Jo Jo goes to Malawi

Sth Luangwa - Zambia

It’s impossible to put a closure on Africa.  Anyone who has experienced life here will forever be touched by the diversity of this land. The poverty and unexpected richness, the warmth of the people – their pride, strength, endurance and courage. The sense of community rarely experienced at home. The wildlife – roaming freely one day, endangered the next. Africa stains the heart and opens a future of possibilities.

The beauty of a Hippo!

All that has taken place since my last post cannot be captured in one blog..  photos may speak louder than words today as the enormity of this journey is only just sinking in. I really didn’t know what I was getting myself in for when I made the decision to come to Malawi.  “You will be happiest if you work for free” were the Swami’s words on the first day of this year. His wisdom was accurate and I feel blessed to have had the courage and circumstances to have taken his advice.  I guess you could say I have had a love affair with a country I didn’t even know I needed.

Initially thinking I would begin a wellness clinic in Malawi it slowly unfolded what I was to do here. I was to blend who I was, my profession, my heart and my hands and share all I had with a country that needs so much yet offers so much more. I became part of the community… I was their doctor, their chiropractor, teacher, counsellor, friend and sometimes just the mzungu who walked the village and handed out stickers. It can’t be summarised all that has taken place over here… babies have been delivered, thousands have been adjusted, the library has commenced and more projects continue. With the help of dedicated people in Australia nappies for every newborn baby in the village of Lifuwu have been provided for the next year. Students have been sponsored, shoes have been received – soap, fungi cream and love have been handed out in bucket loads.

Last day of adjusting in the clinic!

I think I am the only one over stickers!

 Surgeries have been organised for patients, a prosthetic limb for a toddler in our village has been scheduled and equipment has been sourced. With the help of many of you – food supplies for the poor have been increased so the Sisters at the orphanage can hand them out each month to those desperately in need. Toys and clothes have been purchased, photos have been shared and lives have been touched. As you read this a little family in the village is sleeping on new foam mattresses for the first time this week. A fellow chiropractor from Australia has joined me on her holidays to share her hands and heart with the people of Malawi. Our dream became a reality and was even bigger than we had imagined when we were at college.  Another friend who is a teacher spent hours holding newborns and giving love to parentless babies who crave what we all have – someone to care about them. As I write this I feel so incredibly grateful for the divine guidance that has led me here and provided me with this opportunity. I appreciate you – all of you who have supported me and this adventure.

This place continues to drive me crazy yet it will break my heart to leave. Endless nappies at the orphanage, projectile vomiting and the constant ‘pee’ on my clothes will one day be missed. Detaching from the babies who have captured my heart is almost too much to bare. I worry about their wellbeing and their future and just have to hope and pray that their destiny is bright. I battle with the adoption rules of our country and the illogical laws that prevent millions of orphans in this world from having a heart to call home. I marvel at the opportunities this place has provided me with and the incredible people I have met along the way. Endless medical professionals have helped me piece together cases and seek the appropriate care in this country that is lacking most services. I laugh at the barbaric nuisances of this country that have now become normal. The horrible soap used for hand washing my clothes, yellow water, chickens, frogs and goats have all blended in to form a ‘new’ normal. The application of insect repellent has been left behind and the trust of the people has dramatically increased. My driver has become my dear friend and his family will now be in my life for years to come… oh Africa!

A road trip with my friends brought endless laughs and adventures as we headed to the village for my final days. The car, still with an incredibly cracked windscreen was loaded with nappies for the babies, paint for the school and donation for the community. As we drove to a completely new environment it was novel to see the girls reactions to the man selling mice on the side of the road, the endless chickens and goats who shared the road with us and humble huts that the villagers call home. The village didn’t disappoint. It was jammed packed with children excited to see us, patients waiting to be adjusted and families opening their homes for their welcomed visitors. Plans were constantly changing as we rode the rhythm of the village. Whilst heading back for dinner I was handed a baby in the street. She had been born at home less than an hour ago and the mother was commencing her 5km walk to the clinic. It was great to have my friends experience the joy of holding a newborn as we piled the mother and entourage into the car and took them to the clinic. These are moments that will never be forgotten!

Drive thru mice!

Beautiful Bree adjusting in the village

Gemma! They still love nail polish!

Farewell parties in the village were incredibly touching whilst at the same time hysterical to participate in. The clinic organised a formal event which included prayer, speeches, gift giving, dancing in between each segment of the party and the consumption of soft drink and “puffs”.  There has never been much structure to anything that happens in the clinic so it certainly made me laugh to think that they could coordinate a party down to such detail as to precisely when each song would be played and when it was time to dance!  I still can’t work out if it was like watching a really bad movie or the most touching send off I have ever received. The latter is fairer although at the time I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to laugh or cry.

Clinic crew and friends!

My special needs patients continue to shine and they look forward to the next health care professional who will one day touch their lives too. I hope its soon. Whoever you are – these kids have made such wonderful progress and truly deserve to shine even brighter.. please contact me or Soul Connection.

Goodbye Fazira!

