Lebanon, Indiana … Two times in recent months the Methodist Children’s Home in Lebanon, Indiana donated unneeded chairs to Malawi. The first of these, a group of 65 was added to a shipment that arrived in Malawi a couple of weeks ago, and the second group, approximately 100 or more will go on the next shipment out of Lebanon. For many on this side, they were just chairs. After all, we think nothing of going into a school, office, or hospital and sitting down on a chair. They are everywhere, and we take them for granted. In Malawi, it is a very different story. Wilson Tembo, Executive Director for Action for Progress explains:
“Government institutions, such as schools and hospitals, face severe budget constraints that have an extreme effect on their operations. One of the areas where they can easily be seen is when one sees children in government schools sitting on the floor because the schools do not have sufficient budget to purchase chairs. The same is true in hospitals. It is common to see patients sitting on the floor, even women who are pregnant, or those with serious problems and waiting for surgery often must sit on the floor because there is no chair. It is the same in every government agency across the nation.”
“With the arrival of these chairs, Action for Progress will be excited to be able to donate these chairs to schools for pupils to sit on, and for hospitals so pregnant women and other sick people can be comfortable while they wait for assistance. The value of these chairs is unimaginable for us, here in Malawi.”
The value of a chair! Who would have thought?
