We Are Called to Serve the Global Church

By Ben Hampson

We didn’t meet anyone in Malawi who told us that they were exploited by a major corporation or by an unjust government. But by meeting people who have the highest material needs and through discussions with the team about what it means to help the poorest I realised that I have had far less consideration for the global church than I should have. In this blog, I’ll be going through what God calls us to do and some practical ways we can respond.

What does God call us to do?

God has taken his place in the divine council;
    in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
“How long will you judge unjustly
    and show partiality to the wicked?
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
    maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

Psalm 82: 1-4 (ESV)

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.

Proverbs 31:8 (NIV)

I realised that I instinctively prioritise convenience over loving the oppressed or the destitute. It’s more convenient for me to buy the cheaper food, but it’s more loving if I pay slightly more for a product which provides a fairer wage to the workers who produced it. It’s sometimes inconvenient to follow global news, but I’m called to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, and how can I do that if I’m not aware of their problems? It’s inconvenient or ‘insignificant’ to email my MP about an important issue, but I’m called to speak up about poverty and injustice whether or not I think the impact will be ‘significant’ or not.

On top of that, I have realised that in the past I’ve heard that God calls us to do these things, but I’ve never taken His words with the reverence they deserve. Whereas I would have been sure to try and keep the ten commandments or to love my neighbour as myself, I wouldn’t have given His call to “Rescue the weak and needy” as much thought or effort. God’s words are God’s words - there’s no scale of importance, whereby one sentence is more important than another. It’s therefore clear to me that I need to take the call to serve the poor and oppressed around the world in a much more sincere way.

Convenience, as I have said, can be in direct conflict with the call to serve others, but I don’t think we have to abstain from convenience entirely. We don’t need to painstakingly research every ingredient of five loaves of bread before we choose which one to buy. Instead we need to understand that convenient decisions are often very selfish, and the quickness with which we make these decisions leaves no time to consider our brothers and sisters across the world. Often, taking those small decisions to serve others instead of ourselves is not ‘painstaking’ at all; it merely requires a little bit of awareness about which options are more ethical than others. In other words, we just need to find out which companies are fairer than others. But even if those choices are costly, that’s not necessarily a reason not to do it either. Ultimately, love is far more important than convenience.

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia,  for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favour of taking part in the relief of the saints—  and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 

2 Corinthians 8:1-5 (ESV)

This loving attitude towards the global church, and working out ways to carry out loving actions, can create a very satisfying feeling for a short while. It can even be fashionable. But it cannot be a humble, fruitful, and life-long endeavour without God’s help. For this to be a genuinely loving and long-lasting attitude, we need to pray for a change of heart; from a heart which looks to always serve ourselves to one which longs to serve others. Instead of being people who ignore the plight of the poorest, we must be people who do what the Macedonians did; respond ‘earnestly’.

How can we respond?

After we have asked God for that heart change, we don’t need to wait. Instead, we should carry out practical responses. The following is a collection of things we can do to serve others around the world.

1. Be More Aware

Being more informed and aware of what’s happening around the world can help us to understand the issues, know that we need to pray for them, and become more impassioned about them.

• Follow the news - Stay informed of the what’s happening around the world, and pray about it.
• Ethical Consumer/The Good Shopping Guide - These are rankings of how ethical companies are. Ethical Consumer has a mobile version of their website, so you can quickly check the site when you’re shopping so that you know you’re making the right decisions. I’d recommend beginning by looking up a few categories that you regularly buy things from (e.g. toiletries) and remembering one or two brands which are more ethical and which ones aren’t.
• Trips to developing countries -  For me, visiting Malawi was certainly the best way to learn about what’s happening in developing countries, and to become more passionate about seeking justice. Trips can vary in length, style, and purpose, so there are plenty of options available. Take a look at what Tearfund and other charities have available.
  
• Learn more about an issue you’re passionate about - There are issues, related to poverty or not, which you may be passionate about. Find out which organisations are taking action about it and then read their website, subscribe to their newsletter, pray, and act. A few great organisations to look at are Tearfund, Open Doors, and Amnesty International.
• Tearfund Rhythms - “By doing small, regular actions, we believe that this generation can change the world together. We look around us at a world full of injustice and want to do something. We are a dreaming generation that want to haul God’s dream for the world into reality. And by taking small regular actions, we don’t just change the injustice around us but we change ourselves, becoming more the kinds of people who can make a difference”.

