Elections

”MALAWI HAS SPOKEN” “IT’S A LANDSLIDE” Such were the headlines in the Malawi Papers on May 21, 2009 two days after the third multiparty elections in the nation’s history. The incumbent president, Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika, was the decisive victor with a margin far greater than anyone could have predicted.

Democracy is still young and vulnerable in Malawi. Only 6% of the population has electricity, which among other things means that information through mass communication is available to only a minority. It seems that votes are often cast for the candidate who gives away the most fertilizer, pays for the most funerals, or hands out the most Tee shirts.

Nevertheless Malawi Democracy is a bright spot in Sub Saharan Africa. The elections were free, fair, and peaceful. While the opposition felt obligated to protest the results there seems little substance to their claims of vote rigging. In order to prevent people from voting more than once, voter’s index fingers are dipped into indelible ink at the polls, and voter registration cards are necessary. To be sure, there were glitches (like the ballot box at one polling station that was blown off the table, spilling it’s contents across the field). The polls open at 6:00 a.m. yet some folks showed up as early as 3:30 a.m. to get in line. Others waited until long after the 6:00 p.m. closing time to get their chance to cast a ballot. Most Malawians are rightly proud of the way the election was conducted.

The next five years will be a critical time. Will president Mutharika bow out gracefully after completing his second term in office? Will the ruling party use its majority to govern responsibly, continuing the battle against corruption and toward self-sufficiency? What will be the future of this impoverished nation, her people, her leaders, and her democratic institutions? It is ultimately Malawian resolve, not Western money, that will make the difference.

Naomi's Follow Up

The first time we tried to discharge Naomi we decided it would be unconscionable to leave her at her house. Her mom had no job, no way to feed her 3 other children, and was sick with HIV. Her father had simply “disappeared.” Realizing that leaving Naomi there was not safe, we brought her back to the Nursery. Five months later, we decided to try discharging her again. This time things were better. Mom had a job selling vegetables at the market, she was doing well on HIV treatment, and she wanted her daughter back. So, we left Naomi at home.

It has now been 2 weeks since we discharged Naomi to her mother--time for her first follow up visit. I dreaded what we would find. Naomi’s house is a cement room with no windows, no plumbing, no electricity, and no beds or other furniture. Was her mother able to cope? Was she feeding Naomi? Was she bathing her and keeping her warm on our cold fall nights? Would we find Naomi to be OK? My heart was in my throat as we started on our way.

When we pull up to Naomi’s house, there she is—sitting with her mom and brother and sister. They are sorting rape (a salad green) and tying it into bundles for sale at the market. Naomi is happy. Her mom looks well. Naomi stares at us tentatively and comes to us only reluctantly. She clings to her mom for comfort. The best sign we could possibly see!

Naomi has not gained any weight in the 2 weeks she has been home. She does not like the well water her mother has access to. If mixed with formula powder she will drink the water, but not at other times. This is a major concern, especially when the weather is hot and she needs a drink. Naomi will drink the water from the community tap; however, her mother can’t afford it. Well water costs 100 kwacha a month (66 cents). Water from the tap costs 200 kwacha a month ($1.20). We advised her to borrow tap water for Naomi until June 1st. By that time we are hoping the local church in her village will help support the family by paying for them to receive water from the village tap. This way Naomi will have water to drink and will not become dehydrated.

Could we (or you) afford to cover Naomi’s water bill? Of course. But this will not help Malawians to take care of Malawians. We want the village church to become involved with this family because they can provide emotional and spiritual support in addition to water. Maybe this will help enable Naomi to stay at home with her mother and siblings. We hope so.

Coffee Morning

“Tamupokererani ku Muzuzu Crisis Nursery Kofi wa mulenji uno!” Welcome to the Mzuzu Crisis Nursery “Coffee Morning”. A “coffee morning” in Malawi is not quite what we expected. Sounds like a straightforward open-house, bake sale, right? Wrong!

It was the staff’s idea and they were excited about this “second annual” fundraising project. In preparation, the grounds were swept, weeded, and tidied. The floors were scrubbed, walls washed, and windows cleaned. Everyone was given a job. Then, in addition to dozens of posters, over 100 personal invitations were printed, signed, and hand delivered.

I (Darlene) was elected to bake all the fancy cakes for auction. YIKES! Fortunately our neighbor had a frosting bag and I set to work on this daunting task 2 days prior the big morning. Baking 7 cakes, six dozen cookies, three dozen muffins, and two trays of fudge became my fulltime job. The day before the event, several of the nursery staff stayed up until midnight cooking samosas. We made snacks to sell as well. The nursery was a beehive.

Coffee Morning morning dawned bright and fair. (Thank goodness it didn’t rain). People began arriving at 9:30 for our official 10 o’clock opening. Folks took tours of the Nursery and enjoyed just visiting and socializing. By 10:15 the program began with prayer, scripture, brief meditation, and song. Then, after Paul gave a welcome in Tumbuka & a brief history of the Nursery, we heard from our guest speaker.

By 10:45 the auction started! It began slowly, with the biggest cake going for cheap (bummer). However, the American chocolate chip cookies were a hot item, as were the donated cinnamon buns and custard pie. The bidding got more intense; with the biggest price ($21.00) going for my small cake that said “Joy”. The woman who bought it had a daughter named Joy. You never know! My fudge, however, was a flop. No one even knew what it was.

As a part of the event, everyone who attended brought a gift for the nursery. We ended up with plastic pants, diapers, Vaseline, soap, formula, milk, likuni phala (cereal), sippy cups and some clothes. Lots of helpful stuff!

All in all, our morning was a huge success. The nursery got a lot of good publicity and we actually made some money (over $700 in cash and in-kind donations). The staff was exhausted, but felt renewed in mind and spirit. Our management team is keenly aware that Malawi and Malawians themselves need to do more to help support the ministry of the Crisis Nursery. We’re already talking about what we’re going to do next year!

Naomi Goes Home

Naomi is now 15 months old. She eats by herself. She walks, and is the ringleader in baby led charges from the dining room to the toy chest. Her mother says she wants her back. Naomi is ready for discharge.

We tried to discharge Naomi a few months ago but it was a disaster. Her mother was sick, had no job, and no way to buy food. She also had 3 other children who didn’t have enough to eat. There was no food in the house and no way to procure any that we could see. After reviewing the situation we brought Naomi back to the nursery.

Now Naomi’s mom is feeling better and has a small job selling vegetables at the market. The oldest child is in school, and the other 2 are looking better cared for. Naomi’s mother is ready to take her back.

We left Naomi with clothes, blankets, a mat to sleep on, canned formula, and a mosquito net. Naomi’s mom can’t read so we showed her how to make formula and left a sippy cup for her to mix it in. Then we said good bye.

This is the part of the job that I find the most difficult. This is where I lose my objectivity. How can this woman living with 3 other children in a cement hut with no windows, no running water and no electricity possibly care for this baby? But she will probably do fine. We will visit her every 2 weeks just to check and make sure there are no problems. At that time we can leave more formula with her. She lives just 20 minutes from the nursery so it will be easy.

Malawian ways are not American ways. This is a different land where things are done differently. Mom was wearing a big smile when we pulled away, and Naomi, who is very shy, was not upset at all. I think she knew that she was home.