Charity at Chizeni Clinic
Trip Start
Jan 13, 2009
1
8
11
Trip End
Mar 20, 2009
Balaka,
Malawi
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Today's blog details the work of Dr. Sam and Esther Chilopara in the LifeNets built Chizeni Health Clinic in Balaka. I went there over the weekend-visiting with the couple and their most prominent patients. Emotionally, this was my toughest research effort yet. While interviewing mothers, answers to "your most common challenge" became trite. "Starvation," was the simple answer from more than a dozen women. As we talked, children sucked on the milkess breasts of their mothers and cried from disappointment and chronic hunger. But the main killer of both body and spirit is lack of vision. They have "hope" but no kind of PLAN to change their circumstance. The Chiloparas give these women and children emergency aid-food, free health services and school supplies-at Chinzeni clinic. But they also supply VISION which is the rarest of all resources. Nearly every patient at Chizeni receives a Good News magazine--a free publication of vision by UCG. For employment guidance, Mrs. Chilopara does what she can to impart wisdom to youth (see WISDOM FROM MRS. CHILOPARA). While this entry should be sobering, it should not leave readers depressed or discouraged. LifeNets International's mission is to invest in people and projects that have a strong, visionary foundation to make positive strides for even the most impoverished people. And with that, enjoy "Charity at Chizeni Clinic."
1. CHIZENI HEALTH SERVICES
2. MATILDA, AVOCADOS AND PENCILS
3. LATE NIGHT GOODIES
4. VILLAGE WELCOMING
5. ROTATIONS ON THE GROUND
6. UNDER THE MANGO TREE
7. WISDOM FROM MRS. CHILOPARA
CHIZENI HEALTH SERVICES
Dr. Sam Chilopara and his wife Esther, a nurse, operate the Chizeni ("Heal Me") Health Clinic for the greater Balaka area. LifeNets built the clinic in 2003 to serve the city and surrounding rural villages. A plaque on the back wall reads: "Born to serve and dedicated to spend a lifetime in relieving human suffering." Apparently, Dr. Chilopara and his wife don't take this vow lightly. Both are nearly 80 with no plans to stop seeing patients and are still the lifeblood of the community. In addition to the 5,000+ patients they see per month, Dr. Sam and Esther Chilopara visit women and children in a nearby village on a weekly basis.
"In total, there are about 220," said Mrs. Chilopara referring to those who began receiving food and school supplies monthly in 2001. Not all are orphans and widows but all are extremely poor. And I spent the next three days learning about them.
MATILDA, AVOCADOS and SCHOOL SUPPLIES
"She came at the point of death due to starvation...her weight that of a new born baby." - Dr. Chilopara
Mrs. Kubik, LifeNets co-founder, gave me a commission to meet Matilda, her child buddy in Balaka. Seven years ago at the age of one, Matilda was brought to the clinic dying of starvation. She had the weight of an infant and her organs were failing. This early trauma caused brain damage. Now, at ten she sat across from me in a bright aqua dress beside Dr. Chilopara. Scared and confused, she needed the help of her mother and Dr. Chilopara to answer my questions. Matilda is the second youngest of six. She has both mother and father, but lives in "extreme poverty," as Dr. Chilopara described. Her mother tries to find "piece-works" (or "pieces of work" since there is no employment or jobs in rural villages) while her father cannot use his fingers and stays at home. Her mother finds piece-work usually a few times a week and is able to bring home K500/week (USD 3.57) which is more than most I talked with. Normally this money would go toward expenses other than food such as school supplies, clothes, soap and the like. But the current maize crops are failing to yield any harvest. The family did not make the expense to buy fertilizer and will now suffer from NO harvest. No corn means no food. Milled corn and water are the only ingredients in sima--which makes up at least 95% of their diet. So now Matilda lives without school supplies so she can eat cassava (a common root) a few times a week. There ARE days no one in the family eats.
She said her favorite color is red. I was wearing a red dress and don't know if that had any influence. She smiled and rocked her legs in excitement during the unusual interview.
"What are your goals for your children?," I asked Matilda's mother. "To get the highest education they can get," she replied. She and her husband stopped education at eighth grade (when students begin paying tuition fees) and her older children stopped at the same ceiling.
"What is the biggest challenge to this goal?" I continued.
"No money...we just cannot manage," she replied.
"What has to happen to achieve that goal," I asked.
"We need money."
"But what if things don't change?"
"We hope they change."
"How long have you been at this level of poverty?"
"Thirty-one years."
Other than education, she couldn't list another goal for her children. She hoped they would receive funds. She has no plan for them if (or when) they stop schooling. They don't have options. In the village they just hang around, help their mothers, get married, pregnant, etc. Once of age (around 16), they try to find "piece-work" cultivating others gardens. But since few have gardens, one can find work only a few times per week.
And the cycle continues.