The village party was bigger than Christmas and New Year’s put together. A house, which didn’t even have a roof, formed the “hall” and my friends and I were treated to warm Fanta, local foods, music, dancing, baby cuddles and speeches. Poems were read, words were shared and bonds were strengthened. This little community within our community believe that I have helped them so much, if they only knew how much more I had gained. Final donations were shared and with the generous help of my friends many children received their first pair of shoes, pre loved clothes were given and costume jewellery was appreciated as if they had been handed real diamonds. It was a day I will never forget.

My two worlds combine

Gift from my friends.. have to give the baby back!

A highlight of my final days in the village were unexpected words from someone I barely spoke to. The husband of my best friend in the village who doesn’t speak a word of English had his thoughts translated and they were shared at my farewell.  It was this letter that finally made me appreciate the enormity of belonging to a community in a tiny unknown village of Africa.

 Titled: ‘My Farewell Party Message’. “It is with great joy and sorrow as you depart from us, indeed we would obligate you not to runaway from us when we need you most now. As I personally reflect to your nameless support towards my family and to our entire community, I could only fear your independent rights to finally say you are no more allowed to return from where you came from. You really showed that you are pure people from where you come from, you mixed with us without consideration of differences in skin colour, worthy, dignity etc.  You could eat what we ate as well as providing in need. May the almighty ALLAR guide your charitable spirit of work wherever you may go. You are departing with your flesh but we will be with you in spirit.”

I share his words with you so you may know that so often there is someone who you least expect watching you, appreciating you and who will always be on your side. Obviously language doesn’t matter when you serve from the heart.

Life is incredible. xx

My friend Memory and her family...

Goodbye village...

There will be PEACE when we remember we belong to each other. —- Mother Theresa

No idea!

Although I haven’t blogged for a while be rest assured that each and everyday something random happens in Africa! When I took a week out of village life I headed to a place called Nkopola and since then things have changed a little. It’s on the coastline of Lake Malawi near Monkey Bay and although by car it would only take 2 hours, I decided to catch the bus. It was a bargain for only $6 – how bad could eight hours on the bus be? Oh my goodness!

Malawi is actually going through a fuel and coke shortage at the moment. I am not sure which one is having a bigger impact on the people to be honest. I am currently in our capital city and you literally go into all supermarkets and there are signs saying.. “NO SOFT DRINK”  People are panicking  and buying anything fizzy they can find… Red Bulls are finished, no Fanta, no sprite. Imagine a world without soft drink?! (Maybe a little healthier??)  Coke… and we are just talking about Coca-Cola is now on the black market which I find hysterical. I have my own stash of fuel, in case I ever get in trouble but haven’t stocked up with coke! (See family I am looking after myself). Anyway with the fuel shortage there are more people on the buses and less buses running. If they weren’t already overloaded, now they are just ridiculous. When heading to Monkey bay I managed to get a window seat half way down the bus. You may think I was lucky but I had been at the bus stop for two hours and passed up other offers because they were too crowded. As the bus began to fill I felt as if I was participating in a Guinness Book of Record event. It’s incomprehensible how many people they can fit on a bus!

View from my lap - return trip. Thanks iphone!

 A woman with her daughter who was about 4 sat next to me… and many more squashed into our personal space as they overfilled the isles. This was more than dangerous and as the prayer and gospel like singing began I knew that the Malawians didn’t think this was ideal either. The trip was painful. 8 hours of people getting on and off the bus, heavy bags of rice being passed up and over my head. Luggage was toppling all over the place and how people managed to remain standing I do not know. Similar to my time in Japan I was amazed that those who were standing, barley having enough room to breathe could actually sleep. My inner strength and will power has been tested during my time in Malawi and this day was no different.  At one stop a mother passed a baby to me through the window.. I watched as she desperately tried to get on the bus… For about an hour I had no idea if the baby’s mum was on the bus or not! Can you imagine if the mother never made it on the bus and I got off at Monkey bay with a baby! I had to trust that this was Africa. Not even recognising the mother – as soon as anyone gave the baby interest I handed it over!

So what happened next has only strengthened my character and love/hate relationship for this country. The little girl next to me needed to go to the toilet. I didn’t blame her. It was 4 hours into the trip and although I was limiting my fluids this little girl had been consuming food and drink and there was no way she could hold on. Picture this. A ridiculously overcrowded bus. A little girl who desperately needed to go to the toilet. No possible way of getting off the bus in time. What would a mother do? Yes, this little girl literally did a poo next to my feet! I don’t know how else to say it. I kind of watched and didn’t at the same time. Was this real?  Yes, the stench was indeed real and with 4 hours left of our journey I was unsure how I would handle it. The improviser in me looked through my bag (as did all curious others who were draped over me) and searched for anything that would help the situation. A can of Glen 20 perhaps? I found a plastic bag from one of the Chichewa books I had purchased for the library. It was strong and pink and I figured the mother could use it to wrap the cloth in which the “contents” were sitting and well… hopefully chuck it out the window! There are no litter fines here and seriously I didn’t care about the global environment at this time. I only cared about my environment! The mother was extremely appreciative of the plastic bag, relief set over me as I figured a solution was here. No. The mother was so impressed by the quality of the plastic bag that her and a friend standing started to put their things in it. Yes, you are reading right. The bag was not used to clean up the shit!! Good golly. What did I do next? I put my earphones in and hoped that somehow the music would drown out the smell. Oh Africa.

