Malawi … The father rushes into the ward carrying his critically injured child. The boy had been riding in a minibus that was in a highway accident. He had blood running down his face, and it was obvious he had a broken leg. Behind him 12 more people were entering the district hospital with serious to critical wounds from the head-on collision with a tea carrying lorry. The hospital staff, already stretched beyond their ability to give adequate care, and with the hallway filled with pregnant women about ready to deliver, strains under the additional load.
“No, no,” I say to myself, “don’t put him in that bed. The mattress is so old and rotten that it must be crawling with nearly every disease and virus known to man. Don’t put him there.”
As if hearing my thoughts the father stops for a second, looks around the overcrowded ward at the other beds with only steel springs, and no mattresses. Then he places the child the only place available; on the rotting mattress.
It is a story repeated all over Malawi day after day, as well as all over Africa. Poverty breeds disease, and the people who suffer the most are those with no means to go anywhere outside the country for healthcare. Next to suffer are the healthcare workers, those who are stricken by any disease that can be spread from person-to-person. They have little or no sterilization equipment, and often conduct surgery with no rubber gloves.
Just a single small healthcare facility with adequate supplies can mean the difference for thousands of people. Your check for $25 or $50 can help make this healthcare facility a reality. Contribute online at https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=a64e3e or mail your check to Malawi Project Inc., 3314 VanTassel Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46240.
