The Malawi Project has sent three basic utility vehicles for use in Malawi. These units supply needed transportation in a nation that moves from place to place on foot, and transports most things on heads and backs. One such unit is based at the Namikango Mission and Clinic where the Project has its southern point of distribution for much of Malawi. Basic Utility Vehicles (BUV for short) take much of the load off of man or woman power, moving it more efficiently and effectively. According to Ben Hayes, who moved from Houston, Texas to be the station chief at Namikango, “This unit is being used every day for some task. We don’t know what we would be without it. It is a workhorse when it comes to the tasks around the mission.”
Wilson Tembo, the Director for Warehouse Operations, and the administrator for the Naminkango Clinic, says this about the BUV. “It would be nearly impossible to do all that we do if it were not for the BUV. It would at least require the addition of more staff support members. It is a real asset when it comes to moving people, wood, medical supplies, and other things around the mission.”
In many of the venues where the Malawi Project is working, a BUV could make a critical difference in the work load and performance. In Senga Bay, Samantha Ludick, Director of Cool Projects, often uses one of the Project supplied V-Tractors to transport things that could easily be handled by a BUV cheaper than with the farm tractor. She notes, “With fuel prices rushing upward at an alarming rate we feel the pinch, and we are looking for ways to accomplish more with less in resources and funding. To have a BUV would supplement what we are doing with the farm tractors. Just think how much we could add value to both of these units with thei addition of a BUV. For instance, we could raise the crops with the help of the tractor, then send them to market with the BUV. This would be only one example of what we could do with both units. We so appreciate those who are helping the Malawi Project bring these resources to the country. It gives us hope and encourages us to step forward and do our part to make the country successful.”