Here is the note from the Poehlmans who had left Malawi after I had with the news of the death of the Nkosa Mzukazuka, the chief of the whole region there who had blessed me as I left, in what we all knew was his valedictory. He was fading fast at age 82, heart- broken by the starvation deaths mounting up around him, with no one able to feed the desperate in even this, a good year, when the rains had not failed.
As I had said in my own notes, AIDS is so serious that it is the NUMBER TWO PROBLEM in this dense population in Malawi. My pictures and stories tell some part of the mounting misery from high fertility and inadequate nutrition compounded by the plagues. But, a final headline I had seen in a newspaper- - the kind of information medium that does not get outside the capital- - announced that "Eleven people killed in green maize thefts: (subtitle) Villagers keep 'round the clock vigils on garden plots to fend off starvation."
So, here you hear from another source the experience we shared in the marvelous miseries of Malawi!
GWG
. . .and where to begin.
First, let me explain the absence of good communications while we were in Malawi. On this end, the day before leaving, RoadRunner was down. We were not able to demonstrate to Christin the peculiarities of our "mail group" - - though she did her best to put a list together. Many of you may not have received Malawi #50, the only email that we posted from Malawi. On the other side, communications have become even more difficult out of Embangweni. I'm not sure I can explain why except to say that it is not altogether dependable between disk going up to Mzuzu or down to Lilongwe - - sometimes going to CCAP, sometimes to MCGill, sometimes to Rodehaver. Some incoming ones, including notices about food donations, did not reach us, either, until our return home (not too late for its purpose, however). At any rate, please accept this note as a prologue to several emails that are under construction, ones that I will get out over the next few weeks.
Having said that, we left Lilongwe on Sunday, March 17th. Actually, I was poised to leave Malawi on each of the two preceding Sundays, once word had gotten to me that my niece, Karen, had been removed from cancer treatment and had been advised to seek hospice support. Just as she had told me before leaving, she continued to say to me even in Africa, "I'll be here when you get home". Even checking on Sunday, the 17th, Karen was still up and moving about, being the wonderful mother, wife, and good family and friend to so many. Then, on Wednesday during our furlough in London, Christin called to say that Karen had taken a turn for the worse, and that we might consider going directly to St. Louis versus Raleigh on our return flight. That costs us one day, but we left Friday am from London only to arrive to paging in St. Louis telling us that Karen had slipped away while we were in flight. My heart was broken to have missed her by hours. But, she held to her bargain to be here on the 21st - - our scheduled return. She passed on the 22nd. We went on to Columbia to grieve with her husband Don and girls, Brenna 9, and Laney 5 - - then to Kirksville to visit George's mother before returning to Raleigh late Saturday night. Now, today, Friday, I leave to go back to St. Louis, then Columbia, for Karen's Memorial Service tomorrow, and her 45th birthday anniversary of Easter Sunday. I say all of this to explain the absence of communication this week and to also share with so many of you the sad news of Karen's passing. Many of you held her in your thoughts and prayers, a support to me, while we were away for the sixteen months in Malawi.
So. . . things were not so easy this time. First the bad news. The famine is serious. Never did I imagine that I would know such suffering of people going about the daily business of living. Children, the most vulnerable, are dying from malnourishment and starvation. Babies are left nursing at the breast of deceased mothers. Men and women, heads of households, are completely powerless to secure maize and protect their growing food source. Even Mzukuzuku, Tribal Chief to all living in the Embangweni area, died last Saturday. Known cause of death, as George cared for him until Wednesday before our departure, aging and pneumonia. Real cause of death - - a broken heart. In his almost 40 years of leadership to his people, never had he not been able to help feed the hungry. He was overwhelmed with personal suffering for both himself, him family, and his people. He was buried on Tuesday.
