Pictures From Our Trip

Soccer Sad

So I must tell you about our little mishap that has created some trouble for our friend Nixon.  When we visited his village, someone brazenly took one of the soccer balls from inside the truck. We didn't discover the theft until we were counting the balls for our next locations.  Andre mentioned the issue to Nixon and told him that he could have the ball if he found it.  Sadly the rest of my story is not good.  Unfortunately, Nixon found the culprits who took the ball and he asked them to return it, mentioning that it was wrong to steal from the white people who were trying to help people in Malawi.  Nixon is a soft spoken type of fellow and strikes me as someone who would make this request in a quiet sort of way.  What followed was really quiet troubling to me.  The fellows (who are from the village on the other side of the field) told him they weren't going to give the ball back and told him to leave.  When Nixon turned to go they started throwing sticks and rocks at him.  Somehow, and I am really not clear on the details, Nixon's arm got broken.  All of this over a soccer ball, truly very sad.

To go to the hospital or not - that is the question.

Monday started bright and early with another trip to Ana ndi Atu to bring more items (teach aids) for the Amays to teach the children. As soon as we drove up children started running behind the truck and the orphans started singing and welcoming us. It was a beautiful sight and was wonderful to make another surprise but short visit.

Guard Family #2 Visit
Nixon and his wife have 5 children. Their 18 yr old daughter is pregnant with her boyfriend’s baby, their son Steven (14 yrs) needs an operation for a painful swelling on of his testicles (boy I bet that word caught your attention), called Hydrocele. He has had the problem for 3 years and is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday. The family is very scared. Hospitals here are equated with death - so many needless deaths that just simply wouldn’t happen in Canada. They also have fear that Steven will loose his manhood and not be able to father children. Nixon explored the topic of traditional medicine with Andre. They trust him and value his advice. To complete our visit we brought gifts from Canada and clothing for Nixon and his family.

At the time of writing this, Nixon did not take his son for the surgery. He said he was too tired and didn't have the funds to take him. Health care is free here so I think the funds were for other expenses. I think food for Nixon or something.

Mbidi School
Last stop of the day and there to bring soccer balls (or as in Malawi, footballs) and whistles. Last year the school was provided with Malawian footballs which didn’t last very long so bringing them good North American soccer balls was a hit. The headmaster made a point of introducing us to every class and pointing out Sydney, how old she was and what grade she was in, for the purpose of encouraging girls to stay in school and not get married. Village life has a tendency to force girls into early marriage simply because it is one less mouth to feed (she then becomes her husband’s responsibility), or because she is the one who does the basic care-giving chores like fetching water. By-the-time she’ completes those tasks, she is often late for school and then a lot of girls don’t bother in going. After the students played a game of handball and football, it was time for speeches. The headmaster made a speech and then I was required to make a speech. I encouraged the children (ages 6-16) to stay in school and informed them that Sydney’s father and I would not allow Sydney to get married until she has finished school.


Tuesday

Simeon Orphan Care and Misangu School and Guard Visit #3
Simeon Orphan Care had about 18 children that morning. They have a new facility and are truly geared for learning. In the classroom the had different stations where the children could learn specific things such as numbers, letters or sciences. These stations do not look like the brightly coloured classrooms Canadian children get to enjoy. They are just scraps of paper with information written on them and put on the wall. We were able to bring brightly coloured teaching aids for hanging up on the wall. We gave all the children the same things as the other centres but gave the extra clothing. Andre showed me that they still had the few teddy bears right there on the mats for the children from when his mom and dad brought them last September.

Misangu School
The school has a wopping 2,047 students. Okay remember my sign earlier about people always complain ... well these teachers have everything to complain about. Poor working conditions, huge classrooms and terrible living quarters. The standard 1 classroom had 400 children sitting on the floor right up to the chalk board. There was barely room for the teacher to walk back and forth as she taught. Andre has been working with other organizations here to provide latrines for the school. They had 3 before for over 2,000 students and now 18 are being constructed. Unfortunately, everything takes so long. The teachers live on site and really are doing sacrificial work here. You would be shocked if you could see where they were living.

