We had a wonderful discussion with another staff member of Church's Action for Relief and Development, Milton. Milton is a font of wonderful information about Malawi. After I get back to America, I will be able to use Milton's information in the blog entries that I will be making after I return, so stay tuned.
We went and visited a piggery, that is an income generating activity formerly sponsored by GAIA. It was depressing because one of the pigs was very sick. After that we went to see some home-based-care patients in a nearby village. Gertrude (35), her 13 year-old son Samson and her six-year old daughter, Stella. All are on ARVs. Gertrude was smiling and full of joy. She had an infant of unknown age on her back who, thanks to new drug treatments is HIV negative. Her husband, who was off in the fields is also HIV+ and is on ARVs. When they need more ARVs, they have to walk many kilometers to the nearest clinic.
After lunch in a food court in a shopping mall in Blantyre, some went to an infant orphanage. I went back to the hotel with a couple of the others. I needed some more down time by myself. Much needed. And a nap. I felt emotionally recharged at the end of the day.
Tomorrow we drive back to Lilongwe and to Wendel's and to free Internet access. The photographs are scenes from one of the villages we visited today.
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