UVT’s first trip to Malawi
It all started with a casual conversation over a glass of wine at a food festival in Napa Valley when Chef Claudia Sansone and her husband, Dr. Rob Hampton, told us about their experience of setting up a dental clinic in Malawi, Africa. As soon as we heard about it, we knew we wanted to be a part of their next trip, document their work, and help raise funds for their cause. Within a few months, we found ourselves on a plane to Malawi!
The journey from Napa, California, to Lilongwe, Malawi, took us 23 hours. As soon as we arrived, we met Ione Podgore, a friend of Claudia's and the head of an orphanage housing over 250 children. She gave us a brief tour of Lilongwe, including the Bethsaida Private Hospital.
On our first morning in Lilongwe, we visited Kusamala Institute of Ecology and Agriculture Center. Claudia even bought two mango trees as a housewarming gift for Malious Samson, our driver and dear friend. Later, we lunched at Kumbali Cultural Village, where we learned about traditional Malawian food from one of the owner, Jes Pickering. She gave us a tour of their replica village, which was established to house expats working with Kumbali on projects around Malawi. They have very nice huts to rent, gift shops, volleyball court, soccer court, two stages for concerts, and a little bar/restaurant with great food and beverages.
The next day, we delivered the trees to Malious, his wife, Ruth Samson, and their three children. We ventured out into town to visit local businesses where we met with Lesley and Paul Sprowson, the owners of Four Seasons, a nursery and shopping center. They showed us around the grounds, including the feeding center that serves over 200 people breakfast every single day.
Monday, October 13, was incredibly emotional. We visited Daeyang Luke Hospital, where Dr. Rob Hampton's dental clinic was established in 2011. We were given a tour by Idah Samidu, a lovely social worker, who quickly became family. She took us to Dothi Village, adjacent to the hospital, to see the progress on the preschool, which Claudia convinced the Chief to build on her previous trip, as well as the village gardens. At least 25-30 women came to greet us with song and dance, which was very emotional and made us feel so welcome. We met with the chiefs to discuss plans for the new school and garden. We were introduced to the three volunteer teachers who had divided the school into nursery school and kindergarten. The students were present as well and were clearly taking advantage of the education available to them. There were already 72 students in attendance. We then toured the village gardens, which were remarkably well done. It is the first time the village has planted something other than corn and were experimenting with crop interplanting. In the afternoon we visited Kamkanda Chifundokapha (Chifundo), a Malawian dentist, at the newly established dental clinic at Deayang Luke Hospital, and delivered a suitcase full of supplies donated by Dr. Hampton and his colleagues. That night Chef Claudia Sansone taught a class on basic nutrition to approximately 80 nursing students from the hospital.
On Tuesday, October 14, we met with Idah Samidu again to discuss lumber pricing for the roof of the new preschool in Dothi Village. We also donated funds for cement for the school to grout the bricks which had been filled with mud. Later in the afternoon, Jes Pickering, from Kumbali Lodge, took us on a tour of a local orphan-feeding center. The orphanage has developed a small ingenious business venture of making briquettes out of corn husks and groundnuts (peanuts) shells.
We then met with the US ambassador Michael Gonzalez and two of his colleagues, Doug and Peter from USAID and we were interviewed by TVI (Timveni) Television on the purpose of our trip and all the work we had in mind. Lastly, we met with Patricia Liabuba, the Director of Malawi Tourism, and arranged for her to handle transportation using a 26-passenger van and a sedan for next June. She also contacted Sunbird hotels (which are government run) in Lilongwe and Zomba to work with the team.
On Thursday, October 16th we departed at 8:00 am and four hours later we arrived in Zomba, the academic center of Malawi. We picked up Charlotte Day, founder of Gogo Grandmothers, and SAFE Africa on the way to Chancellor College. Met with Vuwa Phiri, the head of college libraries who has a very inspiring success story. He grew up in a rural village with little hope of getting an education and worked his way to completing a PhD in Library Science through Chancellor College. Vuwa encouraged us in our charity work, demonstrating that it’s possible to succeed in challenging circumstances.
Friday, Oct 17th was a meaningful day. We went with Charlotte Day’s house to an orphan-headed household (meaning that their parents have passed on, and the eldest child or grandparent were raising the siblings). We met a Gogo (grandmother) who had twenty children and one of her great-granddaughters was eighteen and had her third child. The granddaughter was twelve when she had her first child, and she was such a beautiful young lady.
On Saturday, Oct 18th, we started the day by visiting the house of Joyce, a woman who had been severely burned and was in need of medical care. We brought her to the hospital and helped with her treatment expenses. In the afternoon, we visited a preschool funded by Gogo Grandmothers, where we played games and read stories with the children. We had a meeting with approximately 80 Gogos (grandmothers and grandfathers). The meeting was held at a school for little ones and teenagers. We learned that over 20 percent of children are raised by their grandparents due to deaths caused by childbirth, AIDS, HIV or malnutrition. We met a Gogo who was raising twin grandchildren that were 2 years old; her daughter had passed giving birth. There was lots of music, singing and dancing after the meeting which helped to lift our spirits.
Sunday, Oct 18th was our day to visit SAFE Haven, an organization derived from several churches. As a result of their fundraiser they purchased a container, filled it with supplies, and shipped it too Malawi. It is empty now and used for a meeting place for schools. While visiting we met Cathy and Noel, the teachers at SAFE Haven. Noel has a remarkable story of receiving an education while being incarcerated. He is currently working in an after school program sponsored by SAFE and is an inspiring young man.
At noon we met with Reverend Timothy, the Religious Advisor to the President of Malawi's. At the advice of President Mutharika, he drove four hours to Zomba to have a twenty minute meeting with us. He says that President Mutharika would give our work his seal of approval and will consent to be interviewed by us at a later date. He encouraged us to work with his wife on a few programs. Then, a meeting with the general manager of the Sunbird, who agreed to meet with the corporate head from Blantyre to ensure The Sunbird lodges consented to partner with us.
Sunday, Oct 19th was our final day in Malawi and so we visited a preschool supported by Gogo Grandmothers. We were impressed by the dedication and passion of the teachers, who work tirelessly to provide education to children who might not otherwise have access to it. Afterward, we said our goodbyes to our new friends in Zomba and headed back to Lilongwe. Once we arrived we walked to the village to say our goodbyes and were surprised that the volunteers had completed the roof on the preschool. Everything was coming together nicely. They bid us farewell and stated that they looked forward to being able to work with us on our return visits.
Our entire trip was a life-changing experience. We were able to witness firsthand the incredible work being done by organizations and individuals to improve the lives of the people of Malawi, the “Warm Heart of Africa”. We were inspired by the resilience and strength of the Malawian people, and we left feeling grateful for the opportunity to have been welcomed to be a part of their community. We hope to continue to support the work being done here and to inspire others to get involved as well.
