Connect and Grow

Martin Luther once said," t here comes a time when silence is   betrayal ".   This week, I met a friend Anna ( not her real name). We live in the same neighbourhood in  Blantyre .   Anna was coming from buying maize meal at the market and I offered her a lift. She will turn 27 years old on 13th February 2017 and she has five children. She has been married twice. The last husband left in August   2016 .   The man was just gone the other day and has not been   seen or communicated.   Its   been 6 months now. Just like that! Anna survives by selling charcoal by the   road side in the   neighbourhood. Last   Monday ,   she had gone to buy the charcoal and found that the prices had gone up. She could only manage to buy half   of what she would normally order. It has been hard for her to fend for the children but she was still optimistic that things will get better one day .  She must make it work for the...

Life is indeed a journey. We travel far and wide. We fall along the way, dust ourselves and keep moving forward. That is part of it. Living in poverty stricken country like Malawi has  its peculiar challenges and limitations. Our cultural orientation puts a lid on what you can do, say and share. Liberating oneself from the perceptions, innuendos and sarcasms of village life is but a huge task. The majority would resign to fate. Stay where they are and close their ability to reach their potential. I am a Malawian woman who has been lucky to move from the village and work in the city. I have experienced love, joy , sadness, rejection and fear. I love my country, its people  and our culture of Umunthu. Our people are hard-working and willing to learn. We can do more to improve our living conditions. Our strength is in oneness. I have two lovely children. A boy aged 21 named Ekari ( luck) and Elapo  ( universe) a daughter  of 14  years. Together, we are b...