    One of the staff members questioned the big smile that seemed to spread across his entire face.

    “Why do you smile so big, it is only a wheelchair,” he asked? It was easy for them to say; they have legs and can get around.

    Ndiche responded, " Today is my happiest day. I have been fixing bicycles for people in my village for many, many years, yet I have never been able to ride a bicycle. If I were to want to go some place I would have to have to wait for my son, brother or neighbor to assist me. Now today THANK YOU to Free Wheelchair Mission, Malawi project and ‘miss Cool’ I will be able to get myself to where ever I wish to go. This makes me very happy, this is why I smile so big. ZIKOMO.”

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So Many Cases of HIV among Malawian Prostitutes

So Many Cases Like 21-Year-Old Dyna

Senga Bay, Malawi… “The gardener came running, explaining that a young woman was at the gate looking for help. He had advised her today was not the day for Clinic at the Gate, unless this was an emergency. He told me she just fell to the ground. ‘Madam, I’m sure it is an emergency.’ I ran to the gate where the young woman lay silent on the ground.”

Reporting is Samantha Ludick, the owner of Cool Running resort on Lake Malawi, and the operator of the Clinic at the Gate, one of the programs being supported by medical supplies from the Malawi Project and its contributors.

“I bent down as the young woman turned her face toward me, eyes filled with pain. Her face held a blank expression. I asked how I could help her. She tried to sit but could not get up because of the pain. ‘What is causing such pain,’ I wondered? She indicated a tennis ball size swelling of the groin area. I knew she needed serious medical attention quickly. I was able to give her pain medicine, thanks to supplies given to us by the Malawi Project. Then with the help of my staff we were able to get her in the back of the pick up truck, then we raced to the Salima District Hospital 29 kilometers to the west.”

Ludick continues the report, “A quick look and the doctor on duty agreed she needed to be admitted and the swelling needed to be opened and drained. We had failed to seek a guardian to come with her so I agreed to find the guardian and bring them back to the hospital. After the surgery I left her in the hospital for what was expected to be a week long stay with a regimentation of antibiotics.”

“When I returned to the house my staff informed me this girl, Dyna (last name withheld), is a single girl with no family. I would have to serve as her guardian. They were sure she had run away from Mangochi.”

“The next day I went to the hospital and found a smiling face as she greeted me with both hands and a really big smile. It was wonderful to see her smile. I sat beside her bed and listened to her tragic story. She told me she was in fact from Mangochi. Both of her parents were dead and a friend of her sister had told her she could get her work in Salima. But when she arrived she learned the friend was a lad of the night. She met a nice man who promised to take care of her. He was a pimp. When she got sick he threw her out. She had a sexually transmitted disease that remained untreated for months. She showed me the sores under her arms and told me how they would not go away. I saw the swollen glands that were as large as marbles. As she talked I saw her face slowly change, her smile fade, and sadness seem to overwhelm her. How would I be able to help this 21-year-old rural girl,” Ludick questioned?

“First things first,” Ludick describes the next steps. “I arranged for a counselor with whom she could confide. Then a HIV test, even though I knew what the result would be. It came back positive, a CD4 count at 118. Now I knew what I was up against. I had to get her on vitamins and that was possible because of a supply sent by the Malawi Project. Next we found her a little room nearby. We gave her food, bedding and other supplies thanks to Malawi Project. We’ll just have to take it a day at a time and see what happens next. There are so many situations like this one. So much sadness. So much need. Dyna is only one case of so many.”

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Part 1

Villagers Gather Sticks for Splints
    We quickly greet those on shore and Magic explains that we don’t have much time. Putting on gloves I examine the driver of the motorbike. He does not appear in such dire straits. I inspect a cut on his head and a fat lip, and clean away the blood. Then I stitch up the wound, give him some painkillers, and get him ready to go in the boat. Then while trying to get him comfortable I learn his neck is very sore, he has blood from his nose and a huge contusion on his stomach. For a moment I consider that I may be in over my head. I try to keep it all together while explaining our next move. The villagers gather some long sticks, some ridiculously large, but we form the plan and make a neck brace. Cuts have been cleaned and we have put two stitches in to close the cuts in his head. Blood pressure is a little high but there is not much that can be done about that here on a dark beach at night.

    We carefully carry him to the boat, lay him gently on the floor, and place life jackets around his head and neck in order to keep him as still as possible. It will not be easy with the weather growing worse by the minute. The waves seem to grow larger with each new swell. Moving carefully into the wind I add another prayer for safety.

