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MALAWI May 2023MALAWI May 2023
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Vicki travelling alone this time to visit her friend Roberta who has worked in Malawi for over ten years Read more
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  • TravelerMALAWI May 2023
    Day 3

    Day 1

    May 11, 2023 in Malawi ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    After 30+ hours of travel, I arrived in Malawi on Thursday afternoon. I flew from Greensboro to Newark, NJ, and spent the night in the freezing terminal before a very early flight to Dulles/Washington DC. Had a couple of hours, then boarded the plane that would be a 13 hr flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is so long, crowded, and hard to sleep. I watched a movie, read an entire book, dozed off and on, got up to walk the aisle and keep the circulation going in my legs, and finally arrived in Ethiopia. Two more hours in the airport before boarding my last flight, 3 hours, to Lilongwe, capitol of Malawi.
    Malawi is a small, landlocked country in southeast Africa, with a population of about 20 million people. It is one of the ten poorest countries in the world. I made two trips to Malawi in 2009 and 2010, on church missions trips and have longed to return. Finally I am here again!
    My friend Roberta picked me up at the airport and we drove to her home. After all that travel and lack of sleep, I was not feeling too great but was determined to stay awake until 7 pm as a way to get used to the new time zone. ( Malawi is 6 hours ahead of the US east coast.)
    We sat and caught up on her lovely front porch, and I made it to 7:30. I fell asleep as soon as I laid down and slept for 12 hrs straight!    Read more

  • TravelerMALAWI May 2023
    1
    Day 4

    Day 2

    May 12, 2023 in Malawi ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    After sleeping for 12 hours, I expected to feel better, but still ached all over, had a headache and felt dehydrated. But a shower, breakfast and a glass of water and some Tylenol helped a great deal, and so we headed out on a shopping expedition. We went across town to a very congested shopping area that is impossible to describe. But you can get anything- hardware, plumbing, electronics, plastic warehouse, clothing made for you, and on and on. Our goal was two treadle sewing machines, fabric, thread, scissors, with a plan to give them to a group of women at the refugee camp and teach them how to use them so they can begin to earn a living. We were able to get all that we needed, and a few things that Roberta needed. Then we went to the chitenje market, where all the wonderful African fabrics are sold. A chitenje is a 2 meter piece of fabric that most women wear as a wrap skirt. They are also used to spread out on the ground to sit on or to wrap around a baby to wear on their back. The colors are beautiful, the patterns so varied and the choices are many. On my previous trip, I came home with a LOT of fabric and still haven't used it all. But the colors seemed brighter, the patterns prettier, and I DID need a couple of chitenjes to wear in the refugee camp, so got three pieces only, this time. I may get more before I leave here, but it was SO fun to look.
    I didn't talk about driving here, they drive on the opposite side from the US, I had forgotten that. It is jarring and scary as a passenger. To make it worse, there are pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, and lots of cars all sharing the road. You have to be a very aggressive driver here.    Read more

  • TravelerMALAWI May 2023
    Day 5

    Day 3 in Malawi

    May 13, 2023 in Malawi ⋅ 🌙 61 °F

    After breakfast and coffee, we went to the local weekly farmers/craft market, much like ones in the States. Roberta knew many friends there, and believe it or not, I knew a couple of them from my previous visits! I saw some great crafts and will be bringing home some souvenirs. They seem to be better quality and creativity than I remembered. There was a lovely outdoor cafe, so we had another cup of coffee, and we enjoyed the market activity and beautiful weather(sunny and 80 every day) before heading back to Roberta's house. I sorted through some sewing supplies that Roberta had stored, so we knew what else we might need. We will be delivering the sewing machines on Monday, setting them up and beginning to teach women how to use them.
    We went to a dinner party in the evening with a group of Roberta's closest friends here. They are all expats, and the hostess is leaving Africa in two weeks after being here for over 60 years. So she was hosting an intimate farewell party and they were all so nice, and so funny! Included me like I was one of them. There will apparently be a much bigger party next weekend.
    I am feeling really good, expected more jet lag. But getting two solid nights of sleep did wonders, and I am not feeling any effects of travel.    Read more

