My friend Albert has a very challenging post on his iTalker blog.
Encountering poverty whether in Peru or Malawi changes how you think about things. It isn't only retirement that is a luxury of the rich, our meaningless and pointless conversations, the way we get worked up about football or the sales at M&S - we just don't get it.
The great challenge of our generation is global poverty, we need to challenge the evil of economic systems that condemn too many to lives of poverty so that we might enjoy our levels of prosperity and wealth.
Don't retire - make poverty history!
Showing posts with label Malawi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malawi. Show all posts
Monday, 16 August 2010
Monday, 18 January 2010
Neither Malawi nor Mali
Group A has finished in the African Cup of Nations and in the final game Mali have defeated Malawi 3-1 - the BBC report is here.
However, after a 0-0 draw between Angola and Algeria they have both qualified. Was it the 1978 World Cup that East and West Germany played out a 0-0 or 1-1 draw to ensure they both made it through to the next round?
Well done Mali, you'll be pleased about that Eddie.
However, after a 0-0 draw between Angola and Algeria they have both qualified. Was it the 1978 World Cup that East and West Germany played out a 0-0 or 1-1 draw to ensure they both made it through to the next round?
Well done Mali, you'll be pleased about that Eddie.
Friday, 15 January 2010
We can still get through
I was disappointed to learn that Angola beat Malawi 2-0 in the second round of games in the African Nations Cup, read a report of the game here.
Of course Angola are the host nation so should do well at home. But Malawi are still in a good place to qualify from the group, the final game is against Mali who are presently bottom of group A.
Of course Angola are the host nation so should do well at home. But Malawi are still in a good place to qualify from the group, the final game is against Mali who are presently bottom of group A.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Go Malawi!
I was really pleased this morning to learn that Malawi have beaten Algeria 3-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Read the BBC report here.
In the midst of great poverty and facing many problems I hope this victory in a game of football brings some cheer in Malawi.
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Tearfund Scotland
Last night we had a meeting in Newton Stewart with Lynne Paterson (on the left) and Jo Mummery (on the right). Lynne is the new Director for Tearfund in Scotland and Jo is the Enquiries and Church Liaison Officer.
You can read about some of the changes that have happened in Tearfund Scotland here.
Tearfund are having a Christmas campaign to offer a Gift of Life to children like Gloria. Gloria is from Fombe Village in Malawi, which I was able to visit in 2007. Both Gloria's parents have died due to HIV/AIDS related diseases and Gloria, who is only 13, is HIV positive. Look at the resources page on the Tearfund web site here.
Pray for Gloria, and the too many more young children like her who are victims of HIV/AIDS. Pray for Lynne and Jo and their work for Tearfund in Scotland.
Friday, 13 March 2009
Comic Relief, Tearfund and Malawi
In Feb 2007 I was able to visit Malawi on a Tearfund study tour. In Blantyre we visited the Chisomo Club, a work of the Living Waters Community Church, supported by Tearfund and also by Comic Relief.
Here are some extracts from my trip diary for Mon 12 Feb 2007.
We visited the work of the Chisomo Children’s club. Chisomo means ‘grace’ and there are two offices in Blantyre and one in Lilongwe.
Having encountered a starving child dying on the street in Blantyre the pastor of the Living Waters church decided that it was not enough only to preach the gospel to the spirit of a human but that the church had to care for the whole person. In 1998 the church started to meet with children and employed one member of staff, Mcdonald, whom we met during our visit.
The workers on the project would go out to where the children were and meet them. The beginning of the work was meeting with the children and playing games with them, there was a trip to the Lake.
A centre was purchased, with help from various supporters, and this is for short stay so that the children need not be sleeping on the streets. The centre is therefore kept purposefully Spartan so that children will be encouraged to want to go back home to their families. The work of Chisomo is to seek to reconcile children, who often have run away from the poverty at home, with their families. Most children are reintegrated with their families within three months. The centre in Blantyre successfully helps about 500 children each year, with about 2,000 being helped in other centres around Malawi.
