Stephanie Wilson, PNP

I traveled to Malawi in South-Eastern Africa on a Medical Mission with Mercy and Truth in June 2003.  As a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner I had been on medical missions to Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and China, but nothing could have prepared me for the absolute beauty and absolute need of the people of Malawi.

My first impression of Malawi was that of an unbelievably beautiful country with incredible poverty.  Poverty that is almost unimaginable in our world of computers, cell phones, and Starbucks. The majority of the country lives in mud huts with dirt floors and thatched roofs, without electricity or plumbing.  They etch out a living by subsistence farming, surviving on starchy legumes that provide calories, but little in the way of protein or vitamins. Meat is hard to come by. Women walk miles on their bare feet with their babies strapped to their backs balancing bundles of food on their heads. Shoes are rare. Toys are non-existent—these bright-eyed children fashion their own toys from old pieces of wire. Balls are made of old plastic bags wrapped in bundles tied with string.

Malawi is a remarkable country with people unrivaled in their beauty and resolve.

The people battle with malnutrition and poverty on a day-to-day basis, however, the AIDS crisis threatens to destroy their existence.  The statistics tell us that the AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa is spiraling out of control. In Malawi, the numbers are reaching 30%. I have seen a country devoid of young men and women who have died of AIDS and poverty-stricken grandparents struggling to care for and feed their many grandchildren who have lost their parents to AIDS. The most heart-wrenching experience for me is caring for the children that are infected with AIDS. And the starving orphans that wander around the streets, rummaging around for any food that they can find.  These children did not ask for this disease! They are the innocent bystanders that do not deserve this death sentence!

Malawi is a remarkable country with people unrivaled in their beauty and resolve. They are a humble, gracious people who endure so much pain and suffering. I feel blessed that organizations like Mercy and Truth are so passionate about serving the people of Malawi.  I pray that, somehow, we can work to ease the tremendous pain and suffering of such a beautiful race of people.