Malawi Trips

Tomorrow and Friday, our team of 20 mission-minded folks is headed off to serve on a short-term mission with our colleagues at Habitat for Humanity Malawi, a small country of 10 million in southeast Africa.  This is our second trip to Malawi and this one is special in that we will participate in the joint work of Habitat for Humanity and Zoe, a Raleigh-based international orphan empowerment organization.

My name is Justin Kobler, and I am 16 years old. I decided to come on this trip to Malawi because I recognize that throughout my life I have been greatly blessed, and to me, it seems that helping others living in much worse conditions is the least I can do. I have always wanted to travel to Africa, and so far this trip has been more amazing than I ever could have imagined. Since we arrived in Malawi, the people have been extremely welcoming and friendly.

Our team is just back from a wonderful time serving with our partners from Habitat for Humanity Malawi in southern Africa—one of the most materially poor countries in the world and where 80% of the population lives in substandard housing.   We were welcomed in song in the village and by having two home sites ready for us to start laying bricks.  12,000 of them on each house!   And that we did….all the bricks laid on two homes for two extended families incorporating orphans due to HIV.

Arriving in the village today, we were greeted with a sound we had not yet heard: silent. We were immediately missing the singing we had quickly learned to love. Our fearless translators, guides, wonder women extraordinatire (Faith and Chifundo) let us know soon after that a member of the village had passed away last night. We were very sad to learn that the grandmother of one of the villagers had died. Uncertain if we would be welcome to work during the mourning period, some of us paid our respects to the family members who were mourning the loss of their loved one.

Today was our first day in the village. It was a good hour drive from our hotel by Lake Malawi to the village in the Salima District. Twenty minutes of the ride was spent along a very bumpy rutted dirt road. Our arrival at the village was a treat. We were greeted by women from the village singing in beautiful harmonies. The acapella music was rhythmic and uplifting. We were introduced to the village chief and local Habitat representatives.

I am writing you from the last leg of our long journey to Malawi. Our flights through Washington DC, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia were uneventful. I’ve never been on a plane with more children than the long flight to Addis.

I figured I would take this time to introduce you to our partner families.

Anne is a widow who lost her husband some years back. She currently takes care of her six children, ranging in age from 4 – 16. Anne engages in farming to earn a living and support her family.

Malawi, a country located in southeast Africa and about the size of Pennsylvania, is currently home to a rapidly growing population of about 13.1 million people. As one of the top ten poorest countries in the world, over 55% of the population live below the poverty line of $1 a day.

That statement is taken from a 2009 research paper by a Furman University student focused on causes of poverty in Malawi.

"There's nothing worth more, that could ever come close 

No thing can compare--you're our living hope 

Today, I am traveling with Habitat Wake board member, Michelle Pavliv, to visit and participate in Habitat for Humanity's work in the central African nation of Malawi. We are traveling with a group organized by Habitat for Humanity International that consists of staff and board members from a number of US Habitat affiliates. It is a blessing to be able to connect with our partners around the world. We began supporting the work of Habitat Malawi financially earlier this year as part of our global strategy of Habitat Wake.