A Numbers Game

Many of you will know of Zimbabwe’s challenges with inflation over recent years. A number of years ago, I was shown a 25,000 Zim Dollar note. It had an expiry date on it! At the time, it would not have even purchased a loaf of bread. A few years later, and they had produced a 1 billion dollar note. Again it would not have bought a loaf of bread!! How did people function in such an environment? They spent money as soon as they got it. Now they use the US dollar for their currency (not sure I understand how that works).
 

Fortunately here in Malawi we haven’t reached that stage. But prices are rising steadily. In the last year alone, the price (MK = Malawi Kwacha) of some basic items has risen sharply. For example,

-          Petrol has increased from 230MK to 380MK per litre (about $2.20), and is still in short supply

-          Bread has doubled in price from 110MK to 225MK per loaf

-          Milk powder has risen from 200MK to 350MK for a 125g box (we supply these in our HOPE for AIDS home based care program)

-          Cement has more than doubled from 2000MK to over 4000MK per 50kg bag

Not everything has risen so sharply though. For instance, the value of the Aussie dollar has only jumped from 148MK to 172MK in the same period.

 

Malawi’s economy is now governed by a Zero Deficit Budget, so this means it is harder to get tax concessions on items. The Likuni Phala (Fortified maize porridge) that is used by our HBC and OVC programs, is no longer eligible for surtax exemption, and together with increased prices, it too has doubled in price in the last 12 months.

 

And the price of items varies markedly across different stores – sometimes by more than 50%. So as you do a one shop stop in the supermarket (or at least at the same shopping mall) spare a thought as we move between markets and half a dozen stores to get our staple foods.

But we are fortunate – we have food on the table every day, with money spare for treats – many families struggle to live on barely a few dollars each day, and don’t know where they will get the money for their next meal. One family came to us the other day seeking 2000MK ($12) to see them through to the end of the month.

More Letters - What is OVC?

I recently spent a day visiting one of our orphan care programs in southern Malawi. I am amazed at the resilience of people there.

For people in western society, the word orphan conjures up images of orphanages or kids on the streets with no one to care for them. This is not quite the image you would walk away with from one of our program locations. Strictly speaking we are not an orphan care program but an OVC program.

So what is OVC? It stands for Orphans & Vulnerable Children. A child with 2 parents can actually be more vulnerable (to exploitation, illness, poverty etc) than a child with no parents. It depends on who their main carer/guardian is.

UNICEF defines an orphan as a child who has lost at least one of their parents. So in our OVC program we visit double orphans (kids who have lost both parents), single orphans (kids who have lost one parent) and other vulnerable kids who may still have both parents. All of them are vulnerable. They have been included on the program by the leaders of the local church and community because they are the most needy kids in that community.

We visited 4 families yesterday. In these 4 families a total of 14 kids are being cared for. 8 of them are orphans. None of the households had a “father” present. In one family the father had been murdered, in another the father had committed suicide, in another he had left when the mother became pregnant, and in the other family there was a disabled child. In 3 of the families, the “mother” was looking after nieces, nephews or grandkids. They have no reliable income or means of support. One mum walks an hour to her garden to try and grow small amounts of maize for her family, or tries to find ”piece” work in someone else’s gardens.

Our volunteers visit these families on a regular basis and help as they can. Some soap here, a new school uniform there, maybe some practical assistance in repairing the roof of their house. It’s all about providing hope in a difficult, even overwhelming, situation.

All in the context of poverty. All these kids are very vulnerable.

                                  

Mind Your P's and Queue

Here in Malawi, there is a lot of queueing to be done, especially at the moment – 4 hrs to get diesel, if you’re lucky, or maybe 7 hrs to discover they have just run out?

Then if you have to go to the Road Traffic Authority, and everyone does at least once per year, for renewing vehicle licenses, then you can be sure of standing in a number of queues at different counters over the course of 2 days (or more).

And what if you need to get cash out of the bank – queues there can sometimes be 30 long to get to one of the few tellers. Fortunately on my last visit I just needed the “Enquiry” counter, where there was only 1 person in front of me!!