  • TravelerMALAWI May 2023
    Day 6

    Day 4 in Malawi- Mothers Day

    May 14, 2023 in Malawi ⋅ 🌙 64 °F

    We went to Roberta's church, Capitol City Baptist Church, where she has attended for most of her time here. It was a good service, and the pastor's message really spoke to me. We made a quick stop at a very crowded grocery store and then went across town to pick up an old friend, Obed, who was our driver for all the teams we brought here. He is a hardworking man and has become a good friend to Roberta. She is going with Oved and his wife to his middle daughter's graduation from secondary(high school). His older daughter is just finishing her first year of college, and his youngest is finishing grade 8.
    Obed's birthday was Thursday. I brought him a small gift and we had a nice lunch at Mama Mia's, an Italian restaurant.
    Quiet afternoon and evening.
    Mother's day in Malawi is in October.
    If you have any questions please ask in the comments, or want to see pictures of anything. Tomorrow we go to the Dzeleka refugee camp and the work begins. Delivering the sewing machines and some other things I brought.    Read more

  • TravelerMALAWI May 2023
    2
    Day 7

    Day 5 in Malawi

    May 15, 2023 in Malawi ⋅ 🌙 66 °F

    This morning we went to Dzaleka Refugee Camp, about 40km north of Lilongwe. There are "52,678 persons of concern (PoCs) as of 2021. The majority live in the Dzaleka refugee camp located in the Dowa district, some 41 kilometres away from the capital Lilongwe.  

    Dzaleka is a protracted camp with a monthly average of 300 new arrivals (62% are from the DRC, 19% Burundi and 7% Rwanda and 2% other nationalities). 45% of the PoCs are women, and 48% are children. The camp was initially established to host between 10,000 to 12,000 PoCs but now hosts over 52,000 individuals.

    Of the total PoC population, 21,530 have refugee status, 30,910 are asylum seekers, with 238 others of concern, making the refugee situation a protracted one." Info from United Nations High Commission on Refugees
    The camp is noisy crowded and home to over 50000. It is really a small city. There are schools, health clinics, churches, very small gardens, restaurants( someone with a hotplate in their doorway cooking for passersby). Streets are narrow and deeply rutted, filled with people on foot, bicycles, and scooters. A very few cars brave the very rough terrain, including Roberta's. It is an amazing feat to see her navigate places I wouldn't dream of attempting.
    We first took the sewing machines to Roberta's friend Grace. Grace has gone through an extensive training course to facilitate trauma healing. After two months of counseling in small groups to process their own trauma, participants are then trained to be Facilitators to teach those who complete the counseling how to counsel and then teach others what they have learned. She currently has about 20 groups of men and women at different stages of the training process. Part of that healing comes by finding a purpose and something to do to keep busy. She has training programs for sewing/tailoring and for cooking so that they can earn a basic income. They have four sewing machines and we brought two more. They were very excited about this gift and how many more would be able to learn this skill. These are actual Singer treadle machines, much better than the ones I used on previous trips. Roberta is helping Grace to write a grant proposal to obtain funding for her organization and they spent time discussing the information needed. While having that discussion, less than an hour, one of the girls made a dress for me! I did not get the picture yet of me wearing it, just you wait! Edited: photo added! What do you think?
    Then we went to YWAM Dzaleka where Roberta works with their team. I got to hear the amazing story of how God provided funding for the buildings and a couple to lead the team there, who are regugees themselves. We had lunch and then a women's Bible study led by Roberta. At least a dozen women were there, and translation was from English to Swahili to Chichewa. Usually there are more, but there was a funeral and it is harvest time so many were not able to come.
    I was so busy looking I did not take a lot of pictures but we will be at the camp several more times so will get more for future posts    Read more