Beautiful Monkey Bay - worth the bus ride!

I now have only about six weeks remaining of my trip… I am trying not to count. I have already extended it once but can’t extend it again -reality and a delightful student loan awaits me. Determined to make the most of the remainder of my time here I am adding another adventure to my already bizarre lifestyle. At the end of my week out of the village my friend and driver took me through a very dodgy area of town to an orphanage he was affiliated with. He wanted me to see the children and meet the Sisters who ran the orphanage. As soon as I walked into the convent I was reminded of my childhood, living next to the nuns! After meeting the Sister I somehow volunteered my services for a few weeks… at this stage I hadn’t even met the children – but I followed my heart and my intuition and knew I was supposed to be there. Walking into the open playroom of the orphanage I was bombarded by about thirty toddlers.  Actually I was mobbed! They were yelling “Orlando” which means visitor and shouting hugi hugi hugi which I am sure you can all understand! Instantly I knew that my heart would break here, but it also belonged here. The toddlers somehow managed to get me to the ground. Kids crawling everywhere I felt my clothes been pulled off and my glasses removed. I had tears of sadness and joy in my eyes. These kids were generally happy kids, they wanted the attention but weren’t so much desperate for love as one may think. (That was what I thought on the first day anyway.) They were pushing each other out of the way to get to my belt and someone almost broke my figure to get my ring off. I was laughing hysterically as I told the Sister I would actually come sooner than later. The arrival of food rescued me!

Moving into the baby’s room the reality that this was an orphanage, and not an early childhood play centre hit me. Twenty five babies in one room. All in matching cots. Some only a few months, others old enough to give me a cheeky grin and demand to be picked up. Since this day I have somehow spread myself a little too thin between the village and the orphanage. I travel back to the village weekly, walk my route to the clinic; visit my local friends; complete as many home visits as possible and my favourite… work with my special needs kids. It’s amazing how more streamlined it has become and although I do wish I could see more people in the village I know the work I am doing in the orphanage is important.  I find myself questioning who has a better life, the kids in the orphanage with enough food, shelter and clothes but no parents or the kids in the village with very little food and clothing but family to love them. There is no answer. Slowly transitioning out of the village seems like a good idea. Ideally another chiropractor, osteopath, physio, nurse or doctor will contact me or Soul Connection shortly and let us know that they are on the way! Our village would welcome you!

Love my practice!

Having the opportunity to adjust the children daily is such a blessing. Babies who were behind in their milestones are catching up. Ear and chest infections seem to be improving. The toddler who never slept in the afternoon suprised everyone today as she peacefully went to sleep during nap time. I wasn’t surprized! I am able to keep an eye on kids with hip and feet problems and hopefully help the Sisters come up with a health plan for those needing extra help. Having 75 children under the age of five in one location is certainly a fast paced place to practice. There is no adjusting hour or table. I am always carrying one if not two kids, my hands are always working and I figure if I have to change nappies I may as well check the pelvis.. and the altas.. and the spine… Let’s just say I change more nappies than I can count and all of them get adjusted. Pee and poo still follow me, so despite the “nun-like” apron I am given I always have “crap” on me when I get home…  Loving it!

The children in the orphanage would certainly benefit from toys and games and pretty clothes, but that is not as important as a loving touch and personal attention. A cuddle, a smile, a helping hand, someone to notice them when they are stuck under a cot or have just poo’ed their pants is so much more important than any “thing” you can buy. Never before has it been so evident that love, quality time and hugs precede anything you could purchase at a store. Spend more time and less money today. xxx

LOVE

I know you would love to see photos of the orphanage – but unfortunately too many people exploit such situations like this over here so no photos are permitted other than for personal use .. and besides how can I get their parents’ permission?!!  Trust me they are super cute…

Mathews and Gracious with the books!

Books have started to arrive and preparations are well on the way for the Lifuwu Library! Bookshelves have been made and some great students are managing the books as they arrive getting reading to set it all up. At this stage the books will most likely be available from a room in the clinic which is well monitored, clean, secure and available to all who can get there! As we wait for more books to arrive, my chiropractic assistant Matthews and his brother are reading to the younger kids. You will be happy to know there are little finger prints over most of the kid’s books already! Matthews is 19 and will complete his final year at high school in the next year (thanks to his wonderful Australian sponsors!) He told me he has started reading Natural Pregnancy. Of all the books he could have chosen! He is loving it and learning so much. “No one ever told me these things Jo” he says. I am certainly grateful that the book was donated and that I didn’t have to teach him the birds and the bees. I’ve had to buy the guys more candles as they have no electricity and are so eager to read each night! I know I gave you a deadline… some of you needed it.. but there is still time to send books. The girls at Soul Connection are here to stay so that address will be valid for many years to come. The students assigned to the Library are eager to receive the books and get them ready for the community. Thank you all for your support! It’s incredible!

Shelves!