“This was the one thing on the itinerary that I felt uncomfortable doing because it’s something I’d never do back home,” admitted Sarah Smith as she sat with the other youth on a concrete floor at Mulanje Mission Hospital. “It was like I was being a tourist of sickness, almost, but I don’t feel like it did any harm so I’m not sure.”
The group had spent the early afternoon touring the synod-run hospital, which is funded in part by Presbyterian World Service and Development. Now they sat in a ring behind empty pizza boxes. The contents had been consumed in a ravenous frenzy, having arrived more than two hours after the designated lunch hour. But the Canadians’ rumbling tummies didn’t go unnoticed as they wandered through hospital wings full of malnourished children.
It was not the only time discomfort had struck that day.
As the youth rolled into Apatsa Private Primary School that morning, children spilled from their classrooms and onto the lawn, launching immediately into a song of welcome.
According to 70-year-old headmistress Stella Mlanega, there are currently 217 children attending Apatsa. About 75 of them are orphans supported by Presbyterian World Service and Development. The school boasts nine classes and 12 teachers, with class sizes of about 20. Just down the road, beyond the tea estate which dominates the road, children squeeze into classrooms at Mulanje Primary School, sometimes with a hundred or more in a class.
The laughter and songs in the yard overlay a more tragic story. It was hard to tell the orphans from those whose parents paid for them to be educated at the school, but the two types of students lead very different lives.
“Some of them have nothing,” Mrs. Mlanega said. “We had one girl, a PWS&D girl, with no father, no mother, no grandmother or uncle. She was looking after her 12-year old sister. But she got married [and left school]. You know girls; they think if they get married everything will be okay. They will have money and freedom. … But it is hard for the grandmother. Instead of providing for one child you have two. And if not educated, she doesn‘t go far.”
Ella Mkundika, matron, held a framed photograph of the orphans sponsored by PWS&D in 2009, and quietly pointed to children whose lives had been dramatically affected by HIV/AIDS. Two, Selena Thamanda and her younger brother, Ishmael had lost their father that morning, leaving them without parents–a status often described as “pure orphans.” Two had died since the photo was taken. One was Bridget Kanyada, a 15-year-old she described as “beautiful,” and Crispine Abrahan, a bright 10-year-old whose loss she felt keenly. Nine of the remaining orphans were HIV positive, including a young boy with a wide smile whose twin brother had already passed away. Another girl used to carry her sister to school on her back everyday, but when the sister became old enough to walk on her own she dropped out of school. Face after face, accompanied by lists of lost parents and siblings.
But there was also hope. In 2008, five students went on to secondary school and in 2009, four were able to continue their studies, including Myamiko, the brother of Bridget.
Out on the lawn, the Canadians pulled goodies from garbage bags, but as the soccer balls, skipping ropes and frizbees emerged, the yard broke into anarchy. Children pushed forward, vying to reach the front of the crowd and lay hands on the bright plastic toys, while the Canadians fought to restore order. It was a moment of awakening.
Malawi is known for the hospitality of its people. Greetings like “you are most welcome” and “feel free” have dominated introductions in a country billed as “the warm heart of Africa.” But in addition to being visitors, the group were seen as donors. But was that not, at least in part, a reason for the trip?
“It may be uncomfortable but you’re the eyes and ears of your congregations,” team leader Mike Burns reminded them. They would take home the stories of how Canadian Presbyterians’ dollars were making a difference in the lives of children.
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