To so many of you who responded to the request for maize money, we thank you. While we thought that with money we could secure black- marketed grain ourselves, it was only through the connections that Jim McGill was able to make in Mzuzu that we finally, after three weeks of his and our efforts, secured the first load of lakuni phala - - a fortified food product designed to nourish and support life rather than just relieve hunger. We continue to seek funds to forward to Malawi, as do others like Marion Medical Mission. I shall write more about this later, but know this is an ongoing problem - - one likely to have a two years cycle. We need to help now to alleviate suffering, but we also must help be resourceful in planning for food security for next year for those who survive. We encouraged efforts, including our own, to use half now, to save or store half for the future. But do understand, the balance in this equation is not equal. No matter what is done this year, thousands will die.
The famine provided the context for this year's trip. AIDS remains foremost in our goals, but the focus there is blurred at the moment, as people seek to survive. We made some progress with TIKOLZERANEKO, the community AIDS resource center, funded by our church in Leesburg, VA, and George was able again to work with UNICEF on the possible funding now of MCTC- plus, a new program that would provide ARVs to mothers of babies treated through MCTC for the mother's lifetime. There are a few wrinkles in the efforts to write the grant, but here is hoping that Jody McGill has good news that Ekwendeni is willing to participate as a sister hospital. We need their numbers to make the grant proposal work. I am attaching a photo of two starving children I found along the side of the road. A half loaf of bread is in each of their hands.
Now the good news. Being with Jon and Mary Bennett, (photo attached), working shoulder to shoulder with them, was an experience that George and I will hold among the "greats" in our lifetime. I marvel at how effective each one is in this environment. Jon has taken on so much in relation to his AIDS research. He is working side by side the youth of the area, "youth" meaning those in secondary school and beyond who have not yet begun family (16- 35), assisting them in development of peer counseling, drama production, planning and programming. He assists Blandina, the community director, with strategic planning, advocating for a greater community role in hospital management of AIDS issues. He spends hours struggling with his interviews, looking to capture some kernel of knowledge about how to more effectively "message" about AIDS to African people. He has hired two assistants now, Brenda, one of my students at Robert Laws two years ago, is doing transcription. Mr. Nyesulu, the retired teacher and spouse of receptionist Mrs. Nyesulu, is his interpreter.
Mary Bennett is a wonder. As I mentioned in my Malawi #50, she is adored by her students. Beyond her work in the classroom, she is on the soccer field - - even refereeing matches, she is at the computer giving tutorials to interested students, she is filming for Jon. She is Mr. Jere's right hand providing technical support for the anticipated computer lab and resource library - - well under construction with funds from US supporters. Both she and Jon have really worked hard at their Timbuku, endearing themselves to so many.
Together, they are providing support to the evolving new GuestHouse. A staff is now in place, including Mrs. Phiri, the woman I first wrote about last year, who came to me about starting the Kibiri Orphan Garden, and several of the Karonga's, Peter, Andrew, and Clara, as well as Mrs. Shaba. Daily, in fact, hourly it seems, Jon and MB provide assistance to the developing team as it struggles with its first full- house, bed and board. Habitat for Humanity arrives on April 27th for three weeks, so there will be 16 for each meal, etc. Last week, Agnes Fraser, the granddaughter of the first Station Head, came to visit the Station and to preview the new facility named after her father. Jon and MB hosted her for all meals as the new dining room has yet to open. They count this assistance to Malawians among their privileges of living and working in Embangweni. I am attaching a little film documentary they have forwarded that gives a glimpse of their days!
To sum it up, at least for today, it was a great experience to live and work, again, among Embangwenian's - - including our children. Times are really hard; we are suffering, ourselves, from compassion fatigue, and we worry for Jon and MB, who along with Dr. Alec and Carolyn McClean (and three children) are the only expats remaining there. Back home, we now worry at a systems level - - how to raise money, how to get maize, how to hedge for next year. Those there, they have the people to face daily - - ones whose upturned hands and gesture of cupped hand to mouth signals hunger. Though not missioners, our
Finally, Easter is the biggest celebration of the year for Malawians. About two in the morning on Sunday, they will arise and start going from house to house, "Easter caroling", gathering one another to go to face the sunrise. In spite of their suffering and human need, they will this years, just like last, celebrate Easter as the promised Hope. They will sing - - then weep - - because of their joy!
Betty and George