A Mountain of Problems to Climb
Malawi
has long been considered one of the poorest nations in the world.
Its statistics for infant mortality, average life expectancy and growth
stunting are consistently amongst the worst in Africa. Its population
of approximately 12,000,000 is mainly rural but urban drift is resulting
in the rapid expansion of Malawi’s three major cities, Blantyre,
Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
The resulting
unplanned township developments are creating a whole new set of social
problems such as crime, prostitution, water-borne diseases and security.
There is very little employment to be found in the cities and in particular
young men have left a labour deficit in the outlying villages that
they have deserted.
The HIV/AIDS
scourge hit Malawi particularly badly. Medical resources are scarce
and the cost of treatment and drugs is prohibitive even if they can
be found. There appears to be no respite on the horizon and no grounds
for optimism as is being currently experienced in Uganda. AIDS awareness
and education remain inadequate in spite of the presence of international
and national agencies.
As a
result, Malawi is currently home to approximately half a million orphans,
though accurate statistics are difficult to come by. In Malawi it
is common for a child that has lost its mother but not its father
to be considered an orphan. The average annual earning for a Malawian
is still less than US$100. Formula milk powder can be bought in the
cities for the equivalent of 4 days’ minimum wage.
Sustenance
therefore for a new-born orphaned baby will be difficult if not impossible.
We have known of babies being kept alive on tea and sugar. When the
extended family system was in operation such a child would be incorporated
into the family of a surrogate suckling mother. Such is the pressure
that AIDS has brought to bear on this ancient system that it has all
but collapsed.
Responding
to the Needs of Orphans
Open
Arms Infant Home came into being in 1996, when two expatriate ladies
in Blantyre became aware of the emerging problem. Orphaned babies
were brought into their home until arrangements could be made at conventional
orphanages – there was only one in Blantyre at the time. As
the need grew, so did the response and currently Open Arms has grown
into an institution employing forty staff and caring for forty infants
up to the age of two. Via the Outreach programme the Home monitors
the progress of the twenty-plus returnees replaced in their villages,
township communities or conventional orphanages in the last two years.
Open
arms is therefore really by definition a transition Home. Vulnerable
infants, often carrying the HIV/AIDS virus, or suffering from the
symptoms of AIDS-related illnesses (such as tuberculosis, pneumonia
or meningitis) are brought to the Home via several agencies such as
mission hospitals, social welfare departments or government hospitals,
or sometimes by desperate relatives or grandparents who have heard
of us via the grape vine.
Of late
there has been an increase in the incidence of abandoned babies brought
to us by police or welfare organisations. This is probably due to
the increasing pressures on very young girls often still at school
who have become pregnant. The rise in prostitution in the townships
also contributes to this situation. It is not unusual to see emaciated
young mothers with two or three malnourished children living on our
streets alongside the ever-increasing numbers of street children and
adult beggars.
Mean
annual mortality statistics for the Home are depressing and run just
below 50 %. These are mainly premature babies weighing less than 2
kilograms, unable to deal with the rigours of birth, complicated by
malaria, anaemia, tuberculosis etc.. They often die within the first
three months, and we are sad to report that our last five admissions
have all proved positive.
Moving
On
Those
surviving two year olds who are healthy enough to leave Open Arms
follow one of three paths. The first and most favoured is the return
to a caring relative, young enough and fit enough to cope with another
mouth. They will have been encouraged to visit Open Arms as often
as possible during the two years the child is with us. Accommodation
in a traditional village house in the grounds is offered to them if
they come from a distance and they often do.
The concept
of adoption and fostering is alien to Malawian culture so instances
of this are rare, but not unknown. Very occasionally resident expatriates
have been granted permission to adopt, but the government strongly
discourages out-of-country adoptions.
Our third
and final option involves our finding places in conventional orphan
institutions such as Jacaranda House, Yamikani House or the SOS Children’s
villages, and Open Arms UK currently sponsors seven such places in
a nearby Institution.
In each
of these three scenarios our Outreach programme has a vital role to
play.
People
The Home
is managed by Rosemarie and Neville Bevis, an expatriate British couple
whose living expenses are sponsored by Leeds United Football Club
and private individuals in the United Kingdom. Mrs Rose Phiri, the
salaried Matron, is a registered nurse and community health worker.
She also lives on site. A visiting paediatrician, Dr Emma Verona,
is in weekly attendance. Other expatriate volunteers play a vital
role too. The Home has recently built accommodation for young volunteers
from all over the world who come for periods of up to three months
to help with the care of the babies.
All these,
plus twenty-five salaried ladies, deliver round the clock care, 365
days a year to the babies. The Home has its own farm, employing five
men where much of our food is produced. A commercial poultry unit
helps to contribute towards the US$65,000 a year required to run the
Home.
Funding
Open
Arms receives virtually no institutional funding, except for a monthly
donation from Christian Services International. The balance comes
from individuals, schools, churches and well-wishers from literally
all over the world. The most significant input comes from Open Arms
Malawi in the UK which is now a registered charity in England and
Wales.
Future
funding plans must take into account a significant development that
is being forced upon us by the present famine conditions in the rural
areas. Heads of families who are already hard-pressed are finding
it virtually impossible to feed their many dependents. An extra hungry
mouth means even more serious hardship and as a result we are finding
it increasingly difficult to persuade relatives to take their children
back.
Our response
is to build a new unit for twelve three to five-year-olds who simply
have nowhere to go at this time. We remain conscious of our aim to
return them to their communities and efforts to do this will continue.
The unit will be self contained, adjacent to the main house and will
have its own resident staff. We hope to employ a nursery school teacher
for them as well as for our more advanced toddlers.
Should
the situation in Malawi remain as it is, Open Arms’s long term
aim will be to build additional homes in the Central and Northern
regions using Blantyre Open Arms as the model.
We have
our own website www.openarmsmalawi.org.
If you would like to know more, have a look.
