Paradise Lost

Malawi - 16th October 2006
Kande is probably not even on the map. It's just a small cluster of villages, approximately 8000 people living on or near to the shores of Lake Malawi. A sun drenched tropical paradise in the heart of southern Africa, it's crystal clear turquoise waters glistening in the sun and it's gleaming white sands unspoilt by the horrors of commercial tourism. Here banana trees grow down to the water's edge where children swim and play in the sun, women do the family laundry and men fish from dugout canoes. Life ticks on slowly in Kande. No commuter rush here.Yet this paradise is flawed. The tranquil waters of the lake are home to the deadly bilhatzia virus and to malaria, there is widespread unemployment and AIDS, as in most of Africa, is an endemic killer leaving death and orphaned children in its terrible wake.
One of the few expats living here in Kande is Sandra, a young Dutch woman. Blond and in her early to mid 20's, Sandra spent a couple of days here in 2002 as a passenger on an overland safari - just like us. Like us she met the locals, visited their school and inadequate hospital and child care facilities but unlike us, she decided she could do something to help. Immediately, she returned to the Netherlands and set about gathering as many medical and educational supplies as she could beg and returned to Malawi to do what she could. And slowly, her dream took shape.A local Chief gifted her some land and with finances raised from friends and the business community back home she established; a day care centre for orphaned children, (most had extended family who could care for them in the evenings), a basic medical support unit in conjunction with the local hospital,a gardening project to feed the children and a pig breeding project which now supplies approximately 40-50 pigletts to local villagers for breeding and for food each year. In just 4 years, this young Dutch video store assistant has established a project that employs 19 local people full time to educate, feed and care for approximately 70 orphaned children.
Remarkable as Sandra's story is, it is not unique. There are thousands of aid workers doing much the same thing all over Africa. But her example did challenge me to consider the extent of my own pathetic Lenten Appeal response and even to wonder if our 2 year contribution in Albania was sufficient. It also reminded me of what any of us can achieve if our dream is big enough. Perhaps you can help? Take a moment tovisit her website and see for your self what she is doing.