Born and raised in the urban part of my home country, Malawi, somehow meant living in the dark. I was exposed to urban ways of living, which I would describe as something at least good and fair. Never did I know that a number of people in some settings within Malawi are being deprived of some resources which are meant to be free of charge. Thanks to Global Health Corps for being such an excellent eye opener!
The first three months of my fellowship with GHC have been splendid and tough as well. Being placed at the remotest part of Malawi-Neno was something else. At first I was so hesitant of how life would be like staying out of town where there are no good infrastructures, no recreation centers etc.
The rough ride to Neno on day one actually taught me something. We climbed hills, and passed some bushy areas which looked deserted and I kept asking myself, “Is this Neno place habitable”? I was yet to see what Neno had in stored for me.
Reaching the destination, I was welcomed by a few infrastructures which were the Neno District Hospital and some houses constructed by Partners in Health. The following day, I had an intense orientation with my placement organization, which gave me a vivid background of Neno, and consequently, my passion for helping others became strong. I was told that the organization (PIH) came to Malawi in the year 2007 to work in partnership with the Malawi Ministry of Health in the rural Neno district to provide access to comprehensive, community-based care to a catchment area of about 120,000 people. At that time, Neno did not have a district hospital, and many of its 13 health centers had fallen in disrepair.The coming of PIH saw the construction of Neno District Hospital.
I was enlightened as to what is expected of me at the organization. In a nutshell, it is all about service delivery. As the Procurement and Logistics fellow, I was to exercise a number of duties for the betterment of the needy community. I was expected to be helping out with purchase and distribution of food stuffs to those people on ART treatment in the 13 health centres.This was to be done twice every week. I found it such a helpful initiative knowing the kind of life people at grassroots live, since most of them are below the poverty line. The task was not as simple as it may sound considering the hilly and bumpy roads of Neno,but I told myself this “for love of the community, I will do it”. I sat back and asked myself, “If I die today, what would I be remembered for?” I believe that the best contribution that one makes is the contribution that one makes in one’s country.
As if that was not enough, I was assigned with fuel purchase once every week. This fuel was to be purchased in another district, Blantyre, which is 88kms away from Neno. This is due to the fact that there is no single filling station around the district of Neno. I was convinced that for the ambulances at our hospital to do all the referrals, there has to be fuel available. I felt so empathetic, because what if I were to live in Neno throughout my life and there was no any health organization around the area- what if I did not have access to those good Health services I enjoy in my city Lilongwe? All these compassions spurred me to give a hand in whatever it takes to serve the community. The community out there should have that sense of belonging, and they should know that some people are really working for their betterment. Have you ever heard of the saying that goes “Sharing is Caring”? Yes, I care for the community by providing my services to them!
Having said all that, this fellowship is of great importance to me. I’m no longer in the dark. I now know what the community needs for their good health, so let’s stand up and do whatever little thing that would mean positive for the community even if it means giving them a crumb of bread.