Lilongwe, Malawi … Can you imagine getting ready to drive a nail only to find the only hammer has only a head and no handle? It is no surprise that the lack of basic hand tools is among the many things absent in this, the third poorest nation on earth. After discovering the hammer had no handle it was then discovered the only screwdriver was a flat head while the only screws available were Phillips-head screws. The task was to drive a nail with no hammer handle, and screw the Phillips head screws with only a flat head screwdriver.
As you can imagine the job took a bit longer than it would have taken in the U.S. where hand tools that fit the job are available on nearly every home workbench. The next time you are in one of your big box hardware stores you might remember the people of Malawi, and purchase a hammer and a couple of screw drivers. Send them to the Malawi Project, 3314 Van Tassel Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46240.