2. Speak up

• Prayer - “…in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” - Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
• Petition - It was, in large part, a petition which led to the abolition of slavery in the UK in 1833. They take very little time to sign but can have a very big impact. Remember that it’s also important not to just sign a petition and forget about the issue - keep up to date with it and pray about it.
• Protest - This was something I felt very challenged about during the trip. Would I protest about something? I realised that I’ve not had a very good image of protestors and I’ve always thought it’s ‘not for people like me’. But my ultimate conclusion is that if I feel passionate about an issue then it’s only right that I speak up about it.
• Talk about issues with your friends - By talking about issues that you care about, you can inform others and spark others to find out more and to do something as well. Another great way to spread the word is by using social media. Share what you’re passionate about.
• Email your MP - I volunteered for an MP, responding to letters and emails which came in. Whilst she didn’t read every letter, she did receive a summary each week of how many people have written in about which issues. This does make a difference because it puts pressure on your MP to actually go to the debates about that issue and speak to the relevant ministers. After all, they want you to vote for them! So a short letter or email to your MP does help. You can find out how to contact your MP, and their voting record, at TheyWorkForYou.com
• Email companies - Whilst it’s important to shop right, it’s also important to let companies know why you are or aren’t buying their products, and what you hope to see changed in the future. Don’t just focus on the negatives - praise companies for their good practices as well. I’m considering having a day or week every year where I write to MPs and companies, praising them for what I agree with and asking them to improve in certain areas. Again, the email doesn’t have to take a long time to write - a concise point is all you need to make to influence the company.
• Fill out company surveys - Cafes and shops often have surveys or comment cards. This is a clear opportunity to request Fairtrade foods and drinks, or to make them aware that you think they ought to pay their workers a living wage.

3. Use Your Money

• Every time you spend money, you’re voting for something. Company decisions are largely based on what the bottom line says, so when you decide to spend your money on one item or rather than another, or in one place rather than another, you’re speaking with your money. When others do the same, the effects can be dramatic. The fact that Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance products are widespread is only because people began to ask for it in shops and because people continue to buy it.

• Move Your Money - After looking at this website and finding out what my bank, Barclays, has been up to, I’ve begun the process of moving my money to the Coventry Building Society. I don’t want my money to be in a bank which has manipulated rates, paid very little corporation tax, and had a very poor human rights record amongst other things. Interestingly, my current account at the Coventry will have almost exactly the same features (online banking, VISA debit card etc.) as my Barclays account does - I had thought that it would be missing something, but it doesn’t. Moving is now easier than ever [link] as well, so there’s barely any inconvenience to me.
• Kiva - By lending to someone, through Kiva’s approved organisations, you can help them invest and move their small business forwards. The loan is repaid to you, and then you can keep re-lending that money over and over again. You can loan just $25 (£15) and it takes just a few minutes to do! If you sign up now at Kiva.org/MiddleEast they actually start with you off with $25 for free.

• Free 2 Play - A simple but clever idea. Every time you play something you enjoy, put £1 aside and donate the total to a charity.
• Give As You Live/Easy Fundraising - I recently installed this toolbar, which gives a small amount to charity every time you shop at a participating retailer online (e.g. Amazon or John Lewis). It’s very unobtrusive too - it only pops up when you’re on a website which participates in the scheme.
• Tearfund have a few more ideas here.

Conclusion

Change does happen because of grassroots movements. In the past four years, the number of militia-run mines in Congo has reduced by two-thirds, because consumers put pressure on lawmakers and companies, like Apple and Intel. Recently, regulators are finally capping the rates and fees short-term loan companies like Wonga can charge after media and public pressure to say changes made. H&M now have an ‘organic’ range, with green tags on them, as part of their efforts to become fairer and more sustainable - it’s not perfect, but it’s a move in the right direction because of consumer pressure. As I’ve mentioned above, there are more Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance products now than ever before. Already, big changes are happening because more and more people are speaking up and making better choices with their money. 

I want to make sure that being informed, making better choices with my money and speaking up is something important and ongoing in my life, not just something that I do as a feel-good gimmick for a few weeks or months. Ultimately, that won’t come about merely by my own strength or persistence - it’ll come as a result of God’s intervention in my thinking. It’s what He calls us to do, and therefore something which He delights to see us do - to become a church prioritising justice over convenience.

Goodbye Malawi

It’s now been almost five months since the six of us step foot on Malawian ground and embraced this place as our new home. Friday 27^th June is our last day working with Assemblies of God Relief and Development Services (AGREDS) in Salima, where we have been based since the beginning of February.

It feels so strange looking back on these past few months, especially looking back to that first week where everything was so unfamiliar and uncertain, and now, now it’s our last week. We went through many emotions during those first few weeks, ups and downs, and that still applies now. Yes, it’s really exciting to think of returning home; to seeing friends and family, to have British food, to sleep without mosquito nets and to use a scrubber and PedEgg on my feet which have a permanent black colour from the dusty ground. But, the thought of parting with Malawi, the friends we’ve made, the people we’ve met, the projects we’ve been involved with and grown so passionate about, that will be so difficult.