Matilda knelt down and nearly kissed my hand goodbye. I gave her a hug on behalf of Mrs. Kubik and she showed a big smile. Mrs. Kubik, Matilda says hi.
She sat down with the scattered children on the front porch. After interviewing another mother and child, I joined them. Mrs. Chilopara brought out a big box and the children clapped like it was Feast season. She held up an avocado, notebook and pencil for the first school-age beneficiary. Child after child walked up to receive their gifts. Some sat back down with their mothers and others with fellow orphans. Now they added both variety to their diet and supplies for their studies. They held their avocados and school supplies proudly (pictured).
LATE NIGHT GOODIES
I also received tasty gifts at the Chiloparas home. Mrs. Chilopara doesn't bake cookies, but small sweet muffins. These little baked goods served with tea were my first fluffy trifles to enjoy in Malawi.
Dr. Chilopara is a voracious reader and most of his book shelf is filled with early church literature and bible anthologies of the like. In the mid nineties he was asked by WWCG to burn his books to bring in the "new way." Well he didn't. I began reading the autobiography of HWA (bashfully for the first time) and it's now on my MUST READ list to find ASAP after landing at SEA-TAC. We had a Sabbath feast and slept soundly in mosquito nets (without cockroaches).
VILLAGE WELCOMING
Village women can dance. We drove up to the site where over 220 women and children from surrounding rural communities organize every week. They gathered to greet me. With a strong drum rhythm, they sounded in a song of welcome. I joined the circle and tied to catch the beat. We soon sat in our respective seats and the chief introduced these women of his village. Dr. Chilopara introduced me. Three years ago this July, I was involved in a fundraising effort with UCG youth in Portland, Oregon selling cherries that brought over 2,000 mosquito nets to this community. Dr. Chilopara reminded the women that I was the girl. In the village, the malaria cases drastically decreased that year. The women were ebullient and eager to give thanks. Since then, no new mosquito nets have been distributed and most live without. Some spoke of malaria among their biggest challenges in the profiles below.
ROTATIONS ON THE GROUND
Sets of four children per age group sat on the laps of their mothers or guardians as I asked questions about their well being. Mrs. Chilopara translated, Dr. Chilopara observed and Wordworth filmed. First I met Ferbia Wilson (age 2), Odala Wemba (11 months), Fieda Konjelote (age 2), Dave Bwanan (age 3), Idrissa Dickson (age 4) and Rahamani Rajab (age 1). There are more, but I think your heart might explode. Below are their profiles that are all too common. For uplift, make sure you read the last sentence with favorite playthings, activities and colors.
Ferbia Wilson (pictured)
Ferbia is two and has both mother and father, but lives in destitute poverty. She has four siblings and eats sima (milled corn and water) four to five times a week (less than once a day) during lunch time only. Her mother looked particularly pail. The Chiloparas asked about her mom's condition. She was suppose to receive a pint of blood in December, but failed to find a relative who would donate. As we were talking she was still suffering from dangerously low blood levels. She could faint at anytime. Ferbia also looked anemic and feverish. Ferbia's 15-year-old sibling is in 4th grade. Both parents stopped education at low primary education and stay at home with no work and source of income. With no milk, Ferbia thrashed her mother's breasts, frustrated and hungry. I gave Ferbia a chocolate protein bar and the mother a bag of nuts. For fun, Ferbia likes to play with toy cars that her father makes.
Odala Wemba (pictured)
Odala is nearly one year and has a mother but no father. Her father recently died from a brain injury. She has three siblings. The family can usually take food of milled corn once a day during lunch hours. On her belly button, there is a huge bump. This kind of hernia is very common in villages and is the result of mishandling by the midwife at birth. Her mother is able to earn around $0.30 - $0.60 / day. She said that she "fails to look after her children and cannot provide for herself." Odala was wearing a cute white dress and has chubby ankles. (Both are compliments).
Fieda Konjelute
Fieda is two years with four older siblings. Her mother is divorced, for reasons she wouldn't say, and is dependent on her 86-year-old father for financial support. He's a contractor and occasionally gets jobs. Her mother complained of having no food and not feeling safe with what they have. Fieda played with a beaded necklace around her neck. "She's a dancer," said Fieda's mother. "She's a beautiful dancer with her sisters."
Dave Bwanan
Dave is three years old and has two siblings. He has both mother and father, but the father doesn't work and the mother brings home about $0.35/week from piece-work. She grows her own maize. Sometimes Dave doesn't get any meals at home. With the failing crops, she buys cassava as soon as she gets money - a true example of living "hand to mouth." Most of the times her children go to school without food. She and her husband stopped education after primary school. Dave has staff infections on his face. For fun, Dave plays football (soccer) with his older brother. "He's a footballer" said his mother. I gave him a banana to eat, but he saved it. The mother took a bite and she said she couldn't remember the taste of banana.
