MMM in Malawi

Malawi
Land: Water	94,080 sq km 24,404 sq km
Coastline:	0 km (landlocked)
Population:	14,268,711 (July 2008 estimate)
Age Structure:	0-14 years: 45.8% 15-64 years: 51.5% 65 years and over: 2.7%
Life Expectancy:	male: 44.07 years female: 43.47 years
Infant Mortality Rate: 89.05 deaths/1,000 live births
People living with HIV/AIDS: 930,000 (2007 estimate)
Literacy:	Total population: 62.7% male: 76.1% female: 49.8% (2003 estimate)
National Holiday: Independence Day, (Republic Day) 6 July (1964)
From - World Factbook 2009

Our core work in Malawi is focussed on community based health care.  

This is done at Chipini, a rural Health Center in the south of Malawi, near the city of Zomba. From there we have an outreach program to surrounding villages. We are also responsible for a Health Centreand outreach program at Kasina, about one hour's drive south of Malawi's capital city, Lilongwe.

Sister Anne Carr is involved in the Chaplaincy Department at the General Hospital in Lilongwe, from where pastoral and social support is provided and young Chaplains from all over Malawi are trained.

In townships like Mziritsa on the periphery of Lilongwe, we support the work of Women in Development, income generation projects and community based health care. 

Malawi is called 'The Warm Heart of Africa'. The beautiful fresh water Lake Malawi stretches more than 560 km from north to south.

The country suffered a crunching brain-drain of medical and nursing staff, which it is working hard to reverse. Although MMM has trained more than 1,000 nurses since we went to Malawi in 1962, it is impossible to recruit trained staff there today. Those who return from overseas are atracted to the bigger centres, leaving the poorly resourced rural areas without sufficient personnel.

Stories from MMM in Malawi

Bicycle Ambulance   - Sister Cecily Bourdillon writes from Chipini Health Centre
Malawi, 2008:  On my Home-based Care round, I visited Matsautso at his home only to find him very ill and in much pain.
In the local language spoken around Chipini, the word ‘Matsautso’ means ‘suffering’. It is strange that this is the name given to our patient by his parents long before his illness became apparent. Although he had contracted HIV some time earlier, we had hoped to be able to keep him fairly well for a long time to come. But he was prone to the opportunistic diseases that occur when a person’s immune system is not functioning properly. >>> more.

Busy Year at Chipini Health Centre
Malawi, 2008:  Chipini Health Centre has a staff complement of 50. In an average year, there are more than 15,500 visits to the out-patient department. Malaria is the number one problem. But respiratory conditions, skin problems, oral problems, injuries and wounds also make up the reason for seeking medical assistance.
There are over 3,000 admissions for various illnesses, while there are over 800 admissions to the Maternity Unit following over 4,000 ante-natal clinic attendances. >>> more.

Providing Home Based Care to 76 Villages
Malawi, 2007:  Nobody doubts that the place to provide the best form of care for the chronically ill and the terminally ill is at home. In a country like Malawi, where there is a serious shortage of trained doctors and nurses, this is all the more true. And where there is a strong tradition of family values, it is not difficult to find carers and volunteers who can be trained to provide the services needed.  >>> more.

Learning from women we teach
Malawi, 2006:  In Malawi Sister Mary Doonan is involved in women’s development activities that generate income. This also develops the women’s self-esteem. They discover their creative capacity. This, in turn, leads them to realize they have a story that is worth telling.
In our MMM community, as we reflected on the needs around us, it became more and more obvious to us that the HIV/AIDS situation was placing huge demands on women. >>> more.

Endless Possibilities with Irrigation
By Anthony Hannon who has spent two years working with MMM in Malawi
Malawi, 2006:  One often gets the impression that an African landscape is difficult and barren with dry river beds and a hot glaring sun. This does not apply here in Chipini. The resources are available in Malawi to feed herself and more. The potential here in Malawi is enormous. It just needs to be realized.
Our project at Chipini, funded by Trócaire, aims to ensure sustainable food security with the people. The plan is to achieve this goal through encouraging farmers to grow Drought Resistant Crops like sorghum, advocating sustainable agricultural practices, and teaching farmers improved irrigation techniques. >>> more.

Tinged with Madness
Malawi, 2005:  In accepting to take over the administration of the 60-bed Rural Health Centre at Kasina, we did not quite grasp just how ‘run down’ it was. This was a healthcare facility of Dedza diocese, where there had been no resident administrator for quite some time. A sense of neglect pervaded the whole area. To quote the staff, it was ‘more a village setting than a health facility.’
We sometimes asked ourselves were we tinged with madness, taking on such an uphill task! Yet, somehow, deep within us we sensed the challenge to respond to the needs of the local Church in a new place. >>> more.

Please support these essential services if you can

There is just one MMM Sister who is a native of Malawi, Sister Clara Chikwana, based at Kasina Health Centre. Other Sisters include some from Ireland, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, enabling us to provide meaningful services in Kasina and Chipini as well as Lilongwe. It costs a lot to maintain. Please support these essential services if you can.

History of MMM in Malawi  |  More Stories from Annals of MMM in Malawi

Last modified: Friday, March 19th, 2010