Like we did for our first blog post in Malawi, during our first week in Salima, we’ve taken time to reflect on how these past five months have affected us, the thoughts and feelings we’ve had and still have, and our attitude towards both the trip and returning to Britain.

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 (1) What has been the highlight(s) of this trip?

Laurie: There have been many, but the times that I will remember most fondly are visits to the field where we have just sat with community members, listened to their stories of transformation and their songs, chatted to them about their lives and the problems they face, worked alongside them in harvesting or making fuel efficient stoves and just sharing in the joy they have.

Ben: Mount Mulanje. The views, the challenge, the time together and the freezing cold water were all fantastic. Dropping my iPhone into one of the pools wasn’t so fantastic.

(2) What are the challenges you've faced?

David: Malawian time!! Missing family and friends, particularly after Grandma and Grandpa’s death. Another challenge has been health with my back abscesses and being on IV antibiotics.

Laurie: The flexibility of Malawian plans- you can make plans to do something but it can easily be changed to a latter time, another day or cancelled altogether, or people will not turn up on time so you have to wait around for ages. This was a bigger problem at the beginning of the visits when we were writing reports, but it has taught us of patience and adaptability.

(3) Has there been anything in particular that’s stood out/surprised you during this trip?

Jonny: How we’ve bonded as a team. We are quite different individuals with different personalities but we’ve all got on really well and built up close relationships, as a team and with one another.

Nia: Peoples attitude towards combating climate change has both surprised and excited me. I never realized how much of a problem it is in sub-Saharan Africa. To see ruined crops and land that’s fallen away because of soil erosion has been shocking, but, the village people’s attitude towards adaption and protection has been so positive. We’ve seen this both in schools at climate change clubs and also in the communities. Tree planting committees and farming clubs are two examples where villagers have been adapting planting and harvesting techniques so that their maize yield does not decrease despite the challenges climate change has caused.

(4) What will you miss most about Malawi?

Ben: I’ll definitely miss the kids who live near our lodge the most. Not only are they immeasurably adorable, but we’ve come to get to know them quite well. We have a great time with them, whether we’re playing football with them, swinging them around or carrying them on our shoulders.

Nia: I will miss what I see with my eyes every day- beautiful mothers in colourful chitenji wraps, baby tied onto their back, seeing ox carts pulling mountains of maize cobs, bike taxis swerving into the road as a honking car approaches, children’s shy smiles and giggly whispers as a reaction to our unfamiliar, white faces and being greeted so warmly by villagers in the rural communities.

(5) What are you looking forwards to in Britain?

Laurie: My friends and family (obviously), fast and constantly available internet and food that is not drowning in oil. Also, I am looking forwards to there being no language barriers between me and those around me.

Jonny: Just the little things. There are a lot of simple things we take for granted, take plug sockets for example. You probably expect that your plug socket should be attached to the wall?, that it’s easy to plug and unplug things from it?, and that it’s safe and doesn’t spark? Well then maybe Malawi isn’t the best place for you…

(6) What have you learnt whilst out in Malawi?

David: I’ve learnt a lot about development work and about the importance of Christian fellowship, especially with Christians in other parts of the world.

Nia: The saying ‘God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called’ has stood out for me this trip. In my struggles, where I didn’t feel equipped, God has been moulding me, responding to my prayers and given me strength to carry on. He has filled me with peace and patience when I’ve been frustrated at team members or at changes of plan. He has given me joy and a big heart for development work and the people of Malawi, in particular the women whom I admire so much. I feel that this trip has been a time of equipping and I look forwards to returning home and going to university and putting all I’ve learnt into practice.

(7) What can you take back to Britain with you?

Jonny: A sense of community and hospitality, which you really feel in the villages and that we should be welcoming to everyone and enjoy meeting others, even if they’re complete strangers.

Ben: I’ve been challenged to act more justly towards, and speak out on behalf of, our brothers and sisters globally. Britain is wrapped in a warm blanket. A combination of distance and a lack of exposure makes us numb to the reality and harshness of poverty. We live far away from the people who work their hardest in factories and mines with dire working conditions. Although I feel like I’m someone who has a good understanding of the problems of global consumerism, it’s not something I’ve actually responded to before. I’ve carried on seeking convenience rather than justice.
Although I haven’t met anyone who has been affected directly by an unethical corporation, meeting people who are so poor and seeing the conditions they are in despite their hard work has awoken in me the Father’s desire for us to be a global church – one that supports and blesses our less fortunate brothers and sisters around the world. That could be through shopping more ethically (take a look at ethicalconsumer.org/buyersguides.aspx to find out how ethical brands you use are), switching to a more ethical bank (moveyourmoney.org.uk), petitioning and boycotting, and writing and speaking to my MP about issues. Although I might be just one person, I now believe that that doesn’t excuse me from doing my part and encouraging others to do the same.