Guard Visit #3 - Musa

Jealousy is an ugly monster here and people will do others physical harm or make life difficult because of it. Musa is one such individual and has made life challenging for the other two guards and Alex and Andre as they try to effectively navigate through ongoing conflict. The result is that we had to make sure we visited all of the guards in their homes and brought them gifts. I think it is good in sense these people who have been seeing us bring all of this stuff to the children will themselves also be blessed by Jesus. I thiink this is particularly important with Musa. Out of all of the other guards, he is the most surly and difficult at times.

That's all for now.
Dar

All Things Malawian

I Love Malawian Food

Maize is a Malawian staple and it seems like it is provided at every meal.  The other night a traditional Malawian meal of Sema, Diwo and Fatelli was made for us. 
Translation:
Sema = Maize flour made into a porridge with only water which is then made thicker by adding more flour to a make very thick consistency that can be rolled in your hand and used for dipping.  Kind’ve like a Thumbprint cookie.
Diwo = Pumpkin leaves stewed with a bit of flour and salt – this is called relish.
Fatelli = Sweet potatoes cooked and mashed with sugar (not sure what else is put into it). 

So you roll a small ball of Sema, press your thumbprint in the middle to make an indentation which is then used to scoop/dip in the Diwo.  I know it doesn’t sound like much but it is very good – well I like it anyway… Sydney not so much.  By-the-way all of this is eaten with our fingers.  Malawians eat their food with their hands and not with utensils.
Oupha is a breakfast dish that I am also enjoying.  Oupha is made with Maize flour and slowly stirred into boiling water with a bit of sugar and powdered milk.  It looks like Cream of Wheat and is very good.  Again, I enjoy it … Sydney not so much.

Funerals
Malawians lay branches on the road to signal there is a funeral in the village.  Anyone who is riding a bike must get off and walk their bike through the funeral zone.  Cars must slow down to a crawl.  People do this to show their respect for the family and the village.

More Signs
This one is the best – “People Always Complain Hardware & Investments.”  Okay I find this one hilarious!
or
“Pack N’ Go Coffin Shop” – Coffin to go, you just pack it up and go.

Recycling
Malawians put Canadians to shame - they recycle and use everything.  Their most common all-purpose string is made from tyres (yes it is correct – Malawian spelling).  They use tyre string for everything and is the only type of string or rope they have.  They even make sandals from recycled tyres and they look quite fashionable.

Friday, April 9
We went to Isaac’s village and visited his mom.  Isaac is Alex and Andre’s gardener and guard during the day and his wife provides house-help.  In Malawi everyone has guards 24 hours, 7 days a week to protect their home and family.  Having guards is a must.  By employing Isaac and Florence, not only are Alex and Andre providing much needed employment and support to a family who are on the very edge of poverty, but they also develop a friendship with the family.  Isaac and Florence have two little children, Sophie (5 yrs) and Cadden (1 yr).  Alex and Andre help 2 other families like this as well. 

Anyway back to our visit.  Isaac’s mom lost her husband last year and 2 grown children.  No one knows what caused the children’s death.  Isaac’s mom was very happy to see Alex and Andre and very thankful for the gifts they brought.  She invited us to sit on her mat on the front porch of her hut and then several village friends and family came over to greet us. Very quickly a young man was called to translate.  He asked for a job right away.  Everyone you meet needs help and I desperately want to help them - sometimes the need is overwhelming.  Isaac’s mom wanted me to grind maize so she took me to her kitchen (that would be outside and around the back of the hut.  She seemed surprised with my maize pounding skills.  I know so many untapped gifts.   Well after that Isaac’s aunt wanted me to go to the watering hole with her.  We walked a good distance and then took our turns at the pump.  Alex and Andre informed me that she was also surprised that I could pump the water.  But the defining moment came when these women discovered that Sydney was my daughter … ahhhhh… then I was accepted.  Motherhood is universal.  Isaac’s mom shook my hand and beamed, she said some things but it didn’t matter that I couldn’t understand because her gestures told me all I needed to know.

