Group spearheads help for Malawians

Mphatso "Terry" Namwali has a message for the people of his native Malawi.

"We're still here. We still think about you, and God is over us all."

He and others of the First Presbyterian Church Malawi Association, South Bend, deliver that message by spearheading local efforts to help build and operate schools in Chibanzi, Malawi.

All the while, they try to help one another build successful new lives in this country. The group addresses issues such as housing, immigration and education.

Estimates are that 800 to 1,000 people from Malawi have settled in Michiana, says Phyllis Wezeman, director of Christian nurture for First Presbyterian. Many came to attend schools of higher learning and were followed by family and friends.

With about 50 Malawians currently members of First Presbyterian, the church is believed to be home to the largest Malawian contingent of any Presbyterian Church (USA) in the country, she says.

Namwali came to this country 19 years ago to attend Wooster College in Ohio, having been a national soccer star in Malawi. He settled in South Bend five years later, after visiting Michiana and liking what he saw.

The first person to attend First Presbyterian from Malawi, which is a heavily Presbyterian nation in southeastern Africa, he continued his family's tradition of being deeply involved with church.

"Church was like our second home," he says. He has served in a variety of positions at First Presbyterian, including as head of the Malawi association for a while and now as a deacon. He and his wife, Stella, hope their three children also learn the importance of contributing to society.

But life in the United States is not the association's only concern.

Malawi is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world, according to the CIA Factbook. HIV/AIDS has taken a heavy toll.

The FPC Malawi Association, which includes members of First Presbyterian who are not Malawians, looked into how best to help the country.

"We were looking for something we could do for people back home -- knowing what's going on," explains Mercy Nyirenda, who came to the United States in 1999. "We have so many orphans because of the AIDS epidemic that is claiming young people who are leaving behind children with nobody to take care of them.

"We thought, 'Why can't we come up with something?'"

They found the greatest need was in the central region of the long, narrow nation that is slightly smaller than Pennsylvania. Chibanzi, a rural community without electricity or running water, became their focus.

The "Have a Heart for Chibanzi's Children" fundraiser is a great way to help, Nyirenda thinks.

"It means a lot because I know that they are needy. When you look at the money, the dollar against the Malawian currency, which is called kwacha, it may be nothing here but it is something there.

"A little will make a big difference," she says.

South Bend's support primarily has come in the form of money donated by individuals and churches, Wezeman says. Members of the Chibanzi Church of Central Africa Presbyterian in the Nkhoma Synod contribute the labor, even molding the bricks used to build two schools.

"This is not something that either of us could do on our own," Wezeman says. "This is a very cooperative effort."

First Presbyterian raised $13,000 in 2004 to build a four-room day nursery for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Most of the youngsters are orphans left in the care of siblings or elderly grandparents, Wezeman says.

Another $13,500 raised in 2005 went to begin construction of a primary school for children in kindergarten, first and second grades. For some, especially the girls, the second grade may be the highest level of schooling they'll finish.

But this year's "Have a Heart for Chibanzi's Children" really raised the bar. Seeking at least $300,000 in donations, it aims to add a kitchen (basically a room with space for a wood fire, Wezeman says) and a bathroom (not of the flushing variety, she adds). The fundraiser will fund continued construction of the primary school as well.

Meeting the educational and nutritional needs of 300 children at the nursery school/ orphan center and the primary school also is targeted, Wezeman says. Funds will go to food for breakfast, a snack and lunch Monday through Friday, uniforms at the primary school, workbooks, school supplies, and salaries for teachers, cooks and administrators.

Donations also will help dig wells and buy bicycles, she says. She notes that, rather than helping to meet needs in a variety of places, the Malawi Association will work toward bringing stability and self-sustainability to this one region.

Wezeman, accompanied by several other church members mostly paying their own way, went to Malawi in 2005 and 2006. She taught classes for the synod there, including instructing HIV/AIDS workers on creative approaches to educating people about the disease.

She and another small group plan to head to Malawi this summer, again to teach classes and/or help at Chibanzi.

She describes Malawi as the fourth poorest country in the world but with some of the richest people spiritually on earth.

"Their lives are rooted in the Bible, study and prayer and a commitment to putting God first in their life."