A chorus of a thousand roosters

As we should have expected, we’ve been besieged with

requests for help with school fees this first week and a half of the

new term.   As word spread of the help we provided to 57 students, we

heard from many others, some with compelling stories and others just

looking for some breathing room.  Unfortunately, with our April 10th

deadline, decisions had been made for terms 2 and 3 and all available

funds had been allocated.

That is until Twin Cities resident Rick Naymark stepped forward with a

generous donation that will allow us to extend our reach for this term

and the next.  So we’re back to the business of reading through the

pleas for help and making a new list.  It is always challenging

sifting through all the requests and prioritizing the need.   We rely

in part on the recommendations of headmasters and the local social

service agency, Primary Health Care.  But some fall through the cracks

and must be evaluated solely on the basis of their words to us.

And we continually remind ourselves that even if mistakes are made,

and they inevitably will be, everyone is struggling with making ends

meet here.  Some, those who have a steady income, look relatively

affluent from the outside.  When you dig a little deeper, you might

find that they’re caring for relatives’ children or orphans in their

extended family.  But for most, income is an intermittent thing,

consisting of whatever they can make doing piecework or selling garden

vegetables.  Most work incredibly hard day-in and day-out just to

survive.

Still, there is a lot of joy to be found in this little village.

Football (soccer) games always draw a big crowd of enthusiastic fans

as outlying villages travel to the main lift here in the village for

games on Sunday afternoon or in the early evening.  With no tv or

video games, children engage in all kinds of imaginative outdoor play

until darkness sends them inside, and it’s fun to stop, look and

listen as you pass groups of them along the pathways that traverse the

village.

Work continues on the craft/coffee/tea/cold drink shop that will

benefit orphan care.  Many local folks poke their heads in the doorway

each afternoon for a peek at the progress.  The room, measuring

approximately 18’ x 24’, has been transformed from a cluttered, dusty,

dingy space to a bright, welcoming environment, fulfilling the vision

that Mary and Una had.  (Before and after photos accompany this post.)  

Many have expressed gratitude about having an appealing, inviting space 

to gather.  All indications are that it will be a great success as an ongoing

fundraising venue.

So it goes here.  Sometimes, in the early light out on the front

porch, looking out across Lake Malawi in the distance, I take a step

back and revel in the kaleidascope of color and shape all around.  I

listen to the cacophony of sound drifting past, a rooster crowing in

the distance, children laughing, goats bleating, an unidentified bird

singing a sweet song, and it is as if I’m experiencing the place again

for the first time.  The wonder returns and I remind myself that I’m

in Africa, deep in the warm heart, and though I’m thousands of miles

from northern Wisconsin, I feel quite at home for now.

Hope all is well in your home and with your loved ones.

Warm regards,

Steve