Thondwe, Malawi … Mary Saikolo cannot walk. In fact, she has never been able to walk, because of paralysis in both legs. She is both physically challenged, and a single parent. She starts each day by crawling in the dust from her small dwelling house, to a place where she can find enough food for three children, four grandchildren, and her 81-year-old mother. On a good day, Mary builds a fire, and prepares some food for her family. She bakes some mini scones to sell by the roadside. This is the way she raises money for her family. On Sundays, the kids help her travel for 15 minutes, in her wheelchair, to attend Sunday services. Mary is fifty-nine years old. In spite of her age Mary is not only taking care of her three children, she has also taken on the responsibility for caring for her granddaughter, Chisomo Rodrick (her name means Grace), her brother Dziwa 15, sister Merch 12, and a younger sister. Their mother died in 2010.
At five years of age, Chisomo attends an orphan nursery school near her village. But, it takes more than Mary can provide. Not only can she not keep up, the problem is getting more serious. The family is running out of money and resources. She looks at the visitor with deep concern. There is no work in the area for the older children. Malawi has an employment problem with 50% of its people out of work.
“You can see I have stopped baking the scones,” she says. “I do not have the capital,” She was embarrassed that she could not provide food for the visitor during his visit to her home. She had no food in the house that day for anyone, not even the children. “What will happen to them? Who will provide what I cannot give?”
“I understood her problem, and was unable to answer her question and the plea it contained,” noted Wilson Tembo as he left to prepare his report for the Malawi Project web site. “I don’t know what is to become of her, and the children, including little Chisomo.”