Age Reversal
Apparently I shock and amaze people with my youthfulness.  After I visited Isaac’s mom, Isaac asked me how old I was and was very shocked when I told him.  People have been thinking that Sydney and I are sisters.  Yahhhhhh!!!  I guess the under-eye cream really does work.  Sydney, she no like the sister thing.  Everywhere we go people show surprise when I introduce Sydney as my daughter and it has become a common reaction.

We finished the week with some much needed rest and relaxation at a cottage on Lake Malawi near the end of the Great Rift Valley.  It was beautiful weekend after such a hectic week from working all day, everyday and late into the night making sure we had things ready to go.  Sydney really needed the rest.

Activity Days at the Orphan Care Centres - Grab a coffee, it's a long read.

April 5, 2010

We started off our week trying to compensate for the loss of our luggage and some of our supplies and then come up with Plan B for the programs that we would be running at the centres.  The first thing we had to do was buy a bale of clothing at the Dapp.  When we pulled up there were two soldiers with big guns (okay very big, big guns/ semi-automatic actually) sitting outside of the shop.  I thought it wise not to take pictures :) and just got one pic of Andre looking over the bales.  So this is what happens to those clothes you send to second hand stores - they end up here and are considered very valuable.

Ana ndi Athu, Grace,  Maula Orphan Care Centres:

On Tuesday, April 6, 2010 we visited our first orphan care centre – Ana ndi Athu.  Ana is an orphan care centre in a small village, out in the country, nestled in amongst the crops near Jali, outside Zomba District.

When we arrived they put three chairs out in the open area in front of the centre for Sydney, Alex and I - chairs for their honoured guests.  The children sang songs to us and recited their numbers.  More children came from around the village to stare at us and see what all the excitement was.  Quite a few of the orphan children were crying or would start crying if we came too close.  It appears that the wee little gaffers are afraid of white people.  When the children were done with their special presentation for their guests, we then were introduced by the Director of the Centre Mr. William Magamedi (not really sure if I got his last name correct).  Mr. M. is a professor at the local college who is responsible for starting Ana because he had a deep desire to help the children who were not receiving an education or proper care.  Ana provides the children with basic school instruction and a meal everyday.  They will often identify children who are malnourished and then endeavour to help those children.  In January, 10 children were very malnourished and Andre through E.I. provided 50-10lb bags of maize for the centre to help feed all of the children and get them through the hungry season to harvest time (which is now).  Mr. M. told me that it was because of this food that those malnourished children are doing much better.  This amount of maize was also provided to Maula.

Introductions
Now it was our turn. Our basic program for all of the centres looked liked this:
Geography – basically that we came from Canada to see them and gave them some brief info on our country.  I felt it was important to tell them that there were a lot of people in my community and in my church that cared very much for them and have been praying for them.  I taught them a little bit about the world by showing them a large map, where we came from and how long it took us to get to their country.  Many people in Malawi don’t know that the world is round so I asked the children if they knew what shape the world was.  Only an Amai knew the answer.  Amais are the centre’s moms.  Amai is also a name for woman or Mrs.  Each centre has a few Amais to teach the children and help care for them.

Bible Story – Malawian misconceptions
One of the untruths in Malawian culture is this idea that white people are smarter or more important than them.  The story of Zacchaeus was effective in showing the children that Jesus doesn’t favour some people over others and loves everyone the same.  It was important to me to articulate to the children that they are very special to Jesus.

Bubbles, face painting, skip rope and soccer
The children loved it all.  While we got a few of them doing bubbles, some played soccer or skipped rope with the village children  and others got face painting.  Definitely these activities were a big hit and I would do again.

Gifts -Teddy bears, school supplies and clothes
The teddy bears were so cool!  Seeing this little girl’s face when I handed her a soft little bunny holding a carrot was amazing - she was ecstatic and for me it will be a lasting memory of Malawi.  Each child received two school books, two pencils, pencil sharpener and an outfit (pants & shirt).  The centre received 5 soccer balls and a pump, boxes of chalk and erasers, extra school books, pencils, pens, teaching aids, and whistles.