Lois: As I've already come back to the UK I've noticed how my concern for the environment has increased. I think this is from seeing the horrific impacts of climate change on the daily lives of Malawians. Also I am challenging myself to be more content with what I have which is something I've learnt from Malawians, not to moan at the things I have but instead be grateful for what God has blessed me with.

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I hope you appreciate that for your own sake, all our thoughts, feeling, comments and stories can’t be put into writing because it would take you forever to read (and this also means I won’t get blistered fingers from all the typing!) But please, when we all get back home; ask us, because we would love to share with you. Be aware though, that you might regret asking that question when we dive into a step by step description of how to make fuel efficient stoves or how to make manure.

So this is it. This is our last team blog from Malawi! We now have a week’s holiday before we make our 17ish hour journey back to Britain on the 8^th of July! We will be ending our wonderful experience of Malawi in Liwonde, on safari, and then in Dedza and Lilongwe, the capital city.

Although departing will be very emotional and difficult, we all look forwards to landing at Heathrow, embracing the family, ordering a Costa latte (definitely!) and returning back to our homes.

Being here in Malawi has been such an experience and will stay with us for the rest of our lives. (I’m afraid I’m going down the emotional route at the moment but I feel that this is inevitable at a time like this –please bear with me!)

I wasn’t that homesick when I arrived Malawi but I’m quite certain that I’ll be very home-sick for Malawi when I’m back in in UK. The six of us have been family for the past 5 months. It’s so strange to think that we didn’t know eachother at all before coming out here! Being scattered around the UK and not living together in the same compound will be sad and incredibly bizarre.

I’m sure we’ll even miss some of the things that annoyed us about Malawian life, like the uncertainty of whether there’ll be running water in the morning. That’s not to say I can’t wait to have a warm power shower, and be certain that there will be water, but there will always be fond memories when looking back at the struggles we had whilst adapting to the Malawian way of life, such as having to wash out of a bucket.

Although British life is so different, there are so many things we can take from here and apply to our lives back in the UK. Examples could include having an attitude of joy in work, a heart to welcome strangers, and flexibility in adapting to things when they don’t go according to plan.

And of course, to end, we wouldn’t be here together if it weren’t for one thing we have in common: our faith and hope in Jesus Christ. This is ultimately why we all came out here. Yes it’s been incredible to make new friends, explore a new place, experience a different culture, but that’s not why we came here- we came to serve God.

Team Malawi vision statement:

“Love Humbly

Bring Hope &
Be Changed for

God’s Glory”

Goodbye and Much Love,

Nia, Ben, Laurie, Jonny, Lois and David

Team Malawi 2014 

What went down on the Mulanje trip....

Organising a holiday to have it delayed not once, but twice is no fun. Malawi’s been a bit uncertain during the month of May with a lot of palaver concerning the elections. There were cases of rigging votes, the possibility of a recount and even some violence in some of the big cities. The night before we were due to leave for holiday on our third attempt, the president was announced at 11pm and we went to bed uncertain as to whether we’d have to delay it for the third time.

If that wasn’t bad enough, I had pulled my leg muscle badly and was hobbling like a pregnant lady and David had a very nasty infection on his back:- Dr Lois Smith and Dr BJ Hampson had to step in and poke around with a sterile needle!

Monday 26^th May, we woke up and got the all clear to go on holiday, but, (we should’ve been used to it by now) troubles galore.. Ben was very ill. Despite his sickness, he was pretty determined that we should carry on and so we took the 7hour journey to Blantyre (the driver said it would take 2.5 hours- what a joke!) with him throwing up into see-through sandwich bags. I had the joy of tying them up, poking my head out of the bus window and flinging them out whilst also checking out for cyclists- I didn’t want the bag to land on their head!

Blantyre was our first stop: Malawis old capital city. The bus depo was a pretty scary place with swarms of men calling “sista, sista” or “my friend, my friend” trying to entice us into their bus. The contrast between wealth and poverty struck me in Blantyre. In the centre of town was a big, swish KFC with comfy seats and an automatic hand dryer in the toilets (a big luxury for us!) but then outside, begging and children in rags. Even writing about it makes me feel uncomfortable and very sad. It is very sad.

