Mother Malin's Blog from Malawi Friday, August 1st 2008

Friday 1 August 2008 9:15 pm
KMM, CMM, JS

At last we have settled in at the Kiboko Town Hotel after a long day of travel.  We flew from Johannesburg into Lilongwe on a bright and warm afternoon.  Chichi Nhkono, our wonderful driver from last summer was waiting for us at the airport.  The first order of business was to buy two cases of bottled water, secure a cell phone and exchange some dollars for Malawi Kwacha. At last we wished Chichi good night, organized our bags, and gratefully settled in for a hearty supper of chicken curry, roasted bananas and delectable Malawi tea at the restaurant next door called “Don Brioni’s.”

Over supper, we reviewed our plans for the coming days and spoke about our goals for this trip.  John and I had read an article by Bill Gates in this week’s Time magazine about “creative capitalism,” and our dinner conversation centered on the challenges of employing the vast resources of the West so as to make real difference in Africa.  The missing piece in the article, John pointed out, is what comes after the money.  The key to success lies in getting to know the people of Malawi.  In forging true connections with leaders on the ground who are invested in seeing shared projects bear fruit.  Raising money to help meet the Millennium Development Goals is admirable and necessary, but it is not hard. Westerners are generous and have a strong desire to help.  The greater challenge lies in implementing projects in response to creative initiatives of local leaders; following through, with integrity and respect for all involved; and then making adjustments to the plan depending on what works and what doesn’t.

I am excited about all that lies ahead of us in the coming weeks.  I pray that the many different puzzle pieces of our journey come together to reveal the future of Love’s Harvest and Christ Church Bronxville in Malawi.  I pray for family and friends at home who are missing us, and for Malawian friends, old and new, who are receiving us with such hospitality. Tomorrow we head west to Mchinji, to see one of those old friends, Sr. Agnes Enyena, and the great example of Ludzi Parish which should be an inspiration for how to make sustainable food programs work.