Lunch
Traditional Malawian meal of rice, stewed cabbage with tomato and goat meat was provided for lunch.  Everyone received a generous pile of food.  Some people don’t get to eat meat for a very long time.  Andre and Alex’s guard, Isaac told them at Christmas time last year that he hadn’t had meat in more than 6 months.  Rice is considered a luxury so to have the rice and meat together for the children was more than what these children had eaten in a very long time and a real blessing. 

In all we provided for 87 children at Ana ndi Atu.

Grace Orphan Care Centre
On Wednesday we went to Grace.  Grace Orphan Care is run by a fellow named Ernest who had the same desire to help orphaned children who were wandering around with no care.  Grace provides for more than 220 children of all ages.

When we arrived there were only 3 kindergarten children and we were expecting at least 15 for the morning program.  We were told that there was a funeral in the village and that was why there were not very many children at the start. Very shortly though many children showed up and before we knew it we had 30.  The children were afraid of us again but it almost seemed like they were more afraid then at Ana so we started off with bubbles.  This was the perfect activity for such little children to help them feel more comfortable with us.

Again we did our program for the children.  They loved colouring at Grace.  I mean they really loved it.  They coloured with such concentration for quite a while and since they were enjoying the activity so much we were flexible and adapted to them.

Playing games with them was a lot of fun.  By this time many older children had arrived and my time working with the Youth, VBS and Children’s Church came in handy.  We played red light/green light with them and they loved running their hearts out so they could show me who was the fastest.

We met some children with disabilities.  The Amai showed me a little girl that looked like she was no more than 3 or 4 years old and I was told that she was actually 10 years old.  It is hard to believe.  Something I have noticed and been shown that children in Malawian culture are often malnourished resulting in their growth being stunted.  Not that this was the case for this girl but it is for many.  Andre showed me a picture of twins and told me that one twin was sent back to the village while the other one kept at the centre because of health issues.  The twin that was sent back appeared to be at least 3 or 4 years younger than his brother.

Finishing off with Grace – about another 100 children showed up for the afternoon program of lunch, soccer and introduction/stories and activities.  We face painted for at least an hour, handed out stuff and had fun with the kids.  It was a long day for our small team at this facility.

Maula Orphan Care
Many of you saw the photos from Maula before I left and maybe are aware that Maula already held a special place I in my heart, but all the more so now after Thursday.  Maula is situated in the country amidst the crops on the outskirts of Zomba District. The Chief of the village greeted us - yes I said Chief.  Maula is a 2 room hut basically and is by far the poorest orphan care centre that we have visited.  The Chief explained to me that he was very concerned for the children and their education and Maula was borne out of a desire to help the orphaned children of his village.

After we did all of our activities and had lunch with the children it was time for speeches.  First the Chief made his speech about Maula and how it started, then he thanked us for coming all the way from Canada to bless them.  He said that no other people had ever done anything for them like we had done that day.  I was surprised and it made me hope that maybe there would be another opportunity to do more.  Then I had to make my speech.  I have had to make quite a few speeches since coming here (it is the custom of Malawi) and I think I’m getting the hang of it.  The village, the orphans, caregivers and the Chief know that many people in my community care very much for them and were responsible for the wonderful things that were provided to his village.  Not only were we able to bless the orphans of Maula but we were able to feed the village children and provide them with school supplies as well.  The village children (many of them teens) also got to enjoy a very competitive game of soccer. When speeches were done and we were getting ready to the leave one teen boy started singing and then all of the children started singing to us.  You just can’t imagine what it was like to hear these beautiful children singing – it just brings tears to my eyes even now as I write this.

Blessings from Generous Supporters
All of the wonderful gifts we gave the children and provided for them were because of the wonderfully caring people in Canada.  Not just from Chilliwack but Saanich and Nova Scotia as well.  It is because of you all that these children had fun, were fed a nourishing meal, received practical school supplies and clothing and then went home with a stuffy.  Truly Canadians have blessed Malawians during this time.

