The
final day of our 2018 Malawi adventure and the final day of our three year
project with Habitat for Humanity to deliver 24 homes to the poorest and most
vulnerable orphaned children. Today we are hoping to visit 22 of the 24 homes
either completed or partly constructed, including the 2 that the 2018 team have
been working to complete and what will I’m sure be a very emotional farewell to
the community who in only a week we feel completely attached to.
The
first house we visited was home to Fyness Chimpeni and the four children she
cared for. This home was built by the 2017 Touchstone team, Fyness is totally
blind but a real character and was born in 1936. We were invited in to her
house which was immaculately clean but without a single item of furniture, a
similar theme in all the homes we visited.
We
then visited the home of Emelida Mailosi who cares for her three grandchildren
who are due to move into their home in August. What struck us when driving back
through the village was although most of the homes where in a seriously
dilapidated condition the area outside each of the houses, which is just sand
and dust, had been swept clear of all leaves and debris and looked very neat
and tidy, clearly taking pride in what very little these people had.
Next
we visited another grandmother caring for her 4 grandchildren, ranging in age
from 6 to 16, both parents the victims of the aids virus which is still a major
problem in Malawi.
We
then paid a visit to the community that we have been working with to see the 2
houses we have been working on with the corrugated roofs installed and to say
our final farewells. After a couple of renditions of ‘bye bye, bye bye, but not
for ever’ and more than a few tears it was time to continue our tour of the
Touchstone houses. The bus was very quiet as we all tried to gather our
thoughts and emotions.
The
next couple of homes we visited both completed in 2017 and we met the first
male guardian, who was caring for his sisters three children. He explained the
massive difference having a home with a roof that didn’t leak had on them all.
In the rainy season the would not be able to sleep as rain poured through the
dilapidated roof thatching, they would have to find a spot in the house that
was dry, often having to stand holding what little they had to keep it dry.
Each
new family explained something different about how their new home has changed
their lives, one of the most poetic explanations was Pililani Mwamdi who
explained since moving in her dreams have changed!
Martha
James, looking after 8 children, 5 of her own and three grandchildren, she was
only 33! To put some context around this, her new home consists of 2 bedrooms
and a living room, still extremely ‘cosy’. She explained that now she has a
safe and secure home she can spend more time labouring on the farm and selling
tomatoes which gives her a small income that she uses to feed the children.
The
next 2 homes where particularly emotional for John, who helped build them on
out first Touchstone visit in 2016, Regina Mtambalika, who despite being
disabled with a club foot, looks after 3 children, has developed a small
holding with some livestock and creating a very pretty garden and Esinta Banda
and her 3 children who now has been able to create a business growing and
selling potatoes, cabbages and tomatoes..
The
final couple of houses visited both had sad and difficult tales to tell,
neither carer was at the house. The first was with one of her children who had
been taken ill and had been admitted to hospital;l the sense was that his
condition was poor and her other 4 children were being cared for by a neighbour
whilst she remained with the ill child. Tthe mother from the other house was
away in Lilongwe selling fish that she had walked to Lake Malawi to buy, about
5 miles away, then bought some ice to pack the fish, caught a bus to Lilongwe
and will stay there until she sells them all. She will then return home with
whatever she has earned for a couple of days and then do it all again.
Life
for the vast majority of the people here is one of day to day survival but most
seem to do it with a smile on their face!
We
will all leave Malawi with a mixture of emotions, extremely grateful for the
opportunity to make a small difference, a more balanced perspective on life and
with memories we will treasure for a lifetime.
Team
Touchstone 2018 I’m very proud of you each and every one of you.
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