Malawi

Mark Hill visited Kalambo, Malawi for the month of April 2006 to merely see how Ashon was doing. The people of the village had absolutely nothing. If they had shoes at all they were worn out, their clothes were rags. They lived in homes fashioned out of mud with no furniture except maybe for a chair.

They requested help everywhere he went, to build either a hospital, orphanage or school. Then Mark was offered a field by the village headman of Kalambo to build a clinic, it just seemed like a vast undertaking But with advice from those in Malawi who are experienced in this and encouragement of the folks in England it is becoming a reality.

There are 600,000 children in Malawi whose parents have died of AIDS. Add to that many others who have died of starvation so the children could eat and various other reasons. Grand parents are left to raise their grandchildren and take in other children who have no grandparents. It is estimated that by the year 2015 75% of women in Malawi will have AIDS. A fact like that spoken or written on a piece of paper does not compare with being a witness to the physical result. All those children who should be looked after were looking after themselves instead of playing. Trying to grow food instead of going to school.

They can be helped. The tide can turn. They need many things but most of all in Kalambo they need a clinic. People, adults and children are dying for a lack of basic healthcare.

After raising money to do so we are now working with Malawian health officials to build a clinic in Kalambo where Ashon is situated. Why should we do such a thing for a place so far away? Well the story was told of a boy of around 12 years old who’d fallen into a cooking fire whilst playing. Left unattended this would be a life- threatening situation. The local hospital had no antibiotics, no bandages, no aspirin, no pain medicine to help him. Medical missionaries who happened to be there had what was needed. The pain must have been intense but the boy did not cry. His friends watched wide eyed as the nurses cleaned the wounds and applied the bandages. Amazed at his bravery they asked how it was that he didn’t cry. They were told that when children cry due to pain or hunger they learn that no one can help them anyway. Once they are used to no help or comfort being brought they don’t cry anymore.