The aim of this project is to strengthen the bond between the children and their family. When the family is contacted and the children go home the project is now beginning to work with families to help in the situations of poverty that have initially caused the child to run away from home.
The programmes running at the centre are on relationship building, family and community integration, education and health advocacy.
The children who come through the centre have mostly left home to escape from poverty, thinking they will not be poor in the city. Some have experienced sexual abuse and exploitation at home. Some children have been orphaned through bereavement and then are taken in by other family members seeking to gain the property of the deceased parents; children may then be abused by their new carers.
The centre offers counselling to help reintegration with families and is seeing a 95% success rate in their work.
A core value of the project is child involvement and seeking the views of the children. The children are involved in staff interviews and policy regarding the centre.
Some photographs from Chisomo:
Here are some extracts from my trip diary for Mon 12 Feb 2007.
We visited the work of the Chisomo Children’s club. Chisomo means ‘grace’ and there are two offices in Blantyre and one in Lilongwe.
Having encountered a starving child dying on the street in Blantyre the pastor of the Living Waters church decided that it was not enough only to preach the gospel to the spirit of a human but that the church had to care for the whole person. In 1998 the church started to meet with children and employed one member of staff, Mcdonald, whom we met during our visit.
The workers on the project would go out to where the children were and meet them. The beginning of the work was meeting with the children and playing games with them, there was a trip to the Lake.
A centre was purchased, with help from various supporters, and this is for short stay so that the children need not be sleeping on the streets. The centre is therefore kept purposefully Spartan so that children will be encouraged to want to go back home to their families. The work of Chisomo is to seek to reconcile children, who often have run away from the poverty at home, with their families. Most children are reintegrated with their families within three months. The centre in Blantyre successfully helps about 500 children each year, with about 2,000 being helped in other centres around Malawi.
The aim of this project is to strengthen the bond between the children and their family. When the family is contacted and the children go home the project is now beginning to work with families to help in the situations of poverty that have initially caused the child to run away from home.
The programmes running at the centre are on relationship building, family and community integration, education and health advocacy.
The children who come through the centre have mostly left home to escape from poverty, thinking they will not be poor in the city. Some have experienced sexual abuse and exploitation at home. Some children have been orphaned through bereavement and then are taken in by other family members seeking to gain the property of the deceased parents; children may then be abused by their new carers.
The centre offers counselling to help reintegration with families and is seeing a 95% success rate in their work.
A core value of the project is child involvement and seeking the views of the children. The children are involved in staff interviews and policy regarding the centre.
Some photographs from Chisomo:
This is the club centre building in Blantyre, a place of safety for children who would otherwise be in danger on the streets.
Some of the boys who were in the club on the day we visited.It is good to know that Comic Relief supports such wonderful work, so let’s do something funny for money!
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Global Poverty Prayer Week
In Feb 2007 I was able to visit tearfund partners in Malawi. These photos were taken south of Blantyre, in the Chikwawa district. The rightly proud farmer was explaining to us that over the past 10 years the villagers had noticed that their fields were being flooded where previously they had been able to grow good crops. Another poor village falls victim to global climate change.
In a very elegant solution, with help from tearfund partners Eagles, the village had planted this forest. Now when the river floods the waters are diverted away from the fields of crops behind the trees. Together with planting more flood resistant crops these villages are fighting a war against global climate change the effects of which are being set off by an over dependance upon carbon based fuels in Europe and America.
Why not visit the tearfund site and take on the Lent Carbon Fast this year?
Reflect upon this verse:
Psalm 24:1-2 A PSALM OF DAVID.
The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
Please pray
O Lord, strong and mighty, King of glory, Lord of hosts, you love all that you have made and continue to sustain all of your creation, forgive us for our abuse of your creation, as you lead us into new life in Christ Jesus make us agents of change who will worship you by caring for your creation. Be with those poorest peoples who are suffering because of global climate change and bring them relief from this trouble that has fallen upon them.
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