A Church Service With A Difference

A church service with a difference.

Sunday, 8^th December, I accompanied my neighbour, and member of our church growth group (Flood church) to a village church which he supports outside Lilongwe.

We were both well received, we were given the best chairs in the church, and the Pastor sat on the broken chair together with guest speaker so that we can have the better chairs.  Joe had planned to buy chairs for the church (Out of his own pocket), but unfortunately, we arrived at the stores to find the chairs were being loaded off from the delivery van. So no new chairs for the church this Sunday, next Sunday, they shall receive some brand new chairs.  The congregation are in awe of him, the mzungu, (the white person), the American. The physics teacher, an up and coming pastor, teaching at the international school in our neighbourhood loves the little village church. H e feels very much at home and much respected by the Malawian village congregation, even though he speaks no word of Chichewa. After all has only been in Malawi since August, I am sure come next year Chichewa will be rolling off his tongue as it does mine.

We had an amazing time, my first visit and feel I want to go back again.  I shall of course support the church and Joe in his ministry. He is doing a great job by supporting this poor church.  See photos and videos of service.

After the church, we were invited by a colleague of Joe, a Malawian to his home for lunch.  A truly humbling experience, this man has nothing yet invited us to his home. His wife cooked rice. Rice, which is expense for most Malawians to purchase and meat, too cooked for us so that we, his guests can have a lovely lunch. A truly humbling experience of self sacrifice. He was proud and felt honoured by us accepting his invitation come to his house and to eat with him.  A true demonstration of love, and sacrifice, it was indeed an honour for us as well especially for me for Joe had previously been to his house for lunch. 

Malawi has taught me so much about myself. Now I know why I am here. It is about finding self and the real meaning of life and sacrificing, being appreciative of what life throws at you. In the west, our focus is wrong. We have the wrong mentality; our mentality is about acquiring wealth and greed. There is nothing wrong in acquiring wealth, for it is good to be rich and wealthy. It is however, wrong to acquire riches and wealth through greed and to have selfish ambition of not wanting to help others in need for it is not all who can acquire wealth and riches.  The more I bless people with the little allowance I receive quarterly the more I seem to be receiving in return through gratitude through the people around me.

There is a prosperity law/rule, which is when you stretch out your hands and help others; you receive more wealth in return because of the right attitude and mentality in you in giving and helping others in need. This prosperity comes in the form of good health, more wealth and riches, good, sound and prosperous business, happy home and family.

See photos & videos of the village church service.

This month also opens doors of opportunity speaking to a group of youths at a colleague’s church. To inspire them to become what they want to be.  I am encouraged and honoured to be invited and very much look forward to this event.

Church Service With A Difference

Up an coming mzungu (white) preacher

UNFPA ANNUAL REVIEW MEETING - BLANTYRE

UNFPA ANNUAL REVIEW MEETING – BLANTYRE

NOVEMBER 19^TH – 22^ND

On the 18^th of November, I had the opportunity to go to Blantyre on official business on behalf of Nurses,  and Midwives Council of Malawi (NMCM), representing  the Director of Education.

What is UNFPA?

[i]UNFPA’, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programs to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities. UNFPA supports a number of organizations in implementing projects around the world, particularly in the developing countries.

I presented on behalf of our Director of Education to a delegation of over 100. I was also became the timekeeper for the review meeting ensuring we start on time and finish on time. Time keeping is a challenge in Malawi. There is African time and Malawian time, not much different. Only difference the Malawian will add an extra further half an hour and arriving slowly, slowly, Pang’ono, Pang’ono! As we say in Chichewa. Our meeting each day started at 8.30am, however, 8.30 is the time we will find some delegates entering the hotel restaurant for breakfast.  I had the unfortunate task of going round the restaurant reminding delegates the meeting has started, hurrying their breakfasts. Ah the Malawian delegates love to eat, breakfast comprised of fresh fruits salads, continental breakfast to fried breakfasts of eggs, omelets, chips, porridge, cornflakes etc. Our Malawian delegates will have everything on display for breakfast. I could just manage the fruit salad and coffee for breakfast. Then at 10 am more cakes, and all things fattening. Lunch at 12 noon another large meal, starters, main course and desserts.  I saved my main course for supper. Supper not provided by the organises.

There were a number of interesting projects presented at the UNFPA Annual Review Meeting.  I found all the projects presented to be inspiring and interesting, but the two that caught my attention were a project, working with sex workers and the police in Mangochi, and the other working with interfaith leaders to stamp out forced marriages, violence against women. 

In brief of the two inspiring projects;

It was noted members of the police force, wife/husbands were dying and no one could figure out at first why and what was killing them, it transpired they were dying of HIV/AIDS. Police service as a whole is a mobile occupation and in Malawi, the prevalence of the police abusing and seeking sexual favours from sex workers is high. Some members of the police service harassing, abusing the sex workers (prostitutes) and forcing them into having sex as sexual favours, and as a result of such activity contracting HIV leading to AIDS. It is a sad state of affair for police officers and others like them to use sex to punish, abuse such vulnerable people in society. One would have thought police officers engaging in such activities with sex workers would have the common sense to use condom! I guess these officers were not thinking straight and as result contracted HIV/AIDS, and sadly, affecting and afflicting pain and suffering on their wives/husbands and children.

The moral of the story, if you are a police officer, male or female don’t abuse or punish sex workers by exerting your power authority over them and forcefully having sex with them.  (The punishment is death, and sadly affecting and afflicting sadness on families and children). They are human beings just like you and I, treat them kindly and respectfully, it is not by choice that they do the kind of work they do.

The project has trained 250 police officers and a further 110 as peer educators. 140 spouses of police officers trained around HIV/AID and in STIs. Since inception of the project death rate among police officers has gone down from 80 to 50 within the two/three years.

