Our partnership with the AIDS Resource Centre at Ekwendeni began back in 1998 when we responded to

a request to raise funds for the construction of the building. The vision was to have a place outside of the

hospital grounds where young people might feel comfortable to come to find education and support

around the issues of HIV and Aids.

We did this successfully, and when the building was in place we faced some difficult questions about

what to do next. The conclusion was that leaving an empty building in Malawi was not a good way to do

christian mission, so we set about finding out what resources they needed and supplying them. In the

process of doing this we discovered that the work was being led by a very able young man called Stalin

Mughandira, who gave his time voluntarily. The decision was then taken to commit to paying him a

salary to allow him to stay and develop the work. Having our own man on the ground also made it easier

to develop a better understanding of the work that was going on,

and to organise exchange visits with the help of the Church of

Scotland World Exchange programme.

This is the account of our third exchange visit, when Ian

Manson and Hazel Wood led five of our young people to spend

two weeks sharing in the life and work of the Resource Centre

in August 2010. Those who went were Alasdair Wood, Robbie

McDonald, David Manson, Rhiannon Donkin and Emma

Rietbergen.

The journey involved the cheapest flights we could find traveling with Ethiopian Airlines via Addis

Ababa, which meant that the group were both tired and

excited when we finally landed in Malawi. Stalin was there to

meet us with a small minibus and after a quick lunch we

packed into it and started the long journey up north. There

was much chatting and singing as we drove, but the

atmosphere changed as darkness fell and our group realised

that they would soon be going off on their own. Each person

was being hosted by a Malawian family, and while the

hospitality turned out to be excellent, the initial experience of

going off into the darkness with complete strangers was

certainly a daunting one for all involved.

The first weekend was largely a settling in period as got

acclimatized and found our way around, but we still found

time to join the “Witnesses For Christ” choir at their rehearsal

and to join them in singing praise at the Sunday morning Service. After this Service we were

programmed to lead a Youth Bible Study, which was attended by around 30 people in the Church Hall.

We got the feeling that the local youth were not used to our discussion

based approach to bible study, but they all entered into it and shared

many stories of what it means to be lost and to be found.

It was Monday when we were first introduced to the work of the

Hospital and its HIV Aids department. Most importantly we went to

our Resource Centre, where some Youth Group members gathered to

welcome us with speeches, and demonstrate the singing, dancing and

acting skills which they use to teach in their communities. We would

see much more of this in days to come, and our group were able to add

their singing talents to the mix, even if Alasdair’s flute caused some

bewildered looks.

The Youth Club members were keen that we should see and understand

the work that they do. It could only ever be a small glimpse of the full thing, as we now have a network

of 42 Youth Clubs operating over a catchment area of 6002 Kilometers. The one Youth Clup which we

went to visit was at Enyazini, which is roughly halfway between Ekwendeni and the nearby town of

Mzuzu, about 20 minutes by vehicle. Unfortunately there had been a communication breakdown and the

local Youth had not been told that we were coming that day. This being the case, they did remarkably

well to organise a guided tour of their activities, bring in the village headman to welcome us, perform a

drama, and provide us all with lunch. They showed us their two pigs, telling us pride that the female was

about to give birth. Following some pilot projects, the hospital had promised that if Youth Clubs could

build a suitable enclosure and demonstrate that they could look after animals properly, they would be

given two pigs. The Youth at Enyazini had certainly been up to the challenge, and were looking forward

to selling the piglets for around 10,000 Kwacha each (50 Euro).

We were taken on a walk along a single file path through a

rough dry landscape, until we came across a cultivated area

with crops growing in neatly ridged rows. This was another

Youth Group activity. A volunteer comes twice a day to tend

the soil and water it using a nearby bore hole. The maize,

sweet potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes beans and Soya attract more

income for the Club, as well as improving the nutrition of the

villagers.

Another walk led us to the house of a widow. She now lives alone as her house is in such poor condition

that she told her grandchildren to leave in case it fell on them. We were told how the Youth Group had

already begun work to rebuild her house, so that she could be safe and have her family with her again.

She welcomed us very warmly, telling us she never thought she would see the day when white people

would come to visit her, expressing regret that she had not prepared food for us.

As we made our way back to where we started, we walked through smoke which was coming from a huge

pile of bricks. It turned out that this was another income generating activity of our Youth Club, this time

to allow them to purchase a keyboard. The bricks had been molded from mud and had just been backed

by the burning of firewood under them.

As well as the work in the villages, our Resource Centre is also at the hub of many other activities.

Having people know their HIV status is a vital step in the fight against the disease, and it was noted

several years ago that young people were very reluctant to go the Hospital to be tested. This led to the

development of a VTC (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) Centre at the Resource Centre. We saw

round the facilities, and heard from several of the Youth about the training they had received and the way

they go about their business. Some are now paid by the hospital for their work while others do it as

volunteers, but they all come across as very knowledgeable and committed to this challenging work.