Had another bit of trouble in Blantyre with our hire car. With mix ups on booking, we didn’t get the Land Cruiser we’d booked and had to wait 7 hours in the office. However, we were greeted by a big, white, beasty Toyota Fortuner and we named him Gus. Gus was a joy to have during our trip and took us safely from A to B, even when we made a wrong turn and had to drive down an incredibly bumpy, pot-holey dirt track. Lois did some great driving (and us licence holders had a cheeky little go down a dirt track too) and our ‘Mulanje Playlist’ was blasting out the tunes.

Gus, the beast

After Blantyre, Gus took us south to Zomba Plateau where we had the luxury of strawberries, raspberries and gooseberries by a dam with beautiful, mountainous views.

the lovely zomba plateau

With a little trouble finding it, we came to our cottage which was tucked away in the trees. The CCAP Cottage was beautiful with wooden furniture, a big fireplace and a fully stocked kitchen, and the view out of the porch was stunning. The troubles of the past few days (and weeks) were dissolving away. But, oho, guess what? There was a knock on the door… a double booking! Huzzah! At this point I was honestly pretty disheartened: nothing was going to plan (and I was still hobbling slightly). Why can’t everything just go smoothly??

I can however say that I was proved wrong. I was a massive pessimist, and we had a very blessed time with the American couple that turned up at our door. They were very grateful that we let them share with us (the six of us slept in the four-bed room) and they were so hospitable. The wife, Beth, baked us a delicious raspberry sponge pudding and they gave us chocolate for our climb too. It was very nice to have them stay with us and the whole experience taught me that in life things aren’t going to go according to plan, in fact, it hardly ever does, and that adapting to these changes with a joyful attitude is far better than wallowing.

On Tuesday 3^rd we visited Makoka Coffee Estate where we were given a tour of the plantation and were given a tasting sesh. We placed a hefty order and now our suitcases smell incredible of ground coffee beans. This is possibly my favourite smell (although it’s a tossup between that, freshly baked bread and the smell of dry swimming costumes after they’ve been in chlorinated water).

the incredible smelling beans

Then, the main focus of the trip... MULANJE! Here’s a breakdown of our three day trip up Malawi’s highest mountain…

DAY 1:- very steep, very sweaty, very beautiful

Day one of climbing was tough, very tough and it was harder to spot dry areas to our t-shirts than it was to find sweat soaked patches. Sorry, grim, but true. The route we took had thick, jungle-like greenery, waterfalls and natural pools with views of giant peaks around and above us. By lunch time we were so hot and were grateful to strip down and take a dip in a very cold water pool.

beautiful streams, pools and waterfalls were all along our day 1 route

A very sad side to day one was when Ben’s iPhone dove head first into the pool too. The phone, like us, must’ve been feeling the heat of the day and just couldn’t take it anymore. Sorry, I shouldn’t joke about this. The iPhone is currently undergoing intense methods of resurrection- I believe it’s currently lying in a bed of dry rice.

After lunch we reached the top of the ascent and journeyed along the open plateau. It was a very different experience and felt like we were walking the Welsh or Scottish countryside.

The lodge which we stayed the night at was a big wooden hut we had to ourselves. The housekeeper boiled water over an open fire so that we could each have a warm bucket shower in a shack. The shack had an opening from the shoulders upwards so that we were facing an incredible mountain view whilst showering- not bad at all!

the view from our lodge

Our toilets were a hole in the ground in an outdoor wooden shack and we all felt proud of ourselves after our first ever longdrop poo experience. Very emosh times.

The stars that evening were incredible, especially when we did a midnight loo dash. We all slept on mattress’ on the floor and had to cocoon up in the sleeping bag as it was pretty chilly.

DAY 2: strolling the valleys

Day two was much more leisurely (thank goodness!) as we walked across the open plateau. Our guide Wesley told us about how there had been a huge bushfire around 6 years ago which spread across the huge plateau and burnt down all the pine trees. They currently have a tree nursery full of pine trees and hope to replant this summer. We arrived our next lodge (equally as lovely) around 1pm and after a supernoodle lunch we walked an incredibly steep descent to a natural pool which was numbingly cold. The evening was very cold too and I was wrapped in a blanket before the fire with three pairs of socks on my feet.

so cold but so worth it

Another British guy shared our lodge and it was very nice to share food with him, he shared his coffee with us and we had chats about religion, world affairs, politics etc (David was thoroughly entertained).

