Vicar of Driffield humbled by trip to poverty-hit village in Malawi

FOR almost a decade Driffield has been forging links with a small Malawian village thanks to the efforts of a dedicated group of residents who have just completed the latest in a long line of aid missions to the country.

On July 19 nine members of the local community travelled thousands of miles to Malawi where they spent a fortnight working with the Mbeza Community Church and assisting with several projects in the village of Mbulukuta designed to help the community lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

Driffield School teachers, Julian Watson, Denise Davies, and Fran Barnes, were joined by the Vicar of Driffield, the Rev Mike Smith, nurse Jan Bell, farmer Alison Temple, former Driffield School teacher Chris Meegan and two former students, Abigail Watson and Claire Davies.
For Mr Smith this was his first trip to Malawi which proved to be an incredibly humbling experience that has changed his perspective on life back home.

Mr Smith said: "The level of poverty was quite extreme and poverty not just in terms of material things but in terms of education and that has a significant knock on effect. But the people we met were exceptionally welcoming, exceptionally generous and from a personal point of view I found it very humbling to be in their company

"There are many memories that I have taken away from the trip but the one thing I have brought back is being humbled by the experience. I have come back much more relaxed with a fresh sense of perspective on life in general."

Since returning to Driffield Mr Smith admits he has taken a fresh look at his lifestyle and realised that he has not only fallen into the trap of materialism but he is now even more grateful for the comfortable working environment he enjoys.

"The minute after I got back I sorted through my clothes and realised I didn't need them all. The thing that I learned most of all is that in many ways the job that I do relatively speaking is quite straight forward and simple and I'm quite comfortably off compared to the pastors I met who are trying to preach in very different circumstances, so I have a lot of admiration for them," he added.

The links with Malawi were first forged in the late 1990s when a group of Driffield residents helped fund the construction of a village church and community centre, and in 2001 funds raised here in Driffield were used by villagers to construct a well.

Since those early days the project has developed to focus on three key areas, agriculture, enterprise and medical care with each member of the group joining the trip with a particular project in mind.

The impetus behind Mr Smith joining the group was to give the village pastors some of the formal theological training that they have never experienced.

Mr Smith said: "Their faith is huge but they just trust that God will give them what they need.

"They have a hunger for knowledge but its access that's the difficult thing. Part of the humbling thing was I would not count myself as a teacher in the sense that Julian is but they were hanging on my every word."

With the help of her textile students Mrs Davies had been busy putting together bag designs which she took to the village.

Mrs Davies spent her time training. Some of the women in the village have been trained in making bags which will eventually be sold in the UK to generate vital funds for medical care back in Malawi.

Mr Watson said: "The ladies involved are being paid a very fair wage and all the profits are being used to set up a medical dispensary in the village because they don't have any medical care and we think that dispensary isn't that far off completion."

Mrs Bell has been using her medical and nursing expertise to get the wheels in motion on the dispensary front while Mrs Temple has been using her knowledge of the farming industry to help villagers become self sufficient through growing their own produce as part of a project that this year was sponsored by Driffield Parish Church.

After the death of the group's Malawian contact, Mr Kalanje, at the end of last year there were concerns that the projects were falling apart but it would seem this latest visit has helped put things back on track and the group is confident progress is being made in all areas.
Mr Watson, who has taken part in the trip seven times, said: "On this trip the thing that struck me the most was the massive problem with HIV and Aids.

"We had a particularly personal situation where we met somebody who was clearly in desperate need, I have never seen it so up front and that was distressing.

"But one of the positive things was all of the people with HIV whom we met were on antiviral drugs and it was encouraging to see progress in that area."

Former Driffield School teacher Mr Meegan is already planning to return to Malawi for two months next summer to help make up the shortfall in the number of teachers at a local primary school.

Mr Smith has been left in little doubt that members of his congregation at Driffield' All Saints Parish Church will be returning to the country soon, especially given the lasting impression this latest trip has made.

"It's very easy to assume that you're going out there to make the difference but in reality the place makes the difference to you and you bring that place and its already having a knock on effect on the church community," he said.
sara.beach@yrnltd.co.uk