Idrissa Dickson
Idrissa is four and sat on the lap of his mother. His father died a few years ago. He has three siblings. His mother finds piece-work cultivating others' gardens. They can afford sima once a day after school. Idrissa gets malaria three times a month. He suffered from boils all over but they are healing now. For fun, Idrissa likes to sing school songs (but he was too scared to sing in front of me). His favorite color is blue.
Rahamani Rajab
Rahamani is just one year and three days. His father died in the last year from HIV symptoms. His nine year old brother is in kindergarten after starting school last year. The mother's biggest challenge is dealing with the frequent illnesses of her children. She finds money by drawing water for someone else and sometimes sells firewood. She finds such work twice a week, earning K150/job ($1.08). For fun, Rahamani "likes to crawl," his mother said smiling.
Sharing more might be overkill. Being there is a bit different. Each woman expressed her challenges a bit differently, yet they can sound very much the same. I should also mention that the Chiloparas thought that some may be inflating their income or how often they find work. Truly, they're all desperate. When the Chiloparas come to the village, it's like seeing angels.
My interviews are at the mercy of my camera batteries. After 12 interviews or so, we danced and sang goodbye songs and they carried their babies the 3+/- kilometers home.
We had no power at the Chiloparas home that night.
UNDER THE MANGO TREE
The next morning I sat under the mango tree of a widow with seven children. I somewhat expected her to be "better-off" because of all her energy. (She was a top performer in the previous days' festivities so I asked if I could visit her home.) She, three of her children, the village organizer, Mrs. Chilopara and I sat intimately together on a straw mat. Her children played soccer in the background. In all they make their own team, and look like great athletes. To my delight, her 18-year-old son wore Oregon Duck Nike shorts and I explained that I was an Oregonian!
Just as Matilda's mother expressed only HOPE for her children, this mother had no idea how her son could get work outside of the home. But from what I learned, he has marketable skills! He makes wood furnishings for the home, but sells his labor at next to nothing under his uncles business. He has no capital to build on his own. As the only breadwinner for his family, his mother depends on him to find the small amount of piecework available once or twice a week. Again, they cultivate gardens for $0.30 - $0.50 / week. When I asked him what he WANTS to do, his dream job, he replied, "to be a driver." His younger brother echoed the same thing. But it costs MK45,000 (US 321.43) to go to driving school and there is no living as a minibus driver.
A DRIVER! I repeat, that is his AMBITION. Why? Because in the village, that's the success they see...they see the cars driving by and think that must be the "good life." Mrs. Chilopara tried to guide the boy in his native tongue. Only today as I wrote this blog did I translate her wisdom with Wordsworth's help.
WISDOM FROM MRS. CHILOPARA
"Why don't you choose to be a mechanic where you can be called direct from your village? You can say 'Come here! This vehicle has a fault.' When you go there you will definitely have something in terms of pay and this is on a daily basis because vehicles will be moving down the road daily. Secondly...there is building. If you can go for building, people from the village will be coming to you to say 'we have a contract, can you go for it?' Not only one can come to you to ask for a building contract. You'll be getting money every time. I've talked about mechanic, secondly building, now carpentry....making furniture, chairs and other things. I feel this can be profitable to you. You know people will be coming, 'please make a bed for me...please make a chair for me'. Why can't you pick from the three of these. In driving there is nothing..."
She spoke with passion. She wants him to hold the reins and drive his life. Children in America have things like "career day" and "take your child to work day" where from an early age we can dream big. Schools have resource centers and guidance counselors. But in Malawi, "job" and "career" is replaced by "piece-work" and HOPE is the primary resume buzz word.
...speaking of jobs, back in Lilongwe, I connected with the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions which surveys the market saturation and penetration of all legal industries across Malawi. They agreed to pass on the valuable statistics. This is needed information and will help LifeNets do more for graduates and guiding students.
This week I visited Malawi Adventist College, Malawi College of Accountancy, K&M College of Accountancy, Beston College of Accountancy and MacMaine Business College-all of which we have scholarship recipients. More on scholarships soon!
Thanks for reading. You made it to THE END!
Comments
Thanks for all of the updates
Hi Christina,
Thanks for taking time to write your updates. Although they are truly heart wrenching to hear, they are the reality of daily life for the people you are with. Thank you for sharing so that we can better understand what they are going through on a daily basis.
Brian Krueger
stuart segall
Oh Christina, the more I read you, the more I marvel at what you are doing and who you are! I am just in awe of both! Heartfelt, stuart
Thank you
You have truly opened our eyes to the struggles of these people. It makes us so thankful for what we have, and pray God's kingdom come soon. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Gail Rands
Malawi
Hello Christina,
Thank you for your post. It really is wonderful that you are developing a relationship with the one's you mention in your updates. I really appreciate your giving personal examples.
Reggie Warren