Double Standards & other Musings

Well, our work here in Malawi must be almost done…  Madonna is finally here with her plane-load of money.  This must mean that everything will soon be better. The newspaper story we read said she plans to adopt a baby while here and take it home.  Quite interesting, since there is no simple international adoption process in Malawi.  Other people who have been here doing mission work and have adopted children have found that the process takes well over a year, and you need to be in the country while it is going on.  I guess Madonna will be around for a while.  Actually, this points out one of the problems here, graft and corruption are woven into the infrastructure of all that goes on.  This means that the $3 million dollars Madonna is allegedly bringing will most likely go to buy new Landcruisers and houses for people in government, not to help the needs of the orphans.  The discussion in the article talked of a feeding center for orphans, which is a resource that has been provided hundreds of times over in Malawi (Ministry of Hope has 6 of them).  The cost is on the order of $20,000-$50,000, at least from the experience I have seen.  I don’t think most of the “big money” people realize that feeding orphans only food so they can grow up and live the same lifestyle that promotes AIDS and STDs as their parents won’t fix the problem.  The population needs to be fed spiritually as well, so they change from the lifestyle that brings this heartache to the country.  God has clearly told man how to behave, and following His guidance will stop the spread of AIDS.

 

So I guess the bottom line is, if any of you back home want to adopt a Malawian orphan, all you need is a few million to contribute to the “orphan problem” and you’re home free.

 

The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7