Malawi: Passion and Compassion

Kilimanjaro Climb Demonstrates Leaders’ Hearts for Africa March 19, 2007 By Steve Haas, Vice President, Church Relations

A group of U.S. church leaders summited Tanzania's Mt. Kilimanjaro, using their passion for mountain climbing to help draw attention to the needs of orphans in Malawi.

Churches and individuals across the United States are learning to link their passions to compassion as they care for the poor while they enjoy their favorite sports and activities. Recently, individuals from U.S. churches partnering with World Vision in Malawi found a creative way to use their passions — in this case, mountain climbing — to help in the critical work of caring for orphans struggling to survive in Malawi. World Vision Vice President Steve Haas, who climbed to the top of Africa’s tallest mountain with this group, shares their story:

“Done!” And so concluded one of the great adventures of my life.

Triumph mingled with relief as I wove my way down the 19,340-foot peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro. At my side were nine climbing partners, all U.S. Christian leaders whose hearts are invested in Africa. For us, this was our opportunity to use our passions to benefit some of the world’s poorest people.

It seemed the perfect match. Join in some hobby or personal pursuit — a sport or some recreational activity you enjoy — mix it with an invitation to show compassion … and "Voila"! Not only have you accomplished something physically stimulating but also given friends and family an opportunity to participate with you in a meaningful way that serves others. Last time I did the math, that's a win-win-win.

The seeds of this adventure were sown when, just over a year ago, a group of churches across the U.S. entered into a partnership with World Vision to help the 25,000 desperately poor people of Nkhoma, Malawi, get on their feet. This fragile community is suffering from the double tragedy of poverty and HIV.

Community Development Desperately Needed

To give you a sense of the region’s need, the Nkhoma children we visited last year attended school in a mud hut — which was a great improvement over their previous open-air classroom with large rocks for chairs. The only source of hydration was a polluted seasonal stream that regularly provides large doses of cholera to the community.

Now the U.S. churches, who are partnering under the name “Y-Malawi,” have provided the initial start-up funding for community development in Nkhoma. They have committed to 5,000 child sponsorships, which will supply these children with clean water, education, health and hygiene, food, microenterprise development, and spiritual nurture.

Yet some of Nkhoma’s needs still beg for funding. So you can imagine my excitement when I realized I could climb Tanzania’s Mt. Kilimanjaro and raise money for Nkhoma special projects. All of a sudden, we weren’t just climbing a mountain, we were climbing for a vital reason!

But how could we raise money while indulging in adventure? I decided to give Team World Vision a try, offering friends the opportunity to “sponsor” my effort — with the funds going to the worthy cause of caring for Malawi’s orphans.

I had such a low view of my own internet fund-raising ability that my goal was a mere $5,000. You can imagine my surprise when the final tally was more than four times that amount!

What makes your heart burn with excitement? And what breaks your heart? How can your church mix passion with compassion? We’d love to explore this with you further.