Thondwe, Malawi … “My name is Alex Nunu. I am the Maintenance Foreman at Namikango Bible School. I would like to write briefly about the Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) – its usage and importance. We received the BUV in 2007 at Namikango Bible School from the Malawi Project.
We have been able to use this unit in many ways. One primary use is to carry things like firewood from the Mission forest to the Bible School … and this happens regularly. Another use is to distribute firewood to the staff homes here on the Mission complex. We also use it to distribute firewood to the Maternity Clinic and to the Guardian Shelter where it is used by the relatives of patients who are admitted at the Clinic. These ladies prepare food and wash clothes for the expectant mothers. Sometimes, we use it to ferry things like river sand, bricks, and lumber for construction work at the Bible School.
We have even used the BUV as an ambulance to ferry expectant mothers from the nearby villages to the Maternity Clinic.
Having this BUV helps reduce transport cost, relieving us of the need to hire a vehicle for local hauling. Another common use of the BUV is to ferry maize from the field to the Bible School when we are harvesting the Mission garden.
On the maintenance side, it is durable and we service it regularly. The only challenge is that it is sometimes difficult to find parts for repairs locally.
Overall, it plays a big role at the Bible School and is helpful making work more efficient.
I want to thank the Malawi Project for providing us with this Basic Utility Vehicle. May the Lord bless them abundantly for all their generosity.
The BUV’s are manufactured in Indianapolis, Indiana by the Institute of Affordable Transportation. These units are the brainchild of Will Austin and have been in production since 1998.”
– Alex Nunu