We were also given an insight into the work of the Home Based Care teams. Around 80 Youth have been

trained in this, and they operate in their own villages supporting those who are ill at home. The patient

we saw lived close to the Centre and did so in

relatively good conditions. Mrs Zeba had AIDS and

also suffers from cervical cancer. The volunteer

visitors chatted with her as she sat on the doorstep,

her grandchildren looking bewildered at the set of

white faces which sat on the mat facing them. They

explained the different things that they were able to

give her; cotton wool for her discharges, plastic

gloves to allow her family to safely wash her clothes,

etc, but told us that the only painkiller that had was

aspirin which they could not give her because of her

condition. At this point our group discovered that we

had paracetamol with us, which was quickly offered and gratefully received. Tears ran down Mrs Zeba’s

face as the youth offered her encouraging words in her own language, and particularly when Mrs

Nkandwe prayed for her. We left her, at least with the feeling that we had been able to do something to

help.

It was later that day that we were due to meet with a group of people from PLWA (People Living With

Aids). This had been a moving experience for previous groups, but unfortunately they were not able to

turn up on the day. What we had instead was an honest and open chat with the group chairman, Sibo.

She told us how she became positive, how she found out her status, and how well she had since recovered

both physically and spiritually. It was a memorable conversation, and allowed us to understand a great

deal about the disease and its consequences, giving a human face to what we often think of as a global

problem.

Another memorable day saw our group pack on to the back of an open lorry, along with around 25 other

people, plus musical equipment, AIDS testing kits, and enough food for everyone’s lunch. Due to leave

at 9.00, they finally set off for Zombwe some time after 12.00, following many complications with hiring

the vehicle and finding fuel for it. On arriving at the destination

the choirs and drama groups were quickly in action drawing a

large crowd of people, assisted by a few songs from our own

young people. The numbers of people coming for Counseling and

Testing were larger than expected, so that the counseling had to

be done in groups rather than individually, and our group was

occupied in helping to manage the crowds and enable the process

to continue.

Before our group had left Geneva they had worked very hard to

raise fund to allow them to buy bikes for the Youth Clubs. These

are very important as there are 42 such groups covering a very

wide area. With Stalin's help, they were able to find a shop which could provide 10 sturdy bikes, and

during the gathering to mark the end of the visit the group were able to present them. They also handed

over specially made tops for the girls netball teams. These gifts were greatly appreciated and expressions

of gratitude were said, sung and danced.

Nonetheless, our group would all agree that they gained far more than they gave during this visit. It is a

bit of a cliché to talk about the warm welcome that visitors receive in Malawi, but it remains a powerful

experience to be on the receiving end of it. Christian mission comes alive when it takes the shape of

human relationships and that was certainly the case for our group. Never again will our young people be

able to hear about the problems of HIV or poverty and imagine that it is a distant or impersonal thing, and

encountering such vibrant and vital christian faith is among people who appear to have so little to be

thankful for offers a life changing perspective. It will not be forgotten.

The whole experience came full circle when we were able to welcome William and Madalitso back to

Geneva.

William was keen to visit Geneva for many predictable reasons,

but he also had a particular motivation. He told me when I was

with him in Ekwendeni that he was anxious to tell his story in

Geneva so that we could understand what the work of the

Resource Centre really means.

Like so many young people in the area, William lost his father

when he was a young child, but he tells how his mother worked

hard to provide for him and his brother. By the time he was 17

his mother had enough money to send him to secondary school where he was a keen student. However

tragedy then struck when his mother died. With no possibility of education, he spent his time looking

after his grandfather’s cattle in his home village of Zombwe. He admits that he fell in with a bad crowd

who led him into alcohol and drug abuse to forget about his grief and loneliness or a while.

That might have been his future, but it coincided with the time when we had begun to employ Stalin

Mughandira to build up the work of our Resource Centre. He had been to William’s village to set up a

Youth Club there, and noticed him wandering the in the bush. The outcome was that he was able to find

resources to get him back to school, and convinced him to spend his after school time helping at the

Resource Centre, learning and serving the community. William, now a

smart, articulate and confident young man, told me that this had saved his

life.

It was enriching for us as a congregation to be able to welcome William

and Mada into our homes and our church for two weeks and show a little

of the hospitality that we were all shown in Ekwendeni. Neither of them

had paid employment or many possessions in the way that we would

understand them, and in our culture they might well feel sorry for

themselves. However, like so many of the people we have got to know

through our Resource Centre they are full of faith and laughter and we

could only be inspired by their dedication and commitment.

Those who got to know them have been given a little insight into the experience of living in Ekwendeni,

of coping with poverty and growing in faith. Their stories could be repeated many times over, and while

we were frequently thanked for all that we do for them, we are also grateful for all that they so freely

offer us.

I also just wanted to thank you for an amazing experience that I

know I will remember for the rest of my life. It was a great

opportunity for me and I hope that all I learnt from the trip will

enable me to be a better person in the long run.

Rhiannon Donkin

The trip was a real eye-opener to a world I'd only read

about and seeing it with my own eyes and experiencing it made

it so much more real. It definitely showed that the Church's

work in Ekwendeni is life-changing but there is still a lot that

can be done to improve the situation over there. What stood out

for me was the generosity, kindness and warmth of the people

who are more grateful for what little they have. I hope that in

the future more youth groups from our congregation can

continue the close relationship we have with them. Thank you

for organising it all, it was an invaluable experience which I

shall never forget. I definitely intend on going back!

Emma Rietbergen