The other project talking to faith leaders to stamp out forced marriages. Young girls as young as 13/14 years of age forced to marry 30 old plus year old men. Men old enough to be their father/grandfather. A very sad state of affair, this is abuse. What does a girl of thirteen know about love, marriage and sex? Sadly, these girls know nothing. Unfortunately for these girls are put in a position of being abused, physically, emotionally, rape and forced sex by their husbands and often dying during or after childbirth.  This cultural practice of young brides and forced marriages should be stamped out.  These girls are no longer able to continue with their education, creating an illiterate society, and poverty. Forced marriage in essence is the shifting of responsibility and burden to another.  The two causes society, to becomes exclusive, rather than inclusive, widening the gap between education, poverty and those who have and can afford to educate their children. Education should be free for all regardless of race, colour, sex or social standing in society. My observation of Malawi so far is it is a country that promotes exclusiveness and not very inclusive, a real shame and pity.

Other projects including working with women, youth, gender equality, violence against women & children, fistula repair, maternal deaths and male involvements.

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The Landirani Trust

Jane Parsloe of the Landirani Trust with my good friend Nyack, VSO volunteer based in Nsanje (Education)
For more information on the Landirani Trust go to www.africanvision.org.uk/health

The Landirani Trust

Old maternity unity, roof eaten away by termites; refurbishment of roof and maternity unit; old wash room; arrival of new baby on the new maternity unit & bicycle ambulance.

THE LANDIRANI TRUST

The Landirani Trust

Sarah, an English lady moved to our compound in October, my initial conversation with Sarah has been exchanging greetings, until recently in November during our infamous braais (bar-ba-que) that I learnt we had much in common, maternal health, promoting wellbeing of mother and baby. During our conversation, I also discovered my church; ‘Flood Church’ supports the Landirani Trust. Prior to the official opening of the maternity unit members of Flood church gave gifts to the newly built maternity unit.

A brief report on the work of the Landirani Trust, the Landirani Trust will very much appreciate your support to stay on track with the Millennium Development Goal (MDG)2015, reducing maternal deaths (MDG5), and drastically reduce the high incident rate of  neonatal deaths in Malawi, (MGD4).  Currently Malawi has one of the highest infant mortality and morbidity rates in the world.  The contributing factors to maternal and premature deaths are due to a number of factors as follows;-  

·         Poor nutritional intake by mothers

·          Pregnant young mothers/girls

·         No/lack of equipment, i.e. incubators, bag & masks and essential drugs

·         Power failures, (no generator)

·         Women having to travel far to health facilities, (women having to walk miles to their nearest health facilities)

·          Opting for home deliveries and being attended to by a traditional birth attendant (TBAs) using unsafe practices (not qualified midwives). 

Please help us make a difference to women and children in Malawi and worldwide, by supporting The Landirani Trust. Together we can reduce both maternal and neonatal deaths in Malawi, giving mothers and their babies/children a better outcome in life.

Sarah  Parsloe, The Landirani Trust

We are 8 ½ years old and as with the best organisations, grew out of a ‘small but committed’ group of people who came to Malawi and wanted to make a difference. We work in the rural community North West of Lilongwe airport and work with 25 schools and 7 CBCCs in 14 centres supported by 98 volunteers. Our community is 45,000 stronger spread over 400 sq. km and we support over 3,000 orphans and vulnerable people. We focus on

-       health (like the maternity unit);

-       water and sanitation (a partnership with Rotary International has seen nearly 50 boreholes installed in our area)

-       education (15 school partnership and 46 scholarship students)

-       self-sufficiency (100 female groundnut growers and 7 planned self-sufficient food gardens)

-       orphan care (over 1000 OVCs this year have received support including school uniforms, food distributions and clothing)

What would really help us to support our work would be assistance with, or the donations of:

-       a bicycle ambulance to enable us to get sick people and pregnant ladies to the nearest clinic or health facility

-       a  food fridge & drugs fridge, scanner, bedding and medical supplies for the new maternity unit

-       a solar pump and/or solar panels so we can finalise a water supply at the new maternity unit

-       new t-shirt s for our 98 community-based volunteers (it is over four years since we are last able to provide them with these)

-       school equipment such as books, pens/pencils and general stationery, and sponsors for scholarship students

-       wheelchairs, hearing aids, walking sticks and white sticks, knee and hand pads (for those with no lower limbs), sunscreen and sun-glasses

The Landirani Trust

PO Box 30928 / 3-331 Barron Avenue

Lilongwe 3

Tel: +265 991 332 801 / +265 175 9005 / +44 7930 472295 (UK only)

sarah.parsloe@landirani.org

 www.landirani.org

 See photos of unit, bicycle ambulance, previous and new maternity unit.

The Landirani Trust appreciates your support.

As we say in Malawi Zikomo Kwambiri – Thank you very much!

Publication of works

I am pleased to announce two of my poems have been published in one of Malawi’s national newspaper, The Nation.  A great honour  for me and has inspired me to take up writing seriously even with my dyslexia.

First to be published “COSTS NOTHING” followed by “CHILD OF MINE, How I love you” .

I owe a lot to my colleague Mr. Austin Cossam, for it was he who encouraged me to have my poems published, particularly “Child of Mine”.  As a father who had suffered a loss of a child at birth believed my poem will bring comfort to many families. The feedback received has been amazing and inspiring. To which I thank God for.

My next piece of work which I hope to have published is an Indian love song (lyrics). Currently, having the words translated into Hindu. So watch this space.

On this note I like to end with; nothing is impossible disability or no disability, don’t be put off or be inhibited by what people think or say about you. Follow your dreams and be what you want to be. Be an inspiration to others.

All poems have copyrights.  Please seek permission to use.

Thank you

Catherine