Voices for Malawi

Well it has been an eventful year for me and Voices.  I finally got James a laptop and digital camera shipped to him via a good friend Thomas Balzar.  That gave James the ability to go online and start blogging.  Now that may seem like a small achievement and perhaps it is – it took almost 3 years to find someone that was going to Malawi.  You must also remember that James experience on a computer is/was close to non-existent and I am pretty sure that he has never owned a digital camera with the exception of the one that comes with a cell phone.  So I am very proud of James for making a page of his own and getting it on the web – with pictures.  So if you look on the very top bar of Voices you will see a tab that says –   About me – James from Malawi.  It is a good read so please enjoy it.

It was great also to meet others that share the passion to help people:  Susan Evans and Ted Harrison introduced me to several people on (of all places) Saltspring Island where they are doing great things.  Thanks you Susan and Ted.  It helps to know that there are others out there and I am not the only one.

Also thanks to Doris Drake , Diane and Richard Salter, Deb and Christine Kennedy, Thomas Balzar, Zoltan Barabas, and the many other people that donated money to go to help James and others in Malawi.  It has been a very good year indeed.  I look forward to a better 2010 as I will be going to see James once again in Malawi.

Thanks to everyone.

It has been a very slow climb up a very steep hill and yet I have reached the first of many peaks – along with my friend James Chipoka and Thomas Balzer.  Two people from the opposite sides of the planet that have a couple of common threads.  One being me and the other  is the Wood Market in Lilongwe in Malawi.    The next part of the challenge was met with my family and the sharing of my short “Voices” which has introduced me to Susan Evans and Ted Harrison of Saltspring Island.  It is there that Susan runs a program called Seeds for Malawi, to whom I have been in contact with.  These fine and solid people have given me, what I hope for the people not only of Malawi, but to the world – Hope.  And that little people (in the scheme of things) can do big things.  And with that newly found Hope,  I will see more success and  more of James (who lives in Malawi)  posting on this site.

Malawi is an independent country situated in the central part of Africa and was a British Colony until 1964 when it obtained its independence through the leadership of its Father and founder the late Dr.Hastings Kamuzu Banda (whose mausoleum is beautiful and well decorated at the City Centre of Lilongwe the capital city of Malawi).  The country has a multiparty-system of democratic government consisting of five(5)political parties representing in the National Assembly.there have been no political chaos because of the Non-state actors which brings peace dialogue among politicians.

Malawi is a small country having its population close to(14,000,000)fourteen million.  Its rural areas are more density populated than in urban areas and it is divided into three regions:

1. Northern Region which consist of(6)districts.
2. Central Region which consists (9)nine districts.
3. Southern Region which consists(13)thirteen districts.

There are 3  major cities:   Blantyre to the south, Lilongwe(the Capital) is central and Mzuzu to the North.

Malawi has a tropical climate with 2 distinct seasons – it receives moderate to heavy  rains during Rainy Season with cooler temperatures.  The Dry Season which is hotter and of course a lot less rain.  Temperatures range between 12 degrees to 35 degrees Celsius.

Malawi has loamy soils suitable for the cultivation of cassava, tobacco, rice, maize, tea and many more crops including pecans.  Malawi is blessed with a beautiful landscape featuring

• LAKE MALAWI which lies to the east of the country and has plenty of famous and delicious Chambo fish along with many other varieties of fish which has attracted many visitors into the nation (with premier scuba diving).
• there are also hippopotamus which visitors enjoy by looking at them from the point of view in the morning, at sunrise.  Its blueish waters resemble the unclouded-covered sky at room and one could love seeing it turns pale at the sunset.
• MULANJE MOUNTAIN,it is the third worlds highest peak known as SAPITWA.the mountain is also believed to be protected by ghosts.  These are the spirits of old ancestors who have dominated all over and have never allowed any person to climb up beyond a certain point of the mountain or the person disappears.  This is from where the name SAPITWA came from.SAPITWA means “No-go area”.  If you visit the mountain, you will be provided with some fruits like bananas, pineapples, oranges and peaches .  Let me tell you Mulanje Mountain is a strange and fascinating place.
• NATIONAL PARKS – Malawi has also National parks where they are plenty of animals like elephants, zebras, hyenas, tigers, giraffes and even you can see the whole of the big five animals and many other species of snakes.  They’re reserved for you and me to see.  We have parks like Liwonde National Park, Lake Malawi National Park, Lengwe National Park, Kasungu National Park and some game reserves too.

Malawi like any other country has a number of tribes which include Chewa, Tumbuka, Yao, Sena, Ngoni, Lomwe and Mang’anja.  The main language is CHICHEWA.

Chichewa is the countries main language spoken all over the county and it is easy to learn the language.though we’re from different tribes, we all form one Malawi society which is loving and friendly.and this friendly atmosphere which makes Malawi to be called THE WARM HEART OF AFRICA.  Again its Christian element influences peace, friendliness and stability as a God fearing country.

The main staple food for Malawians is NSIMA (pronounced -  seemaa) and it is made from maize flour and seconded by RICE.

Malawi is rated as one of the most poorest countries among other developing countries.  The HIV/AIDS pandemic and illiteracy rate have been the main causes of increased poverty rate.  Lack of resources like farm inputs for smallholder farmers has also the major contributing factor.

(ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT),

The government is trying its level best to alleviate this poverty by introducing the following initiatives,

(1)Putting in place HIV/AIDS working policies which enable the implementers advocate the issue.

(2)It has introduced the fertilizer subsidy program, but this subsidy program is only targeting on most vulnerable people.   But not all of them can afford to buy these fertilizers cause not all  therm has money or other sources to have the fertilizers.

(3)It has introduced free primary education which gives chances to all children to attain education.

(4)It has also given the Non-state actors mandate to help tackling the poverty.  Therefore, as Malawian citizens, we decided to take part on helping the government to help those vulnerable people.  We decided to form a group of people who wish to volunteer in this work.  We talked to the village Headman after seeing how children are being affected to this pandemic.  So as the youths of this nation, we are trying to help and teach on how we can end these problems for the better of the nation.  The name of our group is called Holy Worship Ministries Development Programme (HOWOMDEP).

HOWOMDEP is a local Malawian Interdenominational Faith Based Organization(FBO).  It is registered with the (a)Lilongwe City Assembly(LCA).(b)Association of Pre-school Playgroups in Malawi(APPM)and Registrar General in the Trustee Incoporation Act with the main objective of supporting Orphans and other Vulnerable Children(OVC)and Widows among others.  HOWOMDEP has its members from different churches.  It is still at grassroot level.

OUR MISSION is to provide social economical support to Orphaned and other Vulnerable Children(OVC),Widows and other disadvantaged groups for the advancement of their physical and spiritual lives at community level.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

(1)teaching and providing food to OVC in preschools.

(2)taking care of home based patients by cleaning their homes,washing clothes and ensuring that guides for medication are properly followed,

(3)empowering widows and people living with HIV/AIDS whose health is in that position to do work by giving them some capitals for small scale business.

(4)empowering the youth by introducing for them football and netball clubs,HIV/AIDS programs and debate based on youth alert magazines.

ACHIEVEMENTS

HOWOMDEP has so far managed to achieve the following;

(1)trained twenty-four(24) volunteers in psychosocial support  in 2008

(2)trained the executive staff in Financial Management Monitoring