Two Dreams To Care For ...

Moments like this fill each day - the joy and "curse" of twins in Africa. 

I was moved by the intensity, intimacy, and care of this moment.  

This caring mother is Annie Mankhumula.  

Her twins, Yamikan and Thokozan, are thirteen months old.  

Annie's chest tells a story.  

These young children are grasping for all they can attain.  There is little Annie can offer.

Fortunately, both children "graduated" from a therapeutic nutritional program this morning.  

With the help of "Chiponde" (the magic peanut paste), Thokozan grew 500 grams and Yamikan grew 550 grams in the last two weeks.  

They are now out of the immediate crisis in terms of their nutritional health.  

Much like most of the other children in the program, their father works as a farmer.  

Right now, he is far away from home in the North of Malawi struggling to earn a living.

Apparently, there is no work anywhere near his village that will allow him to earn a salary with his skills.  

Annie has five living children - three under ten.  Annie had two other children, but they both died before they were five years old from malaria.  This is a common story in Malawi. 

The family lives in a small home with a thatch roof.  

Three times a day, Annie and her other children go to gather water from a rustic well near their village.  

Like many women in Africa, Asia, and South America, her days are filled with caring for children, caring for the house, preparing food, gathering water and firewood, and tending the small family farm.  

Her face is calm and strong.  One senses the impact of many tiring days. 

* * * 

Yesterday, while driving to a site early in the morning, we saw a sign on the side of the road that said: "Men At Work."  

I turned to the nurses in our vehicle, pointed to the road sign, and shared my thought: "Sometimes."  

I paused and added: We should make a new sign that says: "Women At Work ... Always."  

Great laughter and a long discussion about the role women play in much of the less developed world evolved.  

At this time, many large non profit organizations and development initiatives are focusing on empowering women in poor countries to address poverty and improve economic stability.  

Micro loan and other stimulus programs have demonstrated tremendous outcomes by extending support beyond men in rural and and urban communities to embrace women.    

Perhaps, the next century will bring dramatic change.  Old patterns have a way of resisting modification.

As I prepare to head back to San Francisco (I leave Africa later today), the faces and spirit of countless mothers and grandmothers who care for their children here in southern, rural Malawi will linger with me.  Their dedication and sense of hope is quite moving.

My current plan is to be in San Francisco for most of the next three and a half weeks.

If all goes well, I will return to Malawi at the end of February to continue my work on this short documentary material.  We are planning to "shoot" a continuation of several "case studies" to show the full transition from the start of the program through completion for at least a half dozen children. 

As the some of the video material evolves, I will share additional thoughts.

Thanks for joining my journey.