“I saw an old walker. Everyone in the ward used it when going to the toilet at the far end of the ward, and time after time a number of us would scramble for it. An old partial broken toilet chair also served us for this period”. Rodrick recalls. Rodrick Maluwa is a member of the mission staff at Namikango Mission, and he is describing the situation in one of the hospitals near the mission.
After Helping, Mission Staff Members Need Help
Following the famine that has loomed since December, a special relief program was set up by the Namikango Mission to help the stricken families. A number of households received clothing, as well as money to buy food. Returning from a distribution aid to over 400 people in Zomba West, Rodrick and Symon Katete, another member of the Mission staff, were involved in a fatal accident. They were in the only remaining utility vehicle for the mission, when an oncoming minibus veered into their lane and struck them head-on.
Both men were rushed to Zomba Central Hospital where they remained for fourteen days. Rodrick 
lost some teeth and suffered a broken knee. Symon experienced internal injuries, and severe chest pains. In the hospital Rodrick opened his eyes, and quickly saw why the medical supplies provided by the Malawi Project are so essential. He saw two large wards that accommodate people from serious accidents with only one wheelchair between them. He saw first hand why wheelchairs are critical for people who are injured.
Help Was on the Way
Rodrick had been part of the distribution team that took these supplies for granted until they day they were used to help him in the hospital. When he saw the situation first hand he advised us, and we took a walker to the hospital. It helped relieve the problems with mobility in both wards. Next he recalls the situation he thought could lead to his death. The doctor had recommended an immediate operation on his kneecap. After the operation however, it was discovered the hospital had no painkillers! Roderick experienced suffering like he had never experienced before. The hospital, one of the major medical facilities in the country, could do nothing. A member of the mission staff rushed everywhere looking for something that could ease Roderick’s pain. Finally a pain reliever was found with a private practitioner.
In the bed next to Rodrick was a young man who had also undergone an operation. Rodrick watched and heard this young man crying out in pain throughout the night. Out of a deep sense of concern and compassion for the young man Rodrick stretched out his hand, picked up his remaining pain medicine, and gave it to the nurse to help ease the young man’s pain.
As of this writing both Rodrick and Symon are out of the hospital and recovering from the results of the accident.