Blantyre, 26-11-2009
Dear Rob and Christine,
It was a perfect day on Friday 20th of November to drive to the Mulanje area, 80 KM SE from Blantyre and meet the people involved with the ambucycles for the CBO (Community based organization) of Chinyama. Two days before I had driven to a workshop in Mulanje to follow the progress of the ambucycle parts. As you will see on the pics, it is a sturdy ambulance really made for the rough roads and tracks which connect the far out village with the clinic at Chinyama. Also the bike had to be adjusted with good pedals (the Chinese plastic ones break within a few days) and good quality hubs to keep it going. It is not inexpensive due to the transport costs of importing materials into landlocked Malawi. Nchima deals often with this particular workshop, as they make fuel saving cooking pots and the brothers who run it are supporting some good initiatives in the Mulanje area. It is always a good moment to discuss many subjects with them and it usually gives me a lot of information.
This Friday we left with the contact person, Mr. Sam Malata, for Chinyama which is situated 45 minutes drive over a rough road SW of Mulanje. It is a large area with small scattered villages surrounded by the fields, ready to plant the maize by now. As it has no job related industrial activities, most men are migrant labourers working on tea plantations in Malawi and even Mozambique, or travelling to the North to work in the tobacco and coffee fields. So most of the villages are left with children, women and old grannies. The availability of an ambucycle in such a village has a material effect in helping sick patients obtain treatment, particularly at this time of the year when malaria strikes in the rainy season, and pregnant women giving birth safely in the clinic.
The CBO manages and organizes the ambucycles as one of its activities. The chairman is a personality well recognized in the villages. The CBO committee and the women’s club welcomed us with dance and songs, and we, Renate and I, wrapped ourselves in the traditional chitenje and had to dance with them to the place where the meeting took place.
The 4 Chiefs of the village were present as well as the police officer, the clinic sister and the headmaster. Speeches followed with a lovely “thank you song” from one of the Nchima bursary girls at the secondary school and a thank you from the women literacy club for the writing equipment and the blackboard. She confessed that up till now she secretly took pages from her child’s exercise book for her homework and that she really loves to learn about reading and writing: her life is changing.
The chiefs did confirm allocation of a piece of land to the CBO to plant maize and groundnuts, a contribution from Nchima (+fertilizer)to help the needy people (the elderly, widows, HIV patients and the orphanage). We used to give out parcels with some food and a blanket but this new kind of support is structural and adds, hopefully, to an attitude of social responsibility. So many families are affected by HIV/AIDS and miss out on a safe family life and income. The chairman is very keen on it and we have been invited to come and see the crop growing next visit.
Then we turned to the ambu-drivers and the great job they do; even at night they go out to bring the patients into the clinic. The villages have to contribute to maintain the ambucycle and as far as I could see the ambulance and the bicycles were in running order. The drivers are proud of the job they do and they received a small handmade backpack with a torch (one which doesn’t need a battery) a logbook and pen to note the rides they make, so we can see how useful the ambu’s are.
Then Renate, as a relative to the donor family, told the people about doctor Renee van Hees and how gifted he was in other fields that if he would have known about the need of an ambulance he would have welded one himself as he was very good at that as well! Renate gave a lovely presentation and then, outside, handed the ambucycle to the Village chief and the CBO. On the back of the ambulance is a welded plate which indicates that it is in memory of Renee.
A good moment and a well received gift to the people of a district far away from the infrastructure we take for granted. It is a beautiful way to remember Renee and how practical talents are coming together in such a life saving, useful instrument for the people in a remote area in Malawi. ZIKOMO KWAMBIRI! Thank you so much.
Jeannette