A Breath of Fresh Air

Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, looked like it was on the brink of permanent death. There was a feeling of gloom everywhere, and people did not know what to do. The deaths of twenty ordinary citizens killed by police as they demonstrated for their rights seemed to be the nail in a coffin of doom. And yet despite this, God continues to live true to His Word, his blessings are new every morning. (La 3:23). Malawi has a new political leadership and things are beginning to stabilize. Her Excellency Joyce Banda is only the second female president on the continent of Africa. She seems to be taming the runaway chaos that had engulfed the country: fuel is now readily available, sugar is back in stock, and things have normalized despite a 45% currency devaluation that has resulted in massive price hikes!

And yet despite this, God continues to live true to His Word, his blessings are new every morning. (La 3:23). Malawi has a new political leadership and things are beginning to stabilize. Her Excellency Joyce Banda is only the second female president on the continent of Africa. She seems to be taming the runaway chaos that had engulfed the country: fuel is now readily available, sugar is back in stock, and things have normalized despite a 45% currency devaluation that has resulted in massive price hikes!

Malawi, a nation ranked among the twelve least-developed countries in the world, still has some good news to share, in part through the work CRWRC is doing among the poor in the rural areas.

Meet Agnes from Kamanzi (pictured in blue, above), a village that lies about 60 km to the west of Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. Agnes is a member of her local women’s group and is being trained in improved farming practices through CRWRC’s partner, the Nkhoma Relief and Development Agency (NRD). She has actively participated in the training and is applying what she is taught on her farm. She is also a recipient in a recent goat project. In addition, through the diligent work of her hands she has managed to produce a consistent surplus crop that has enabled her to pay for her daughter’s education through university. Her daughter is studying at one of the national universities, Bunda College, which specializes in agriculture training. This is an amazing feat for a woman in this sleepy rural village where most people are illiterate. She is a success story, and we give glory to God for what He is doing among his people.

In another photo is Chief Nabibi, a woman chief of a small village in Chipoka, one of the areas where CRWRC and NRD have been carrying out a home-based care program that, among other things, is working on eradicating the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. She is pictured with Esther, the lady on the right (in red), who is the coordinator of the program. On a Saturday morning, I have made an appointment to visit her because I want to hear her story. Esther is one of more than seventy people who has openly declared her HIV-positive status and has joined a support group. Esther uses the many public forums she holds in the course of her duty to talk about HIV and AIDS, and she even goes to primary and secondary schools to raise awareness and combat stigma. She wants to influence more of the local leadership who are positive to state their HIV status publicly because she knows that is the only way this scourge can be fought. Esther exudes an air of calm confidence as she shares the vision of her support group: to ensure that the virus is completely eradicated from their village by 2018!

Finally from Malawi, we share about an exciting journey of change that we have started with about ten local churches and communities through NRD. We have begun to facilitate a Church and Community Mobilization Process that is a Bible-based empowerment program that begins with the local church and then reaches out into the immediate community.

The anchor Scripture used to communicate God’s plan for humanity is Isaiah 61:1. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has appointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to open the prison for those who are bound. (KJV) The facilitator encourages participants to think about what has imprisoned the people in their community, and we heard sad tales of inadequate potable water, lack of teachers and books at the public school which leads to poor performance in national examinations, poor roads that make it impossible to take produce to markets or loved ones to health centers, and many more stories.

The next steps of the Church and Community Mobilization Process will equip a team of people chosen by these local churches for their facilitation skills. They, in turn, will go out and motivate their local churches and communities, and together they will begin a process of self-discovery, finding creative solutions to the challenges they face as a community. To do so, the local communities and local churches must meet often, and as they do, begin to form close linkages and forge strong relationships that unite people in their resolve to address their own needs. We know that God has promised in Psalm 133 to bless brethren who live together in unity.

In the next few months, I will be sharing with you about the exciting process of change taking place in these communities as they learn to work together and true transformation begins.

Malawi may be one of the poorest nations on earth but in the villages, any meeting is an opportunity for celebration. The little girl in the last photo is learning her steps early as she joins her mum in a dance to celebrate our visit to Kamanzi village not long ago with the delegation from CIDA.

Grace and Peace,