Charity will be remembered for many things the most notable one being her spirited ways to win peoples support. She prayed a lot to bring new members to Servas and indeed introduced 3 great new members to us. I liked her not just because she was a hard worker – and she was, but because she really tired to do things on-time. Charity was good at explaining issues to new Servas members, as the Servas Malawi deputy I will personally miss her a lot.
I remember Charity during our October 2003 Southern African Area conference where the delegates accepted she act as secretary taking the proceedings minutes. Shortly after she became quite ill but was still concerned the minutes be typed up in good time, enabling Demelza & Malawi to eventually produce, what I think was a very impressive Southern Africa Area Conference Report.
Outside of Servas she was an active member of the Catholic Church in both Lilongwe and Blantyre until her death on 6th November 2004.
Charity was survived by her three children, Judith 22yrs, Patrick 18yrs, Anna 15yrs, who have moved to Lilongwe to live with their grandmother - a teacher.
Charity has created a gap that will be difficult to fill. We will miss her – she has gone forever but not in our hearts. May her soul rest in peace.
POETRY CORNER
A great poem written by an Southern African Shakespeare!
Dear white fella, couple things you should know: When I was born, I black, When I grow up, I black, When I go in sun, I black. When I cold, I black, When I scared, I black, When I sick, I black, And when I die, I still black.
You white fella, When you born, you pink When you grow up, you white When you go in sun, you red, When you cold, you blue, When you scared, you yellow, When you sick, you green, And when you die, you grey.
And you have the nerve to call me coloured?
Written & edited by Demelza Lewis, ServasNS, spelling mistakes are on purpose – try to spot them!
COUNTRY LINK CORNER
I C E L A N D
THE SKETCH BELOW ATTEMPTS TO INDICATE WHERE ICEAND IS LOCATED IN THE WORLD!
(Following the Barcelona Servas conference Malawi is now linked to Servas Iceland. Here is some info about the country.)
Europe’s northern most outpost is a wild and romantic place with narrow fjords, deep ravines; vast glaciers; black sand deserts; dormant volcanoes and spluttering geysers.
The climate is mild and its capital is called Reykjavik meaning ‘smokey bay’ in Icelandic. It is GMT +0 hrs.
A large island, 3 hours flight-time from Britain (up & to the west).
Its people are a fusion of Norse and Celtic ancestry and it is one of the Scandinavian countries.
Icelandic is the national language and the currency is ISKrona. £5/$8=600 ISK=MK1000= a glass of beer. So it’s quite an expensive place to drink in!
SERVAS MALAWI
NEWSLETTER 12.
“Welcome to our TWELTH Servas Malawi Newsletter”
APRIL 2005 This newsletter is 'YOURS', so do PLEASE send any articles, ideas or stories to D Benbow P.O.Box 211, Blantyre, Malawi.
MEMBER ACTIVITY/NEWS
Report by: Demelza LEWIS
Queen Kwima MSISKA has left Malawi for an extended stay and possible nursing college in the UK – we wish her all the best.
Demelza & Ben gave birth to Sïchella Isabelle Tione BENBOW on the 4th of Feb 05 in Blantyre after 25 ½ hours of labour – ow!!
Ben is going to Canada in July to represent
Malawi at the World Squash Masters – he has already made contact with Servas members and will become a Malawi Servas Traveller.
UP COMING GET TOGETHERS
LEOPARD MATCH FACTORY–13 May
How are matches made? Find out meet at 2pm Petroda clocktower;Blantyre: Friday13th May.
NAMASIMBA FILM MORNING -14 May
The latest kids film –“Sharks Tale” – great for big children (adults) and little children too! Meet at the Petroda clocktower –Blantyre 14th MaySaturday 9am sharp! Be punctual please!
BATA SHOE VISIT–Friday 3rd June 2pm.
Have you every wondered how shoes are made – now is your chance to find out all about the thrilling process!! You know you want too!!!!
Don’t miss the once in a life-time chance!!
Meet at the Petroda clocktower – Blantyre at 2pm sharp! Be punctual please!!
NEXT MEETING
Day: Saturday 7th May
Time: 1500 prompt!!!!!!!
Venue: Demelza’s Hse
PAST GET TOGETHER UPDATE
PAMET REPORT by Mary Boloweza.
‘First I’m most grateful to Servas and especially our National Secretary Demelza for organising this social Pamet visit which has encouraged me to act on my own ideas.
The tour started with 6 members +kids at the petroda petrol station. We left for Pamet, where we joined other waiting members.
*PHOTO: MEMBERS AT THE PULP TANK*
This visit made us feel great warmth towards Pamet, which is a great social initiative and helps our community. All of us could lessen paper wastage & take an active part in the conservation of our environment if we tried to recycle paper or send our home/work paper to PAMET. The staff were friendly and genuinely happy about our visit, willingly explaining to us what they were making and doing.
We were privileged to walk around the premises as the staff explained how recycled paper was made. They showed us the various stages in production starting at the receiving shed where companies dump their leftover/used papers.
We saw women separating this into colours and then the shredding and pounding machine stages. At that point elephant dung, hessian, baobab etc is added to change the papers texture and finish. We saw staff actually- sieving pulp to make the sheets and then the adding colours.
The stripping and flattening rooms were busy but the product creating room the most inspiring to me.
During this PAMET visit, I learnt that there are many ways to socialise and through these types of visits explore further Servas ideas and learn something at the same time. I was impressed with the standard of artwork. I found it all quite exciting and inspiring. Thanks to everyone who shared this social event with me, it was a good experience.’ (NB: You can visit any week day.)
