My all-time favorite name for a shop in Malawi is “If You Don’t Have Money Don’t Bother Me Welding Shop.” Another favorite is the “99% God’s Plan” used clothing store. I asked the store owner what the other 1% is, and she replied that it’s her hard work.
Some store names are open to misinterpretation, especially for people like me who lack socio-linguistic background. Continue reading “Fun Signs”
While our family was boarding a British Airways flight from Chicago to London on our way to Malawi, a band of ten thieves were jumping the wall of Kindle Orphan Outreach’s Central Office, beating and tying up the two guards, and starting to smash their way through our burglar bars. Continue reading “Treasures on Earth”
We arrived yesterday at the Lilongwe airport, where three of our colleagues helped us get safely back to our home on the farm. Our luggage also made it, after a bit of a misadventure. I must say that the story of our luggage is a bit embarrassing, but it should probably be told: Continue reading “Back in Malawi, With Only One Misadventure”
These children are celebrating in a childcare center that is run by women in their village. They have just moved into a new building Kindle helped to fund after the women made the bricks and paid for the bricklayers. An excellent example of development: coming alongside our brothers and sisters who are working hard to do something positive for their community.
Food aid was distributed to families whose crops failed due to drought: a relief effort that did not depend on the recipients’ work.
Joyce Banda, the President of Malawi, spoke to the UN General Assembly earlier this year. Reading what she has to say is an encouraging reminder of why we do what we are doing in Malawi. Two of the things that Kindle focuses on are affordable health care for everyone in our area and making it possible for orphans and vulnerable children to attend secondary school. President Banda mentions these two things as key needs in Malawi.
Read what she has to say here on CNN.com.
Yesterday we bade farewell to three women who were here working us for the last six weeks. One of the things that they did for us was to put together this video about Kindle Orphan Outreach:
Thank you, Callie, Kelsey, and Megan!
In the span of one week, I saw two malnourished babies who exemplified the horrible results of untreated mastitis in rural Malawi. This is a condition that can easily be treated, but due to cultural mores and lack of education, the women did not access care immediately. These women will probably lose their breasts, and their babies have lost important early nutrition. Continue reading “An Ounce of Prevention”
After yesterday’s snake post, I thought maybe we should put some puppy pictures here for balance. Shep, our border collie, had puppies a couple of weeks ago. The daddy is either Sammy, a golden retriever that she visited for a couple of days, or else her boyfriend here on the farm, who hasn’t been around since the puppies were born. Continue reading “Puppies”
I’ve been avoiding writing about snakes because we’re hoping my mom will come to visit someday, but I just can’t ignore it any longer. The place where we live is called Nanjoka, which translates roughly as “place of snakes.” And we’ve had our share. Continue reading “Snakes”
The Stockers' Stories 