DAY 3: toe bashing and soaking in the killer views

Day three we descended Mulanje taking a different route to that on day one. It was very steep and so it was pretty harsh on the poor feet, but the incredible views were such a distraction that it didn’t really bother us at all. On arriving the bottom 5 hours after setting off, we took a cold refreshing swim in a nearby pool and pulled off the boots and slipped the blistered feed into a pair of comfy flippies.

climb complete! here we are with our excellent guide and two porters

So there you have it. That’s an outline of our trip. And what a trip it was. Amazes me to look back on everything that I was concerned about, everything I thought was going wrong.

My leg muscle was healed and gave me no grief whilst walking, David was able to walk up the mountain with the porter carrying his day sack, Ben’s sickness only lasted that one day on route to Blantyre and although Laurie was unwell whilst climbing Mulanje, she showed her stomach who’s boss and ploughed on. What seemed like disruptions with unexpected guests meant not only fellowship but also pudding and coffee! We were protected on the roads and had no injuries on the mountain. It was God moments to the max up Mulanje looking at His incredible creation, and team bonding was top notch with banter galore. We feel so blessed and refreshed after our holiday.

Now we are back in Salima. Sadly, Lois leaves us on Saturday and we’re going to miss her big time! For the rest of us, we have 3 weeks left working with AGREDS and we’re busy putting together a month plan so that we can do as much as possible during our time here.

We do have some prayer points and would really appreciate your support in praying for these things:-

•  The healing of Davids back – David is visiting the nearby district hospital twice a day and is on antibiotics. Please pray for a speedy recovery and protection against further infection.
• Lois – for a safe journey back to the UK on Saturday and also as she starts her teacher training with Teacher First
• Ben’s iPhone – no explanation needed
• Motivation during our remaining time here

Much love to you blog followers

Nia and the team x

please take a moment to appreciate this great, great picture of Ben

What has most shocked me?

Having been to Malawi before I knew malaria was a problem but until this trip I did not realise the extent of the problem. I think this has been one of the most shocking things for me. On a regular basis one of the AGREDS staff will go to the hospital for a malaria test or a child in the communities will look ill and we will be told they have malaria. Frequently we will notice that one of the children from around our lodge we play with, will be unusually quiet and look vacant. We suspect this is due to them being ill with malaria. At first we assumed that Malawians referred to any illness as malaria. After some research we discovered that an adult Malawian will on average have malaria 6.1 times a year and an average child will have malaria 10 times. It then became apparent that most illnesses we witness are in fact malaria. Malaria is a disease that can be easily prevented and treated but without access to the right prevention and medication it can be fatal. Furthermore due to the high levels of HIV in Malawi, malaria has a high chance of infecting a person. Of course the health consequences of malaria are horrible but there are also economic consequences. The World Health Organisation says that the cost of malaria to the average Malawian household has been estimated at US$35 annually - or 7.2% of average household income. This means on top of the health problems and potential threat to life that malaria poses, Malawians also struggle financially even more as a consequence of malaria.

Malaria of course is not just a problem for Malawi. There is an estimated 660,000 deaths worldwide from malaria and 207 million non-fatal cases of malaria a year. The most deaths are amongst African children – around 1,500 per day. These statistics are so shocking but malaria is just part of everyday life for most Malawians. Chatting to some of the AGREDS staff, they told us that malaria is much more of a problem in Salima because it is near the lake and therefore there are more mosquitos. Misheck, a project officer, said that he has to sleep under a mosquito net in Salima all year around unlike other places in Malawi where you can get away with sleeping without a net in the dry season. The problem is the people in the rural communities usually do not have access to nets and even if they have a net, the nets must be washed with insecticide every year but this can be viewed as an unnecessary cost when money is so stretched. An organisation called People's Service International has run a campaign in Malawi to decrease the cost of nets that are for sale in rural health clinics and they also subsidies the cost of the insecticide wash. This campaign has had some success but the problem still remains. The best prevention that I can see would be a vaccination. This is not yet available but there are many research centres across the world trying to develop a vaccine.

I had the opportunity to talk to Nema, a primary school teacher who we have got to know helping with the climate change club at her school. The last time we met her son Daniel he was suffering with malaria, thankfully she happily told me that Daniel had recovered. I asked her some questions about how malaria affects her life. She said that she expects to get malaria twice in a year but uses a mosquito net during the rainy season to protect herself and her family against malaria. Nema carries on working as a teacher if even when she is ill with malaria. I was shocked at this but she said she is used to malaria so just carries on. Whenever Nema feels ill she gets tested for malaria and receives medication for free if the test results are positive.  I asked how many people she knew who had died of malaria and her reply was "so many people".

What impact can you have?

So we want to encourage you to take action. There are plenty of campaigns that you can put your name too. (http://malarianomore.org.uk/) Or even donate some money towards the cost of a mosquito net to be given to someone in a developing country or even to a research centre that is doing vital work into creating a vaccine. (http://malaria.lshtm.ac.uk/support-us) Most importantly though, tell people about the problem of malaria, raise awareness of the issues and pray for all the people currently suffering from malaria or those bereaved because of malaria.