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OPEN ARMS VISIT by Demelza Benbow
*PHOTO: MEMBERS HOLDING CHILDREN*
6x of us met on Friday November 5th and visited the children’s home situated behind 7thDayAdventistHospital. Ethel became quite upset and emotional – holding Yohan, the baby boy who’d been cut out of his mother by a women and a man desperate to become parents. The mother consequently died and the perpetrators have been imprisoned. Ethel talked of the sad loss of her own mother in her very early childhood and how it affected her and her views on life and how to lead it.
We hugged and played with children, the babies seeming so vulnerable and the older children so desperate for adult attention and physical contact. You just wanted to hug and adopt them all! It’s an inspiring place,wonderfully run, organised, non-corrupt, caring, well-stocked and clean.
Of course it’s not the same as living in a family, nothing replaces that, but it’s a near wonderful alternative.
We talked to international volunteers helping out for 3 months and were impressed by their commitment and effort to a cause so from their own front doorstep. Mind blowing visit.’
IF YOU’D LIKE MORE INFORMATION OR VISIT or HELP OUT ON your own CONTACT Email : Phone01-620160 OR CHECK OUT THEIR GREAT WEBSITE ON
WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN MALAWI?
Report by: Paschwa Benbow aged 5.
NAMASIMBA COMMUNITY LINK – VISIT
& PAINT Saturday 11th December 2004
“Mommy put me in the car with my broken arm & we went to pick up Servas aunties & uncles.
We picked up some cement, lunch rice &
vegetables, brushes and cleaning solution too and still our auntie’s & uncles didn’t come. We got cold milk to drink and Papa passed us on his bicycle but didn’t see us in the hot car. Eventually Uncle George & Aunty Mary & Clara turned up and we went to the children’s house near the Elma high school.
Mommy checked the paints while Papa got painting with Uncle George and some local painters. I had to stir the paint and I had to paint the low parts I could reach. It was hard to paint with my wrong hand – that was because I had broken the other hand and it was in pink plaster and in a sling.
We stopped for lunch to eat the food Aunty Mary and Clara had cooked in the Smokey cooking house.
You couldn’t take the paint off with water but my sister kept trying. Mama got annoyed with us and we had to wait ages for her to clean the brushes at the end with the special juice. The inside room and the outside walls were painted and it looked nice – but they didn’t use pink which is my favourite colour and I think would have looked very nice.”
NB: Consequently the painting was finished by local volunteers and characters have been painted onto the outside to compliment the alphabet letters.
*PHOTO: MEMBERS Paschwa painting!*
Servas Malawi: Community Project Link
NAMASIMBA “SM-CPL” VISIT
MARCH: George and Demelza visited Namasimba to donate a basket of toys.
APRIL:Demelza with her X2 children visited to donatesome colourful educational posters e.g. ABC, Numbers, Sea animals, Plants, Animals, Dinosaurs etc. They also stuck them up on the classroom walls with blue tack and they looked great!
BECOME A BLOOD DONOR.
WHY? Because it’s an incentive to behave safely and keep healthy. You can donate blood 3 to 4 times a year & at each 450ml take, they counsel you & check your donation for STD’s and HIV.
We have a social obligation to help those in need, especially if it does cost us anything or make us ill. It’s a pro-peaceful action – very Servas-like! Also there is evidence to suggest that donating in later years (50+yrs) reduces blood thickening & reduces the risk of having a stroke.
HOW? Go to the new National Blood Transfusion Service centre in Blantyre at Galaxy house. There they’ll offer you counselling and give you a donation card. A quick finger-prick checks your iron level, and your blood pressure and weight are taken and noted down.
WHAT HAPPENS? You lie on a couch, a pressure band is put around your upper arm and a brand new sterile needle is inserted into your arm near the inside of the elbow (virtually pain free). From that a tube runs into a bag into which your blood is collected taking about 15 mins – you get a drink after. Your body naturally replaces your blood volume within 12 hours.
YOU CAN’T DONATE if you are:- pregnant, breast feeding, HIV+ STD+, sick, having or had malaria in the last 14 days, are on regular medication, suffer from high blood pressure or are under 18 years or under 45kg in weight.
CLUB 25 This is a club especially for youth members aged 18-25. There are meetings, fun social events and prizes when you complete your 5th, 10th and 20th blood donation.
WANT TO KNOW MORE? Speak to Demelza & Ben who are regular donors in Malawi.
”Become a life saver - donate blood”!
LETTERS CORNER
“GONE BUT NOT FOREVER FORGOTTEN”
Report by George Chibati
The message was the same loud and clear, ‘Charity’s gone forever’. I was shocked when this sad news reached me and when Clara heard she shed tears & said ‘it’s a devastating blow to Servas Malawi and to us personally, to her church and to our working place.”
During our November Servas meeting in 2004 we heard that Charity was ill in Mzuzu GeneralHospital. We just were discussing ways of improving Servas interviewing, when Mary received a text that Charity was ‘battling for her life’. Death won the day and later that night we heard that Servas Malawi had lost one of its most stalwart members.
I personally knew Charity Msamba for some 8 years; she was a secretary at Admarc and Clara and I worked with her in Lilongwebefore we all transferred together to Blantyre. I remember her for the jokes, laughter and active discussions we shared. I decided to invite her to join Servas because I thought she would make the kind of strong foundation pillar we needed in Servas and I was most certainly NOT wrong.