Tuesday 26.7.05
Woke up in Eckwendeni for a good breakfast (7.15) cooked by Glory. I think we all had a pretty good night's rest despite the last few hours being surprisingly cold under our mosquito nets. Glory sang to us before we left, beautiful.
Eckwendeni is a Mission Station. The soil is dusty and bright red. In the centre is a large Presbyterian Church, built in red brick along the lines of churches back home, down to small but beautiful stain glass windows. John C. tells us two services every Sunday fill the Church. On the horizon are huge domes of rock, presumably ancient granitic phitons, sheer rock faces protruding out of rolling green hills.
The Mission Station has its hostel, schools (3 in number), hospital, Youth Centre and predominantly Christian population. A short guided tour took us to each of these units, where the enthusiastic patrons eulogised until abruptly halted by JC for us to move on.
Only the second time I have been into 'the' Headmasters Office, this one was a bit different though. A tea towel map of NI hung from the ceiling and a mirrored poster hung on the wall with the caption 'Look who can get AIDS'. Interestingly, the poster hung at teacher height and was hidden behind the door.
It's a bizarre situation where on the one hand the community is so open, whereby there are elements of Society swept beneath the carpet, or perhaps just lived with. The children were on holiday, circumcision time for youngsters. A traditional practice helping to spread AIDS via bloody razor blades, JC tells us.
The visually impared unit walls were covered in rickety shelves loaded with Braille texts, many bring Bible Stones. The big and friendly Head also told us the school specialised in 'Learning of the difficulties'.
Over 1000 pupils attended Eckwendeni CCAP School and shared a large collection of dusty and exceedingly well worn classrooms and 25 teachers.
We were introduced to a class of 150 beaming African children learning about first aid, principally choking. The conclusion seems 'Solid and Traditional', taught from blackboards and well received by youngsters sitting 3 to a wooden bench.
Aids is a huge problem, you wouldn't guess from looking at the people though. We visited the LISAP Centre and heard from an extremely well spoken, concise young man who runs the Youth work. Much of this work is aimed at combating AIDS. 50 bikes were stocked on the wall ready for volunteers to cycle 100's of km, educating, treating and caring for the 37,000 Orphans in Northern Malawi. The description of work with young people evoked memories of volunteers in the mud and working away for free in Tollesbury. Those who put in time seem to get more out than they could ever put in. Piled neatly and unobtrusively, but pointedly, in the corner of the vocational skills training wood shop, was a stack of small coffins.
We were lucky to meet, as JC put it, the future of Malawi, 130 trainee Ministers in their last few weeks of lectures before being sent out into the bush. All were married, I doubt many were over 25. They clapped each of us as we introduced ourselves. Al had a special clap as Revd. Quinn, the lecturer, described Al's Grandad as his mentor.
The hospital was divided into Curative & Preventative work. Much was concerned with preventing disease, building a fence on the cliff top as it were. All the more important in Malawi with the frustrations of the lack of resources described by the young Scottish medical students. It was sad to see the nursing school, most leave for SA & UK on completion of their courses, the matron did her best to keep Al on, discovering his 'vocation to be'.
Diahoreal disease, Pneumonia and Malaria are common, all treatable in the West. The doctors say the Malawians almost seem to feel no pain. We heard the story of one who was on paracetamol the day after a Hernia Op!
We drove to Mzuzu to meet the General Secretary of the Presbyterian Synod. It is quite something to see the relationship between the Church working and the Government. The Secretary looks after 120 congregations with 1,300,000 members in the region alone. He was a fan of the new President and asked us to pray for committed & faithful leadership and time & support for the President to rid Malawi of the corruption that allows only 5% of the population to 'swim in money'. His prayer was humbling. He thanked the UK 'without whom Malawi wouldn't be a Nation', I thought it was us who left Africa in the mess it is?!
We were graciously served up soup and bread by Helen Scott, the deputy Head teacher at the Secondary Girl's School and has taught in Africa for the best part of 20 years, amazing! Lawrence our driver seems to be coming out of himself and came in and had lunch with us.
Driving North was stunning. We were soon in the hills, the journey flew past and gangs of children would wave & scream as we passed.
Rows of hills stretched away for miles to our left, each subsequent line of hills silhouetted by the last.
Mlowe really is in the back of nowhere! - near the lake shore several miles along a red, dusty road punctuated with wooden bridges over fast flowing streams from the hills down to the lake.
We seem something of a novelty in Mlowe. There were some small tears, but mostly smiles. It is probable some of the little faces have never seen white people. It was a mission to set up camp beds, nets and all our polava before darkness at 6.30. The children inform me in a mix of Tambuka and pigeon English that a snake (probably a black mamba) lives on the hill. Fear is the same in any language in my book… I am fearful. No loo trips in the night - in fact as few loo trips as possible!
It is basic, I think we are all relishing the raw reality of the accommodation & life here; long may this last, it is early stages. Tonight Mama cooked sausages & rice which we ate by the fire…fantastic. It's encouraging to have a mama here.
Tonight we are going to read / sing Psalm 100 in the great Scottish Evangelical Missionary tradition.
"For the Lord is good & his love endures for ever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations." Jon.
