Mbayani- Part 1 (a must-see visit for APC’s mission team)

We struggle to describe our experience at Mbayani-a semi-urban village of Blantyre. What we saw there will haunt us, and strengthen us for the rest of our time here-maybe for the rest of our lives.
While the experience of living in Malawi has been very challenging, it has not been as extreme as we had expected. We live in a comfortable house. The girls go to private schools with other privileged kids. We live in Blantyre, a city with shops, banks, streets and sidewalks. We drive a car. While what we have experienced is a far cry from anything we have experienced in the US, much is familiar.

Then we went to Mbayani.
This village is located just a few miles outside of Blantyre-it only took 5-10 minutes to get there, but it felt like another world. Just getting there was harrowing as we drove up a “road” that can best be described as a deeply rutted path-and we mean deep. It was obvious that few vehicles ever travel this road; at times we wondered if our pick up truck would get over the gullies or if we would get stuck or bottom out as the suspension struggled to keep all four wheels on the ground at the same time.
As we entered the outskirts of the village a little boy dressed in tattered clothes pointed and yelled “Azungu, Azungu!” (White man) Others stared at us and began to follow us. One little fellow was totally naked. The street was lined with wooden framed lean-to shops and littered with refuse. People stared at us from these dilapidated structures. As we looked to the side we could see rows and rows of little mud-brick huts - homes.

Suddenly, we heard the sounds of drums and voices singing. The truck we were following with our hosts from the CCAP Development Project, pulled over and the clapping and singing grew louder. Sewa, our hostess, called over the din “They’ve been expecting you!” Children began to stream up to the car from every direction-dozens of kids of all ages. Their excited faces and hands reached out to us as we tried to get out, all the while singing and clapping some kind of welcome song. They had obviously been awaiting our arrival -we suspect an event that simply doesn’t happen here very often.

The adults who comprise the local village committee were so proud to show off their program. We sat in the few rickety chairs they had-thrones for their royal guests- in a small clearing as hundreds of children gathered round on the weeds. We were deeply honored. Different groups took turns sharing their gifts. One group of boys did gymnastics and “kung fu” excercises--back hand springs, diving through rings and building human pyramids by standing on each other’s shoulders. Girls performed traditional dances. Kids recited memorized poetry and Bible verses. They showed us their homemade swing set--tire treads hanging from a piece of wood suspended between two trees. Even though there were hundreds of kids waiting their turn, the local leaders insisted that Jordan and Terra go first and give it a try.

This children’s program is their way of combating the horrible sense of hopelessness that pervades these villages as an entire generation of Malawians has been devastated by extreme poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Many of these kids are coming from homes with no parents. They live with grandparents, aunts and uncles or are being raised by other children. Where there used to be a few orphans who were easily absorbed into the large family systems of Malawi, now there are hundreds. The communities are stepping up to care in new and creative ways and these people wanted to show us their work. It was deeply moving.
After and hour or so of the program, followed by the mandatory speeches by everyone, they took us on a tour to see a couple of homes. What we saw was so disturbing… (to be continued.)