Namikango Prepares for U.S. Shipment

    Over lunch two members of the staff at the Namikango Maternity Hospital, and the American missionary at the Naminkango Mission in Thondwe, Malawi discuss with Suzi Stephens R.N., Medical Director for the Malawi Project Inc., plans for the arrival of the first 40-foot container of medical supplies to the hospital in the southern part of Malawi. The hospital is located between the former Malawi capital city of Zomba, and the largest populated city, and commercial center of the nation, Blantyre. The site will be a distribution site for aid to medical facilities in the eastern part of the southern district of Malawi.

Church Building Becomes Warehouse For Aid
The church congregation that formerly met on the mission site recently moved to a larger building, leaving the older building vacant. The facility is quite adequate to become a warehouse for the incoming supplies, and is being converted into the warehouse and distribution site. A recent meeting with the District Health Officer in Zomba set the way for the mission to assist the government hospital system with the distribution of supplies.

Churches and Project C.U.R.E. Send Supplies
The first full shipment of supplies is scheduled to arrive later this year thanks to the contribution of the Eastside Church of Christ in Colorado Springs and Montrose Church of Christ, Montrose, Colorado Colorado, and Project C.U.R.E. in Denver, who are working with the church and the Malawi Project to supply Malawi with needed medical supplies and equipment. Previously only partial shipments were sent to Namikango from shipments to other locations.

Administrator Applauds Shipments
Symon Katete, the administrator of the Hospital could hardly believe his eyes as he looked over the list of incoming supplies. “I think the supplies will be very, very helpful. It will help us, but it will also help the entire region,” Katete said. “It costs a lot to buy the supplies that will now be in abundant supply. One box of surgical gloves costs us 4,000 Kwacha (About $28.50 a box compared to about $8.00 in the U.S.). That is a lot of money and we can only purchase a few. Many rural hospitals cannot purchase any gloves.”