At the Water Board, don’t go at the end of the month or you may face a line of 20 or more people. Paying by credit via VISA over the phone or internet is generally not an option, and even when it is, you can add 6% to your bill.

Even the checkouts at the supermarket can be 8-10 people long (maybe that’s not so unusual even in our home countries).

Or maybe the President is about to drive past, so roads get closed off, and you have to queue in your car waiting for your turn to be allowed through (after the President of course).

So minding your P’s becomes important – patience, persistence, peace, politeness, preparedness, pleasantries, prayer and more patience.

How easy it is to get frustrated with having to go 7 different counters and wait in the same long queue with the same hassled people before getting your transaction completed? Wait to get a quotation form, fill it out and get a quotation, pay for the quoted amount, go back to present your receipt, wait to receive your documentation, queue to get your car inspected, wait to receive the “Passed” paperwork, go back get another quotation, pay and finally get your road tax certificate. How long did that take?? The queues can be very calm, but equally they can be like a scrum, with people trying to push in from all sides.

So next time you make an internet payment, spare a thought (and a quiet prayer) for the missionaries who have to spend at least half a day in a queue to achieve the same outcome. And pray that the fuel shortage here in Malawi can be resolved soon.

Tobacco, Condoms, Beer & Pool

Tobacco, Condoms, Beer & Pool...

So I’ve got your attention!!

Now let’s play a kid’s game – I’m sure we can all remember. What do these 4 things have in common? Or perhaps we can also legitimately ask, which of these 4 is not like the other?

Well for a start, they have all come up for interesting discussion over the past few weeks in the context of our life and work here in Malawi with SIM HOPE for AIDS.

What does the church think/teach about each of them? When or where is it OK to drink or brew beer, play pool, use a condom, grow or smoke tobacco. (Tobacco is the main export earner for Malawi!)

How can playing pool be a problem you ask? Well it can be construed (or misconstrued) to be a problem when the only place to play pool is the local drinking establishment (seedy bar). In a culture where drinking is often abused, and wives and children are often abused as the results of too much drinking, the church generally (but not in its entirety) says Christians should refrain from drinking alcohol.

So Christians limit their freedom for the sake of others – that’s a good thing to do. But perhaps, in all honesty, there is less of the considered freedom limiting thinking, than the legalism thinking – do this, don’t do that.

So does that also mean they can’t go into a bar to play pool? Appearances can be important – what will the local elders say if they see one of their youth entering a bar?

In a society where there are very few forms of entertainment that are relatively cheap for the youth and others, not playing pool in a bar can be a real sacrifice.

 

Are church members allowed to grow or work on tobacco farms? Some churches say yes – their membership would be cut in two if they said otherwise. Other churches say no, and certainly not for the pastor.

Should the use of condoms be permitted, either for family planning or for prevention of HIV transmission? Isn’t it the thin end of the wedge? If we allow condoms to be used under certain circumstances, won’t the youth think it’s OK to use condoms all the time – even outside marriage.

These debates of course are not unique to the church or society in Malawi. There are these and similar questions throughout the world, Christian or otherwise - over condom use (“safe sex”), or use of “safe” drug injecting rooms.

People unfortunately want a blanket rule, which means they don’t have to think, or take responsibility for their actions. Someone else has made the rule (decision) for them. The Pharisees went so far as to say you could never use God’s name, in case you took it in vain, thus contravening commandment#3.

In HOPE for AIDS, as in any Christian context, we need to ask - What does the Bible say?

But the Bible doesn’t talk about tobacco, or pool or beer or condoms. No. But we need to look at the Biblical principles that should govern our choices and actions. It’s all too easy to come up with a blanket rule – but the youth of today (and yesterday) don’t like blanket rules that have no foundation. They are savvier, more questioning, more discerning – some would say more rebellious. But I don’t think that’s necessarily right. They have every reason to question these things, as should we.

There are many other discussions that have taken place recently as well, like what does a man do when his wife refuses to have sex with him .. to some the answer is clear. But that will have to wait for another blog.