The Battle Against the Waves
    Now it is a battle against the waves. The moon however is brighter than before and by the time we are halfway across the open water the waves have grown much smaller in height. From there we continue to the western shore without incident. The ambulance is waiting and we get him inside for the quick trip to Salima District Hospital.

    Thanks so much to the Malawi Project for supplying the medical supplies we needed, and thanks to Magic for getting us there and back safely. Thanks to the ambulance staff for waiting, and thanks to the Lord for giving us a safe trip.

    As the sun rises the next morning I phone the hospital to find out about the patient. All is well, that was nothing broken, and the patient is going to recover.

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Can We Cross in the Dark of Night?

It was 7 in the evening when the call came in.

"Is your boat working," came the question from the other end of the line?  "Yes",  I replied.

 "Can you go across the lake to Mkanjila and pick up a patient? There has been an accident, a motor bike hit a cyclist and I am told the situation is critical."

    What could I say but "yes". I talked with Magic, my boatman, as to whether he thought we could make it across in the rough waters. "I will get you there," he said. "For a casualty we can do it."

A Prayer for Safe Crossing
    I gathered up my mobile clinic baskets, not knowing for sure what I might need. How critical? I called for an ambulance from Salima to be standing by when we return, having no idea what we were going to find. I next said a prayer for guidance and save crossings.

    The night sky to the right of us is filled with bright shinning stars while to the right where we are heading the clouds are shutting out any assistance from the moon or starlight. The waves rock the boat from side to side as we work to break away from the shore. The wind whips through our hair. Though danger threatens us in the darkness, it is actually quite beautiful on Lake Malawi at night. My mind rushes as I try to contemplate what we will find on the other side. Magic steers us safely into the deeper water and soon enough we are approaching the shore on the other side. Again he does a masterful job of getting us safely inside the breakers.

    Reaching the shore he shines the spotlight and in front us becomes visible a crowd of villagers around the injured man.

    Jumping out of the boat I am amazed just how dark it is where there is no electricity. Too, the wind is blowing on shore and getting stronger as we talk. We don’t have long for it will soon be too dangerous to attempt the 30-mile trip back across the lake in the rough waters.  (To be continued….)

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Edson is Going to School

    Most readers will not remember Edson. He was simply one small boy in over 1,000 people who received a wheelchair from the Malawi Project during the past four years. In fact, he was the first person who received a wheelchair through Samantha Ludick and the Clinic at the Gate in Senga Bay, Malawi.

    In a recent report from Ludick she observes, "The fact about Edson is that he wasn’t going to school when I first met him. He was too heavy for his siblings to carry from school. Then Edson received his wheelchair, and now we have fabulous news. Edson started back to school, and has continued his studies and attendance. Now he is going to Para Secondary School after passing standard 8. It’s great news for his father because he was told his son would not amount to anything, and would not survive to his senior years."

Ludick concludes, "His proud father came to tell me his son had passed his school marks, but had a problem with his wheelchair as it was not doing so good. Now he needed to go a bit further to get to secondary school. Could I help? Naturally I helped. I put new tires and a new seat on the wheelchair and he is now going to Secondary school. It is a great achievement and a real success story."

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"Every second day I drive to Mukuti Village in order to pick up Ndhala and a guardian and bring him to one of my establishments where I can clean and redress his wounds. I carefully check each time to insure that he is taking the multi vitamins, his doctor prescribed antibiotics, etc. The second week was a real hard one when I discovered two new wounds at the base of the hamstring. This greatly concerned me for I was unsure what this meant. Did he need to see the doctor again? Did the doctor need to prescribe another dose of antibiotic? Or was there another under lying problem? Please God, no! He has been through so much. I cleaned and dressed the wounds, put him on a stronger course of antibiotic and prayed.

In a few days Ndhala was improving rapidly. No more morphine, no more antibiotics, no more crutches, and most of all no more pain.

I looked back. It was the beginning of a new year and I had first been introduced to Ndhala on September the 21st 2008. When I saw the situation that very first time I found myself immediately asking for divine guidance in order to find the way to help this young man, and for strength to carry it out. He was in so much pain, indescribable pain.

Now when I look at him I know he still has a long way to go but the worst is behind us. His wounds will still need to be cleaned but his body is strong again and he can fight off the infection. Fighting infections from even minor heath problems is so often a critical element in the survival of so many people.

Today I know so many people played a critical part in his recovery, and that is not to leave out our Creator who played the most critical role of all. Thanks to all, and to the Malawi Project, for the medical supplies that were on hand to help with this young man’s recovery." 

Part 1 of this story

Part 2 of this story

Part 3 of this story

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