Until next time…
 In His Service (and so grateful to be there)
Darlene

Dorothy You're Not In Kansas Anymore

Yes that is what I feel like.  I am in a totally different world then what I am accustomed to.  So let me start by saying I am sorry we have been in 'radio-silence' since we left.  This is our first opportunity to get to a computer and do a post.  Sydney and I landed in Blantyre last Saturday (Apr 3) without any travel problems. Other than I couldn't sleep on any of our flights, things went pretty smooth.  We did however, have only half of our luggage (3 pieces missing).  Yikes not good.  All our clothes and some important items for the orphan care centres.  What would we do and how were we going to find the luggage?  When we landed on the airstrip in Blantyre I looked like it was out in the middle of a maize field, the upstairs open-air seating area of the airport was packed with about 70 children cheering and singing for someone who is obviously loved by them.  It was an amazing sight for our first look at Malawi.

First Impressions:

Africa is everything I thought it would be and more.  I love it! I wonder if I could live here - I don't know but it is appealing.  There are people everywhere walking, making deals and trying to sell you all sorts of things. They sell anything and everything, which means that a lot of the stuff we throw away they will sell in the market.  Quite often you will see women carrying bowls of peanuts, 5 or 10 lb bags of maize (could be quite a few of these bags) or any other items that may need to be transported, on their heads.  We are told that in a lot of cases they are carrying way too much and that it probably causes harm to their backs or spines. We have seen men carrying long poles of pine down from the mountain on their heads, walking barefoot and travelling an incredible distance to sell their wood.

It is very warm here and some days quite hot.  I estimate about 28 on some days out in the villages. I am enjoying the sunshine.  The countryside is very lush as it is near the end of the rainy season - and I'm told it is Malawi's most beautiful time of year.  I can believe it!  I am fascinated with the people and their way of life in Zomba and the surrounding villages.  They have the most interesting signs to advertise their business.  For example 'Toys Saloon.'  Not sure what that is - is it toys or alcohol?  It may be neither actually  - they may have chosen the name because they like it and not because it advertizes anything about their business.

Leftover British Influences & Greetings:

Everything seems very proper here with a hint of a British flavor or tone. Signage especially is where I seem to notice it.  They seem to use words just for the sake of using them and trying to make them sound more important. You can totally get by speaking English here but Chachewa is the native language.  When you greet someone or are greeted it is impolite to say anything negative.   Muli bwanji = How are you?  Then you must say, Dee lee bweeno = I am fine.  Followed by, Ki ya eenu = and you? Zikomo = thank you.  They say thank you very much all the time even when not appropriate.  Takes a couple of days to adapt but you get the hang of it very quickly.  People are very friendly and gracious here.

Market:

Our first day Andre took us to the market.  I tried to take pictures but it is difficult sometimes because some Malawians get very upset.  Having said that Andre informs me that we have accumulated over 600 pictures just on his camera already and that doesn't include mine.  The outside market was an adventure.  Everything is out in the open.  Produce, dried fish (mostly very small fish which is where people get most of their protein), grains, tomatoes, strange fruit (can’t remember the name), clothing, car parts,used plastic bottles - you name it you can find it at the market.  Sydney and I are constantly stared at wherever we go.  People of all ages will stop what they are doing and stare at us.  Even though it is 2010 I guess white people are still a rare commodity.

Church

On Sunday we went to Zomba Baptist Church for Easter services.  It was a small, subdued service with four teens leading worship.

I must go now - more another time about our 3 program days at the orphan care centres.

Bye for now.

Darlene

If you keep a Goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white.

we are in africa!!

Because of my super pale-ness I'm ultra atractive here, i can also make babies cry.
We've been to three orphan care centers so far they were all amazing but in my mind Maula was by far the best....in my opinion.
Malawian food is different x35967836583363 it has 60% more salt and oil than necessary but alas it's delicious.

Our Adventure Here:
1. Airplane eggs = probably not the best idea, unless you have a stomach of steel...like me ;)
2. I'm pretty sure sitting for over 20 hours isn't good for my figure but oh well.
3. If Johannesburg tries to steal my clothing again I may be forced to kill them (: