Sparta couple lending a hand in Southeast Africa

SPARTA - To the best of their recollection, it was some time in the early 1990's when friends of Robert and Alene Holloway told the couple about the need for help in the Southeast African country Malawi.

Like many others across Africa, the people of Malawi suffer from a lack of access to fresh water and a tenuous supply of nutritious food. And, also like much of the continent, HIV runs rampant.

Health and food: two areas where the people of Malawi could use help and two areas where Robert, a master gardener and agriculturist, and Alene, a nurse, could lend a hand.

Digging wells, shelling peanuts, teaching sex education and making soy milk: the list of activities is not how most people spend a vacation. But for the past 14 years the Holloways have lived in Malawi for two month stretches, working on these projects and more.

During these trips the couple has grown a strong affection for the people of the country and their plight.

"It's not like a lot of other African countries," Robert said, while thumbing through a small stack of pictures from previous trips. "It's evil to own a gun or even a toy gun there. They believe if you love each other you don't need a gun. Where my wife works, the hospital, they've never seen a gunshot wound."

"Also women and children are never hurt," he said. "There is no rape, no child molestation."

But, Alene was quick to point out that women in Malawi do all of their work in their households, like cooking and cleaning while most of the men are idle, fulfilling their antiquated roles as warriors and protectors.

"The women do all the work," she said. "If a man wants something he'll ask his wife to do it."

In each of their trips to the country the couple has spent most of their time in the village of Embangweni, which sits in the high elevations of the country's north, in a climate the couple describes as "a lot like Denver."

During their trips Robert and Alene have watched the village grow. With assistance from Southern Illinois Rotary International chapters and a handful of regional churches the couple has helped build a guesthouse for visiting workers, extend medical services and dig wells for drinking water.

Robert helped introduced soy beans to the village and import machinery to produce soy milk.

On their next trip, which they are set to take next month, Robert said he's excited to bring the materials needed to make a peanut shelling machine. Because of their high protein content, peanuts are a vital crop Robert said.

"But women spend all day de-shelling them and by the end of the day their hands are bleeding," he said. "That, of course, is a danger that could lead to (HIV) infection."

In their time in Embangweni the couple said they've lost many friends to HIV/AIDS and, because most of their friends are infected, they could lose more.

Alene said about 75 percent of the people who come through the hospital are HIV positive. But, through sex education Alene said she believes the situation is improving.

While the couple says their trips have enriched their lives Robert, 74 and Alene, 75, say they won't be able to keep going too much longer.

"Our hope is that someone will see us and say 'By golly, that's something I'd like to do," he said. "It's cheaper than a cruise (ship vacation) and the work has been very rewarding."