To finish i will leave you with this bible verse; 'Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.' (Psalm 82:3). God wants us to stand up for the poor and oppressed. There are many campaigns doing amazing work in tackling malaria, and we can join in.

written by Lois Smith

Malawian Women: Unexpected, Powerful Leaders

During my past four months in Malawi, I have developed a heart for the women here. The women that I have met have taught me so much and have challenged my motives and attitude towards life. It has also changed my view on leadership. I believe that despite their social status and their poverty, the village women I have met during my time here are both powerful and inspirational leaders.

This blog has not been written to prove a point or promote women’s rights; it’s merely my observations and my admiration of these ladies. 

The way that Malawian women have grasped the responsibility of leadership is both surprising and inspiring, and this is true throughout the country: from the political world to small village communities. Joyce Banda, currently Malawi’s president, is the first female president of the country and the second female president of Africa after Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Libya. Joyce Banda came to power on the 7^th of April, 2012 and she is described as “an educator and grassroots women’s rights activist” and was the founder of the Joyce Banda Foundation, National Association of Buisness Women (NABW), Young Women Leaders Network and the Hunger Project.

 

“I sat down in 1989 and I made up my mind at that point that I was going to spend the rest of my life assisting women and youth to gain social and political empowerment through business and education. I convinced myself economic empowerment of women was going to be key, especially in a country like this where most women didn’t go to school.”
Joyce Banda

Having visited many rural communities with AGREDS (Assemblies of God Relief and Development Services) in the Salima District, I’ve noticed that having a female village leader is not uncommon at all, in fact, I have met several women who are leaders over around ten villages which are known here as GHS’ (Group Village Headsman).

 

left: adult literacy teacher, right: GVH

In this blog, there are 5 different forms of leadership I want to focus on: Leadership in
1) The Home
2) The Field
3) Aspiration
4) A Man’s World
5) Giving

The Home
There is something very beautiful about the mother-child relationship here in Malawi, and surrounding African countries. Babies, and even toddlers, are wrapped in traditional “chiteji” materials around the mothers back. The child always has the comforting warmth and smell of its mother and the mother can feel the weight of her child resting its tiny body against her. Where ever the mother goes, whatever she does, the child is bobbing up and down on her back: she could be in the shop, doing housework or working in the field. When recently assisting villagers with sweeping around water points, a mother was bent over so far forward, sweeping away, that her child looked like he might slip out of the wrap. But, he was happy as ever and the mother confident that her boy was safe as long as he was with her. 

The relationship between women and children are very different out here with women passing babies from one to another like a swap shop. They do not fuss over their children, or coo over them as we do in Britain, and they freely give them independence. They set an example to their children by sitting silently and patiently for village meetings to start (etc), and I tell you the truth and only the truth: the babies never cry!

Another big difference is how comfortable the women are with breastfeeding in public. At every village meeting I attend there is a guarantee to see several mothers with one breast out of their top ready for whenever their baby wants to feed. At first this was strange, very strange, but at the same time, it’s lovely to see that the women use what has naturally been given to them without shame. I’m not suggesting women start doing this whilst walking the streets of Britain (this could cause some commotion), but I do see it as something that is very beautiful and unique to this culture.

Not only do these women embrace the role as mother with diligence, they also embrace the role of cook and cleaner of the home too. Malawi’s staple food is nsima and many rural communities cook using traditional methods: over an open fire, and this takes a long time. At a recent Fuel Efficient Stove training, two ladies migrated backwards and forwards from making the clay stoves to cooking nsima in a nearby shed so that everybody in the training would be fed by two o clock. For hours they were busy preparing the food.

Housework of course is another addition to the list. Around water points, women and young girls will be filling huge buckets with water and then, with a great deal of strength, lifting it onto their head to carry it back to their home to wash the dishes and the family’s clothes.

“She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.”
(Proverbs 31:15-17 – The Good Wife)

The Worker
In early May, our team of six helped out with harvesting maize. The first lady that we assisted was a 93 year old widow who was still tending her acre of land. I was so shocked at how a lady of her age could be so motivated, taking on so much responsibility without male support. What an inspirational woman!

Another story is of an 11 year old girl called Lonely Kabyela who farms with her family before she attends school. Lonely would often miss days of school or arrive late due to the workload. AGREDS have taught new a method of farming to village members which Lonely has applied to her work. Not only is Lonely attending school on time (due to time saving) but she is also teaching other students through assisting with the school garden. In this year’s harvest, Lonely expects two 50kg of maize from the plot. Let’s just remind ourselves, this girl is only 11 years old!

