By Rick Postma
Peter Van Kempen, Peter VanderStel, Bernie Pennings, and I visited South Africa and Malawi during September, 2006. This report covers a portion of our visit to Malawi.
After nine hours of flying across the Atlantic Ocean from North America, I peer impatiently through the window of the airplane to catch my first glimpse of Africa—that dark and mysterious continent. Appropriately enough, it is pitch-dark outside.
Sure enough, the lights of Senegal soon appear. We circle for some time and the captain refers to a “comedy of errors on the ground.” His words sound ominous. Soon we are on the ground, but not allowed to get out of the airplane. We still have nine hours left of our 18-hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. I’d love to get out and touch the ground. Somehow I’m not in Africa until I do. It will have to wait.
After a few days in South Africa, we arrive at the airport in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. It is a small affair. Understandably, not many people fly in this impoverished country of 12 million people. Our bags are searched twice and then we are welcomed by Manuel, overseer of the Word & Deed orphan care projects in Malawi.
We are also welcomed by brilliant sunshine which stays with us for the duration of our visit to Malawi. It is very dry and we soon find ourselves reaching for water bottles. The land is mostly flat, but sprinkled across the landscape are hills hundreds of feet high.
In Malawi, people drive on the “wrong” side of the road, since we in North America drive on the right side. Bernie does most of the driving during our trip and seems to have no problem with driving on the left, except that he turns right whenever we tell him to turn left (and vice versa). He has flipped left and right in his own mind in order to make the conversion.
Malawi is named after Lake Malawi, a large fresh-water lake that stretches almost her whole length and is renowned for its abundant fish and beckoning beauty. Malawi is indeed a beautiful country but, as is so often the case in the developing world, her beauty is only skin deep.
As we look at the land, we can almost hear the cries of over one million orphans. Why so many? Sadly, for many orphans, one or both parents have died from the HIV/AIDS virus, while others have been abandoned by their parents.
Orphan care projects supported and monitored by Word & Deed assist more than 5,500 orphans in Malawi. Many orphans live in child-led families with the eldest being 10 or 12 years old. At the orphan care project in Lilongwe, for example, hundreds of these children come to Word & Deed orphan care projects during the day, but very reluctantly return to their shacks to spend the night alone. The construction of one or more hostels for these orphans who cannot be placed with community families is desperately needed.
The seven orphan care projects that Word & Deed supports, mentors, and monitors in Malawi were initially funded by Dr. Timothy and Dorothy Monsma and their supporters. When the Monsmas retired, the projects were taken over by Word & Deed (October, 2003). They are community-based; orphans are placed with Christian families in the community. The children are brought together several times a week for half a day or more and given nutritious meals, clothing, medical assistance, and biblical instruction. Some of the projects provide kindergarten and grade 1 classes, while others provide the full range of primary grades. The host families are given seed, fertilizer and, at times, bags of corn (maize).
We meet Manuel’s wife Karen and their three-year-old daughter Amie. Manuel, Karen, and Karen’s sister Oslow, visiting from Zimbabwe, provide us with wonderful hospitality on a number of occasions during the length of our visit. They provide a “base camp” from which we venture into the far corners of the country to visit the projects.
A few hours later, we embark on a two-and-a-half hour drive to picturesque rural Nkhoma. The roads are much improved over previous visits, when the same trip would have taken five hours. It is dark when we arrive at the Nkhoma Guest House where we will spend three nights. The guest house is very simple, but not as primitive as I expected – no dirt floors. Visitors to Malawi need to be on good terms with spiders. They are large and abundant. I am very thankful for mosquito nets.
We are here to visit the Nkhoma Orphan Care Project. It is by far the largest, with 8,500 orphans spread among 32 centers covering a vast area. Saide Mkuzi is the coordinator for this project. An orphan himself, Saide is a delightful young man with a big smile. English is the second language in Malawi, after Chichewa, and many people are able to speak it quite well. Saide, together with Rev. Chimutu, the spry 77-year-old chairman and chaplain of the Nkoma project, welcome us with warm handshakes and the repeated phrases “You are welcome, our visitors” and “Thank you.” The words “welcome” and “visitors” are pronounced in delightful fashion, something like “You are welllllcom, our veezeetorrrs.” Throughout our trip, we hear these two phrases countless times and we do indeed feel very welcome and deeply appreciated.
Above: Reverend Chimutu is bending on the left, Manuel is reaching into a well, Saide is standing on the right.
The next morning, after a breakfast of fried eggs, toast, and tea, we take a 20-minute, jolting drive to the Kadzombe orphan care center. We are greeted by a large crowd of children, caregivers, and community leaders. As they see us coming, they energetically launch into the welcome song in Chichewa.
The Kadzombe center has 140 children placed in 80 homes. Each center is run by a committee composed of an elder, a deacon and a pastor from the local CCAP church or prayer house, the headmaster of the local school (where these are available), the village chief, and various other members of the community. We are welcomed by several members of the Kadzombe committee in Chichewa; Manuel translates for us. The orphan children sit in the dirt and look at us with large and curious eyes. Their clothing is in poor shape and they appear rather dirty. Each one is a precious soul. I take some pictures and video of the orphans and then show some of them. Understandably, they are fascinated.
Rev. Chimutu provides a meditation on John 3:16 in Chichewa. Then members of the committee as well as caregivers (those who have orphans in their homes), speak of the lack of food and clothing. As well, 40 of the orphans have been unable to attend school for various reasons.
One of the caregivers tells us that an agent for the orphan center at the Nkhoma project had dropped off seeds, fertilizer, and other items at her home for distribution. Her husband stole some of it, sold it, and used the proceeds to pay the bride price for a second wife. When confronted by his first wife, he beat her up. We learn later that this is one of many cultural challenges in Malawi. When mothers die, fathers often abandon their children and return to the village where they grew up. Apparently, this is culturally acceptable. Fathers often do not provide for their families and are intent on projecting a macho image. We have seen the same pattern of behaviour in Latin America. When men fail to lead and provide for their families, poverty results. The same problem exists in North America, but not to the same degree. This is one of many factors contributing to the challenges faced by the people of Malawi.
After the speeches, the orphans sing for us. While we do not understand the words, the sound is pure Africa. They have music in their bones. We take our leave accompanied by the orphans and caregivers enthusiastically singing the goodbye song.
Nkhoma Orphan Project is striving to meet the orphans’ daily needs with our support. More is needed. Thankfully, each child is hearing the gospel regularly and being taught the Word of God. God has great concern for orphans. “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). Repeatedly, especially in the Old Testament, God instructs His people to make provision for the fatherless (Deut. 24:17-21) and declares judgment on those who don’t (Mal. 3:5).
In a world that has become a global village, may we respond with faithfulness, generosity, and gladness to the responsibility that God has given us in answering the plaintive calls of the orphans in Malawi.
Rick Postma is director of public relations for Word & Deed Canada.
Above: Reverend Chimutu is bending on the left, Manuel is reaching into a well, Saide is standing on the right.
