Waka! Waka! Working While Walking

(SOUTHERN AFRICA) As many of you have heard, we are headed back to Africa to work with CRWRC – now known as World Renew! To Malawi, in Southern Africa. I will be taking on the role of Southern Africa Regional Ministry Team Leader. We will be based in Lilongwe, Malawi, but I will be responsible for our work in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia.

Do you recall watching the soccer World Cup in South Africa in 2010? It revealed an Africa that was full of energy and hope. For some it was a surprise. For some it was a lie. But for me, it has always been the underlying truth of Africa. The theme song for the World Cup that year was called Waka Waka and it had a special meaning for me.

Zamina mina éh éh (Come! Come!)
Waka waka éh éh (Do it. Do it. Walk walk.)
Zamina mina, zangalewa (Come! Come! Who has called you?)
Anawam ah ah (It’s me! Yes it is.)

Zamina mina éh éh (Come! Come!)
Waka waka éh éh (Do it. Do it. Walk Walk.)
Zamina mina zangalewa (Come! Come! Who has called you?)
This is Africa
This time for Africa

For the last 18 years I have worked in various parts of Africa and, like the song, I know that I have been (re)called to “come” and to “do” more.

God has blessed much of the work that CRWRC has done in various parts of Africa; but the suffering persists. In Malawi, more than 40% of children under five are stunted. This is an irreversible condition in which children are physically and intellectually under-developed due to poor nutrition and frequent disease in the first five years of their lives. In Zambia, the rate of undernourishment (hunger) has gotten worse in the last decade despite increases in farm yields. And Mozambique’s agricultural progress has been slowed by the HIV and AIDS pandemic.

There are, however, many signs of positive development; and with CRWRC in Southern Africa we intend to capitalize on the energy and the hope of the people to create and sustain this lasting change. With a focus on Food and Livelihoods Security, improved seeds, and diversified cropping, CRWRC hopes to improve yields, farm incomes, and market systems. We will be linking these successes to Mother and Child Health issues including nutrition, malaria, access to safe water, and HIV and AIDS.

Blessings and Peace,