Daily Life ...

Thought you might enjoy a quick, visual splash of daily life near a rural Malawi village.

The lush, green scenery in this video is present for just a few months each year during the rainy season when a single crop, mostly corn, is grown.

Mid day, the dirt paths near many of the villages in southern Malawi are full of men, women, and young children in colorful cloth moving every which way, engaged in play and the driving motion of rural commerce.

As you may note, most of the men and women are without shoes. Yet, they tend to move gracefully and quickly on well worn, often rocky paths.

Bicycles are common. Cars and trucks remain a special sighting.

Most schools serve a large area containing many villages. Classrooms are typically an empty, rectangular room with mats on the floor and an old chalk board near the front wall. Pencils and paper are a luxury. Air conditioning or heating are alien discussions. Teachers are respected, yet underpaid and overworked.

In the fields, a day laborer may be paid less than a dollar a day. Work is hard to find.

Many families live on a single harvest from a small piece of land. On special occasions, they sell some of their corn and other home grown vegetables to generate enough money to buy vegetable oil, soap, salt and other household treasures.

Women and young girls often carry large, heavy loads on their heads. Balance is a "learned and expected talent" at a very young age.

It is typical for an entire family to live in a small, one room home with a mud, brick, or concrete floor.

Electricity is rarely available. Water and firewood are gathered each day.

During "Hunger Season," for most families, only one or two light meals of "Nsima" (sometimes stated as: "Nshima") are generally possible. This is the staple for much of southern Africa.

There is deep poverty throughout this region. Yet, there is a strong sense of community. In my short experience, it was rare to see an individual who appeared lost, lonely, or forgotten.

It is interesting to reflect on modern cities with vast resources, millions of residents, and much intensity.

In large cities and suburbs, we are capable of creating attractive material wealth, joy and laughter, and a sense of closeness. We are also capable of developing tremendous inequity, a feeling of isolation, and human emotions that don't seem to exist in a rural space such as southern Malawi. In countries such as the United States, we have much in commercial terms and broad access to technology and other resources, yet we sometimes struggle to connect with each other in positive, meaningful ways. Many of us do not know our neighbors.

There is no question that the rural communities of Malawi have deep and challenging problems to contend with. These communities also have tremendous strengths. The poor farmers and their families who reside in these villages tend to maintain a richness of spirit, a depth of culture, and a strong sense of resiliency and inter-dependency. They share much together.

There are lessons for all of us to hold, reflections to ponder.

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