Into Africa
Part 3: Making do
By Sydney Kornegay

All Malawians, including children, make do.

Editor’s note: Sydney, a Columbia Star Cub Reporter and senior at AC Flora High School, spent two weeks in Malawi, Africa, last summer with her father, mother, and sister. They were on a personal mission with the Ministry of Hope. This is her story.

About four days into our trip to Malawi, I discovered a time machine. It was an old, white, lumbering van, and our only form of transportation from Lilongwe to the surrounding villages. Although it rattled and shook as we drove along the dirt road towards the village of Matapila, it proved itself not only worthy of the tough terrain, but of time travel as well.

Arriving in Matapila was like being transported back into another century. Its most modern facilities are cinder block buildings in the village center; however, the majority of the homes consist of mud walls and straw roofs. There is no running water; the women must pump water from a well to wash clothes and cook meals. Almost everyone in Matapila makes their living by farming and caring for livestock.

The African sunset as backdrop for soccer game

Yet despite their lack of modern facilities and comforts, the villagers in Matapila have learned to make do with what they have. They stoically encounter overwhelming hardships and sickness on a day–to–day basis.

The orphans in Matapila were perhaps the most incredible examples of this ability to make do. While we were in the village, we spent a day helping distribute blankets with Ministry of Hope, an organization that provides the orphans with one meal a day. Many of these orphans live with extended family members who are too poor to provide them with essentials like food and blankets. As a result, many of the orphans go without blankets in the wintertime, and must shiver through nights of 50 degrees or below. A few of the kids said they used trash bags to keep warm.

But you could never tell it by their smiles. The feeding center where they got their meals was not a scene of misery and dejection as I had expected, but rather a sea of beaming smiles and rowdy kids. They were incredible musicians as well. Their instruments were homemade, with old gas cans and string for guitars and handmade drums. When all three hundred sang and clapped in heart–stopping unison, it was hard to miss their joy.

The orphans of Matapila still smile despite overwhelming hardships.

The orphans had also learned to entertain themselves with what little they had. That evening, orphans from Ministry of Hope played a soccer game against another school team. The soccer field was little more than a dirt square, and the ball looked like it had been used for years. Cleats were unheard of. The boys sprinted up and down the field barefooted. Their lack of equipment didn’t dampen their enthusiasm for the game though, and the whole village showed up to support their team.

Our day ended with a final example of the villagers’ ability to make do. That night, we stayed in the feeding center director, Shadraq’s, home. Shadraq graciously offered his home and his cooking to us, and we spent the evening talking and eating a typical Malawian meal of greens, chicken, and maize. However, the evening brought an unexpected visitor.

It was pitch dark outside when we heard a knock on the door. Upon opening it, we found a teenage girl and a few adults. The girl was grimacing in pain, and as she sat down outside Shadraq’s home, we saw a deep gash on one of her bare feet.

Without a hospital or an emergency room, Shadraq’s small, well–used first aid kit was the only source of medical help. He bandaged her up and sent her on her way.

(Next week: Learning how to play)