Despite juggling the household chores, the mother role and working long hours in the field, the women I have met are so full of joy. It amazes me! Whilst planting trees in early February the women would sing, clap and dance for every tree that was planted. They knew that the work they were doing was beneficial to the whole community, perhaps in protecting households from strong winds, or crops from soil erosion, and they rejoiced in this.

Aspiration
Many girls in rural communities are unable to attend school due to reasons such as excessive workload assisting parents with farming, early marriage or the school fees. Unfortunately, this means that many women are illiterate.

AGREDS have trained several teachers to teach grown women in ‘Adult Literacy’ classes. Upon visiting one class of five women, I asked the ladies what their hopes for the future were. Their answers were so encouraging, all of them certain that by the end of the training they would be literate. One lady said she will teach her children to read and write and another lady said she has dreams of reaching out in business with selling her farmed goods.

Griceria Mponda is one lady with a powerful story to tell after she joined a Village Savings and Loans (VSL) group in her community. Buying shares throughout last year meant that by the end of the year, Griceria had a huge share of MK 62,000 (around £89). In previous years she had only been able to buy 1 or 2 bags of fertiliser but having invested wisely, she was able to buy 6 bags of fertiliser. Her VSL group is still running this year and she has shared that her desire is to employ someone to build a brick house for the family of six and to also buy iron sheets for the roof. If she has money left over she also wants to buy a mattress for her and her husband.

A Man’s World
I started this blog by telling you a bit about President Dr Joyce Banda and how she made her way into the man’s world of politics. I have also mentioned how this new surge of female empowerment has been embraced by women on community level too. Several committees are formed in villages, whether that’s for afforestation purposes (tending newly planted tress), water safety (ensuring water points are kept clean) etc, and the male to female ratio is almost guaranteed 50:50.

The government have also come up with a new initiative for NGOs (Non-governmental organisations) to encourage more women and young people in governance positions. AGREDS are currently setting up a proposal to get involved with the project which is very exciting news.

On Easter Sunday the six of us attended an outdoor church celebration where the pastor preached on Jesus’ resurrection. A surprising, but pretty cool section of the sermon was when the pastor was emphasising that it was the women who brought the message of Christ’s resurrection and that the men were foolish and didn’t believe them.

“Then the women remembered what Jesus had said. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it.”
Luke 24:8-11

The audience, both men and women, cheered and clapped enthusiastically at this and there was so much joy.

Giving
There are many ways that these beautiful Malawian women give. The women humble themselves and welcome people so gracefully. Upon visiting villagers, the women bring out chairs for us to sit on so that we don’t have to sit on the dusty ground as they do. If there are some spare seats, they will always give these seats over to the men (unless they have a high leadership role such as ‘Chairperson’).

After aiding the elderly with harvesting we were spoilt rotten with wonderful food that the village women had been cooking: roasted ground nuts, roasted pumpkin and warm banana cakes- they were delicious. We always feel guilty in taking because we go to these villages with the intention to assist them, not to be served ourselves. But, out of loving generosity and hospitality, they long to give. They even humble themselves to 

wash our hands.

a delicious lunch of nsima, rice and goat meat stew prepared for us
(not your standard ham buttie lunch but it was good!)

What have these women taught me?
I believe that many of us have a very distorted view of what a ‘leader’ looks like. To many, leaders are seen as strong, powerful, often scary people who dictate and manipulate people into their way of thinking. They seek peoples respect and feel they deserve it too.
However, these women have taught me that this is not what leadership is. The bible tells us

“the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the leader should be like the servant”
Luke 22:26

How strange it is to think that the leader should be like a servant! But I have seen this in these women. Their humility has touched my heart and reminded me that “your beauty should come from within .. and it is very precious to God” (1 Peter 3:4) . Jesus demonstrated His love for people through serving others: He was always welcoming strangers and sharing food with them, and like these women washed our hands, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples (John 13).

These women have taught me the importance of fellowship and the importance of diligence and joy in working.

“A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich”
Proverbs 10:4

These women’s poverty is materialistic, but their hard work and perseverance makes them rich. I will not forget these women; these village women who look so plain and helpless to the outside world, but who are so powerful in their actions.

I do not believe that powerful leadership is displayed through the ability to control people, I believe that powerful leadership is demonstrated when people look up to you and long to learn from an example you set. Powerful leadership should motivate us to change for the better and I strongly believe that these women have given me that wake-up call: to grow in my willingness to serve, my perseverance and joy at work, and to live in hope when the world says it’s a hopeless case.

Written by Nia Templeman