Chief Waisoni Injesi ...

We met on a hot Sunday afternoon.

I came to ask Chief Waisoni Injesi for permission to allow me into his village.

As an "Azungu" (white person), it is not appropriate for me to arrive unannounced in a remote African community ... especially with strange equipment and lots of intimate questions.

First, there were formal introductions and meet-the-chief protocol - I learned to shake a chief's hand with reverence, bow from the waist, and ensure my head is lower than the "mighty" chief's head. Ok. I am embellishing a touch.

I came with a local health care worker and a nurse who works in our program. This provided a link to the Chief's world and a means for me to communicate in the chief's language. We sat for about an hour in conversation.

Chief Waisoni Injesi is quite skilled at nodding and prodding and responding.

There were many "Mmmmms" and "Ohooooos."

It took about thirty minutes for me to feel confident that we were on a positive track.

This picture was taken at the end of our time together.

The chief sits in this portrait with one of his wives. That's his daughter and grandchild in the background.

For me, the chief's face and eyes reflect a sense of thoughtful calmness.

He spoke about the way he leads - apparently, he handles crisis and joy with a sense of consistent, stable, strong emotional perspective.

He said he does not receive gifts or any form of taxes and other forced payments from the families in his village.

Chief Injesi is responsible for forty five households near his home.

He became chief for this community thirty six years ago.

He does not know his age.

Turns out, he has two wives. Each wife lives in a different home.

From what I can tell, the chief shuttles back in forth between each wife to ensure diplomacy and balanced leadership is available across his village. Smile.

Through his eyes, despite the progress in many areas of Malawi, it is much more difficult to live today than it was when he first became chief.

There are more people to feed with the same amount of land. This chief's land is sandy and less fertile than many other areas of Malawi.

Of great importance, over the last several years, the chief has not been able to procure government vouchers for discounted fertilizer.

He said that this is the single most important goal he has at this time - to gain access to modern fertilizer.

Chief Waisoni Injesi said almost all of his village is starving during this year's "hunger season."

Even his own family desperately needs food - one of his own children is using "Chiponde."

This chief never went to school. He said that some children in his village are able to attend school. Other children are not able to go to school because their families have no funds for uniforms and other supplies and/or the children are needed to work in the home and in the fields.

A few years back, the chief tried to establish a community garden, a source of mutual support. He hoped to diminish the village food insecurity. Unfortunately, this did not work. Crops never grew effectively. In this case, much like the many existing gardens of corn and tobacco near village homes, fertilizer was too expensive to afford.

Despite all the challenges in chief Injesi's village, he was open, positive, and warm.

He laughed very hard when I gave him my camera to take pictures of his family. His hand shook and his face became very serious as he attempted to work this modern gadget.

He laughed again with great enthusiasm when I started to play with the three dozen children who gathered just outside the chief's gate while we, the "Azungus" (white people), were working through our introduction and request.

In the end, we were granted the chief's full permission to work within his village.

I spent most of a day with an inspirational, single mom named "Sapuleni," who has nine children.

The chief knew her situation and wished her well.