A letter from Barbara Nagy serving in Malawi
November 18, 2014 - Saturday at Nkhoma
Dear Friends,
It is 6 am on Saturday morning, and although power and water have been off intermittently for many days, we are sitting on our porch enjoying a God-created breeze, which defies human interference. There is a steady procession of people coming with various requests, mostly for school fees since we have reached the time of the school year when students are sent away if their first-term fees have not been paid.
Quite a number of people have already run out of food, even though the next harvest is five months away, because they have sold some of their maize to cover other essentials. School fees and costs for food and fuel have all risen dramatically in Malawi due to the severe financial constraints imposed by government corruption scandals, but the selling price of maize in the villages tends to lag far behind inflation. Those convicted in the scandal have bilked billions of kwacha (currency) from Malawi’s government, crippling hospitals, schools, civil services, and every aspect of society, yet they have been given light sentences such as three years in prison. Newspaper editorials have called for the culprits (such as are found) to be tried for crimes against humanity because of the damage that has been dealt to the health care system, with even referral hospitals running out of medicines, water, and other essential supplies. Christian hospitals have been singled out as not eligible to hire any new staff for the indefinite future, which poses an extreme burden for Christian health facilities across the country, which are predominantly serving the poor.
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Nkhoma Hospital has become a refuge for many who failed to find health care at other facilities, yet the extra patient burden stretches our limited staff to the breaking point. Your gracious support on so many occasions has meant, with careful balancing and much prayer, the hospital has not yet run out of truly essential medicines or supplies. We were overjoyed to receive news this past week of a food aid grant from the Nickle-a-Meal program in western North Carolina that will enable us to support the most malnourished children in our midst when food from government programs does not come. We are also extremely blessed to have received a grant to spray houses surrounding Nkhoma Hospital for mosquitoes, which PC(USA) has supported for the past five years. This program decreased our inpatient pediatric malaria cases by 75 percent and has contributed to a very significant decrease in deaths among children in our area.
As I hear the stories of the young men and women at my door trying with all their might to simply finish high school, I think the allegation of crimes against humanity should extend to the education system as well. There is simply no future for a young person without a high school diploma in Malawi other than early marriage, early childbirth and subsistence farming. The burden of illiteracy compounds every development problem and the country desperately needs clinicians, teachers, construction workers, and human resources of all sorts for progress to take place.
Please don’t be discouraged as I "tell it like it is" for the church in Malawi and all of its citizens. There are clear ways forward, and we are blessed that you, members and supporters of the PC(USA), have come alongside to support us in many ways. It is a significant step forward that anyone has been made accountable for the corruption that habitually plagues Malawi and many other governments. The PC(USA) campaign to educate 1,000,000 children by 2020 will have an impact on children in Malawi and fuel a process that can end some of the root causes of poverty in our land. Initiatives to help people pool the limited assets they have and work at the community level to better their health have shown promise, but will take time to bear fruit. The work of Nkhoma Hospital, to cure, teach, and facilitate healthy communities, continues as God gives us grace and provision, and you are a significant part of that.
We are thankful for everyone who has made our presence in Malawi possible by your prayers, love and financial support. We are especially grateful for the financial support that has helped Nkhoma Hospital serve so many and extend primary health services out into neighboring communities.
Please continue to support us in all of these ways,
Barbara Nagy for the Nkhoma Community.
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 143
The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 156
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