Lilongwe, Malawi … The newspaper headline seemed to shout a warning, “Across Africa the Worst Food Crisis Since 1985 Looms for 50 Million People.” While the massive storm of suffering spreads across the continent the people of Malawi are faced with the possibility of suffering in relative silence as larger countries, more well known, and more connected to the world’s aid supply gain the lions share of the food aid dollar.
Speaking recently to churches in Lilongwe, Lumbadzi, and Mponela, Dick Stephens of the Malawi Project, called on members to prepare and plant gardens during the dry season, using water in buckets for irrigation, so they can grow crops early to offset some of the difficult times that will become much worse between now and the crop harvests of 2017. The story of Joseph, in the Old Testament, was cited as an example of making preparations for bad times, instead of waiting until the problems are on them before doing something.
Additionally Stephens said, “You must not wait for the government to help, they are short of funds to help everyone. You cannot depend on aid organizations to be there either. They have the entire world to consider, and can’t be everywhere all the time. To blame the weather, or wait for someone else to come with food is not going to solve the problem,” Stephens said. “You must take responsibility for yourselves and rescue yourselves through hard work now.”
Stephens called on the congregations to gather grain into common warehouses to be stored until later in the year when the suffering will be more intense. The response was an immediate call from church leaders for the members to make preparations now.