  • TravelerMALAWI May 2023
    Day 8

    Day 6 in Malawi

    May 16, 2023 in Malawi

    We left Roberta's house at 6:40 am to get to the YWAM base for team devotions at 7:30. 🥱🥱🥱 We had a good discussion about loving and praying for your enemies. Then there was a short team meeting to welcome several new members to the YWAM team, all refugees, most from DRC(Dem. Republic of Congo). We gave one of the Bibles I brought to a team member and he was thrilled!
    A short excursion to the Tuesday market just outside the camp, a huge open-air market where you can get most anything. I looked at more chitenje fabric, and only bought one piece, less than $2 for a 2 meter piece! Stopped on the way back to YWAM base to pick up fresh chapatis(like flour tortillas) for a friend of Roberta's, then back for lunch and a video phone call to some friends in the US. Then out to visit disabled who are housebound to encourage them, provide some company and pray with them. We went to three homes, two housed family groups who have been approved to leave the camp. One group of 12 was going to Canada, the other going to US was about 6 or 7. Sadly, the UN. officials who process the paperwork for the second family to leave were asking them to pay an exorbitant fee(over $3000)- which is illegal and despicable. They were asking if we could help them. Roberta made it clear that it was wrong for them to ask, and will discuss the problem with the team leader at YWAM. It was later than Roberta's usual leaving time of 4pm, so we got stuck in rush hour, which is complicated by the fact that there are no traffic signals here, everyone just goes when they see a sliver of an opening. It took an hour and a half to get home and we are tired. Driving here is a scary adventure, between bad potholes like you've never seen, bicyclists, motorbikes, and cars passing each other-playing chicken- constantly. You need nerves of steel on the roads here and Roberta's got them.    Read more

  • TravelerMALAWI May 2023
    Day 9

    Day 7 in Malawi

    May 17, 2023 in Malawi ⋅ 🌙 63 °F

    This morning was for errands. We had to meet a person to pay for the safari we are going on next week🤩! Then we picked up friends of Roberta's who had loaned her their second car while hers was in the shop and went to get her car. It wasn't ready so her friends dropped us off at the immigration office so Roberta could get an extension on her visa. Car still wasn't ready so we walked to a coffee shop to wait until someone from the shop came to pick us up and take us there. And that was our morning. Back at Roberta's, she fixed a late lunch while I started on a sewing project for her. She asked if I could make new covers for her porch sofa and chairs. We got new thicker cushions and fabric last Fridsy when we got the sewing machines. I cut the corners off one end of 5 cushions to match the rounded ones that were on the furniture. Then I started ripping out the zippers from the current cushion covers so I can use them on the ones I make. It was a nice afternoon. We had our late lunch, then went to Roberta's Bible study. Ten ladies from several different countries-Korea, South Africa, Canada, Malawi, US, and UK-met - to discuss their study on Elijah. It was a great group and a great discussion. We got home around 7, had a light supper, and I ripped out one more zipper before bed.
    The only picture I took today was of the only traffic light I have seen here, in front of the Convention Center and hotel. There are so many intersections that really need stoplights. Malawi, actually Lilongwe, has grown so much in 13 years. Large office buildings, much more traffic, nice restaurants, grocery stores with many choices. The population has actually grown by more than 5 million since I was here last.    Read more

  • TravelerMALAWI May 2023
    Day 10

    Day 8 in Malawi

    May 18, 2023 in Malawi ⋅ 🌙 63 °F

    This morning we returned to Dzaleka to visit Grace and see how the new machines were working out. There were six machines, all humming away. One of their older machines was not working, and I looked to see what the problem was. Couldn't figure it out but will discuss it Saturday with a machine parts guy to see if they know how it might be fixed. We have to return to the shopping area, Area 2, where we went last Friday to get the machines. I was assured that good, strong belts were included with the machines, but when they were assembled, no belts were found in the packaging. So the man we bought them from is giving us four belts as compensation. But it means another trip to Area 2, which is daunting.
    The good news, as we knew it would be, was that those using the new machines had made temporary belts by making a string out of a strip of fabric(pics below), which worked well. But it is temporary, only lasts a couple of weeks at best. The strong leather ones can last more than two years. Then they asked me to help some beginners get started, so we started with just getting the feel of the treadle. It takes some precise to get the feel of it. Then they get a piece of lined notebook paper and have to practice running the paper through the machine, without thread. The needle punches holes in the paper and they have to keep the row of holes in the line on the paper. I had 2 men and 2 women getting their first sewing lesson. They have a couple of teachers there who will continue to teach them tailoring. Today while I was sewing, one of the ladies made a dress for Roberta. It fit her beautifully.
    We stopped on the way to the YWAM base at a restaurant in the camp for a lunch of rice and beans and greens. It was tasty and was less than $2. The restaurant was just an 8x10 room with a few tables and benches.
    At the YWAM base, Roberta got on a video call to Baltimore to introduce some of her friends to the YWAM director and his wife. Then Roberta had a hard conversation with Trason about the lady we visited yesterday who is paralyzed and has been approved for leaving the camp for the US. It is difficult to describe the complexities of the issue and all the challenges faced by these refugees- human trafficking is rampant, people think nothing of stealing from their neighbors, sanitation and running water is minimal, most have to carry water from a central well for cooking, bathing, drinking. Many have no way to earn an income and are always hungry. Small children wander alone everywhere, I guess they know where they are going. It is impossible to imagine the horror that brought them there, and the despair of being there.
    We privileged ones get to drive away to a nice home and plenty to eat and flush toilets. Lilongwe even has a Mexican restaurant, where we stopped for margaritas and chips and guacamole on the way home.
    After a light supper, I got back to the cushions, I got the first one cut out and will start sewing tomorrow afternoon. I also spent time prepping for Sunday's project.    Read more

