October 2012

Pictured: The Stage is Set! Mwefu Primary put on a play about the story of Mwefu. We hope the play will be an annual show performed by Mwefu students, for the Mwefu community. This month really highlighted the importance of volunteers. We wanted to explain how each of our projects have benefited from the presence of volunteers. The following is a description of what has been accomplished by the NGO during the month of October 2012. CHILDREN’S VILLAGE The Felista Mpangile Playground at the Igoda Children’s Village will be a playground built in the memory of the little girl who passed away in 2010 from HIV who was from Ibwanzi village. Felista’s memory will be carried on through a playground that will be designed to give a place for children to play in a stigma free area. Felista herself was the victim of stigmatization, and a playground in a safe environment allows kids to have fun without the anxiety of being teased or bullied. This month the fence around the playground was constructed as we welcomed the third incarnation of a group of volunteers from the volunteer group Carpe Diem. The organization brings a group of volunteers to do service learning, and they helped us for just over a week with a group of projects. This trip, they helped with the playground, and other projects, and although their time is short with us, Mufindi makes a lasting impression on anyone who visits, and their time with the people of Mufindi helps, as the cultural exchange is an education in and of itself. COMMUNITY OUTREACH Home Based Care Carpe Diem also visited some homes that are enrolled in our Home Based Care program. Stacey Droll, the Peace Corps Volunteer who is extending for a third year, but with our NGO, took the volunteers on a tour of Mlevelwa village, where the Home Based Care team there took them to see many patients, and everyone shared their lives from their very different backgrounds. It was good for the people of Mlevelwa to see visitors, and also good for the Carpe Diem volunteers to see village life in a very personal way. The Home Based Care program continues to service those most in need and it has sparked an interest in community service throughout the project area. As the community fights back against this pandemic of HIV, the sense of community has returned even more, as people are more able to help their neighbor now that more are healthy. The improvement of the overall health in the area has precipitated a great deal of community development, as it appears as though great change is being affected. The Home based Care team welcomed volunteer Sigrid Shrinner as well this month, as she helped the volunteers train families with children with physical disabilities. Sigi has visited several times before, and is really making an impact not only in the villages but as well with the physically disabled at the Igoda Children’s Village. HEALTH CARE Mdabulo Care and Treatment Clinic The Care and Treatment Clinic at Mdabulo had several guests this month as Minna, Anna, and Emma, all volunteered their services at the facility. The help from doctors on the ‘CTC’ days is especially important as the extremely understaffed facility takes in well over 100 patients on the single day. Medical volunteers help lessen the burden on the staff of only one clinical officer, a nurse-midwife, lab attendant, and a few nurses. Eventually the NGO’s longer-term goal is to have a steady stream of medical volunteers to help bolster the overall health of the community by getting more health care service to the community. EDUCATION African Book Box Anne Pearson and Ruth James are here again from African Book Box for a six-week visit. Each will be completing a project at Mwefu Primary School, and Luhunga Secondary School respectively. Anne will be preparing the students of Mwefu Primary for a presentation of play next month. This year she will bringing to life the story of Mwefu Primary, and the courageous work of the community to put the school together again after a horrendous storm knocked the school down in December last year. Ruth will be working with the secondary students on their group reading of a book called ‘The Heaven Shop,’ about a Malawian family affected by HIV/AIDS. Mufindi is blessed to have these two visit each year, not only for the resources they have contributed, but also the passion, dedication, and commitment they have shown for the people of Mufindi. They both give such tremendous support to the community and the NGO, and each visit they bring such life to each of the projects.