  • TravelerMALAWI May 2023
    Day 11

    Day 9 in Malawi

    May 19, 2023 in Malawi ⋅ 🌙 63 °F

    This morning we stopped for groceries, then drove across town and picked up Angela, a friend Roberta met when she was teaching a women's Bible study in the prison. Angela had committed a white collar crime and spent 3 years incarcerated. Now she cooks for large groups of needy people. Every 2-3months, Angela and Roberta visit Esther, a 31 yr. Old woman and her mother in a village called Mkukula. Esther has been bedbound since birth, her legs are severely deformed and contracted. I believe she has cerebral palsy. Her speech is only intelligible to her mother. Esther is dependent for all her care, and mom is her caregiver. Esther was very excited to see her friends, they have been coming for about 2 yrs, bringing grocery staples and company . We found mom today was quite ill, could barely walk, pain all over and severe pounding headaches. She has a skin condition called vitiligo, where her dark skin is turning light all over her body and she said it was very painful. So Roberta offered to take her and her son to a nearby private hospital where Roberta knows 2 girls who work there as doctors. The son found a Caregiver for Esther and then we all went to Blessing hospital, about a 20 min drive. We were there for maybe an hour and a half while mom was examined and lab work was done. She was found to be hypertensive, but lab work was all normal. All they gave her for pain was aspirin and also blood pressure medication. And referred her to Kamuzu Central Hospital Skin clinic, as they had no idea what was going on with her skin. That is the country's main hospital, located 45 min away in Lilongwe. Roberta paid the hospital bill, and gave mom money for transport to and from the hospital. Then it was back to the village to take them home. The ride to their house was another adventure in how narrow a space can Roberta drive through? And some off roading. Then we drove back to Lilongwe to take Angela home and got home around 3:30. We never got lunch, so were hungry and ate leftovers.
    Did some sewing and got the first cushion cover done. Pretty sure I won't get ten done. Also worked more on Sunday's sewing project.    Read more

  • TravelerMALAWI May 2023
    Day 12

    Day 10 in Malawi

    May 20, 2023 in Malawi ⋅ 🌙 64 °F

    I am halfway through my time here! It is going too quickly. This morning we drove back to Area 2 shopping district to get the belts for the sewing machines, thread and zippers for the cushions and a few more supplies for tomorrow's project. We were back by noon, and I spent a few hours getting the final preparations for tomorrow. I have no idea how this will go, but it is what was requested of me. We will see. Then we went to a big party for Roberta's friend Val, who I mentioned on Day 3. The theme was "Out of Africa," and it was a potluck picnic out in a field. There were lights, firepit containers, and so much food. Val was making the rounds and speaking with all her friends, 40-50 or so. And that was about half of who was invited. She has many friends who all care about her a great deal. She came to Africa over 60 years ago to work in telecommunications. It was such a nice time. We watched the sunset, looked at the stars, ate so much good food and then had to drive home in the dark. It is so much worse than during the day. There are no streetlights, there are still people on bicycles, walking, on motorbikes all the while still having to dodge the many, many big potholes in the road- and traffic was still heavy at 7pm on Saturday night. It is nerve-wracking and exhausting for Roberta and for her passenger!
    We made it home and were in bed early so we can go to her regular church service at 7:30am🫨🫨😴🥱    Read more

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