Jean-Luc Martinage in Kanthungo, Malawi
Davis Chimuzumazi is a boy from the village of Kanthungo, some 150 km to the north of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. It takes a long drive down a bumpy road to get to this remote village, cut off from urban civilization.
Yet on this Friday in October, Davis, along with hundreds of others from neighbouring villages, is patiently waiting his turn at the spot where the Malawi Red Cross is handing out food.
“Our region was hit by a long drought in 2004 and 2005, and hunger is still a problem even though the situation has improved”, explains Obed Mwambakulu, the project officer from the Malawi Red Cross.
To encourage the community to look after its own needs, the Malawi Red Cross, with the help of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, has persuaded Davis and the other able-bodied villagers to work a few hours building houses in exchange for a sack of maize and peas. This is what is called a “food for work” programme.
We meet Davis just before he receives his precious sack. He tells us his story.
“I am 17 and I became the new head of the family out of necessity. First my mother died in 1999, and then my father passed away in 2001. At the age of 12, I had to drop out of school to look after my four sisters, all younger than I”, he explains.
Ever since, Davis has worked in the fields to try and meet his family’s needs. His grandparents are still alive, but they are very old now and can no longer help him.
“We often have empty stomachs, we are often hungry”, he tells us with dignity, in a calm voice. When we ask him how he sees the rest of his life, he answers “I do not see a future. My concern is to keep my family from dying of hunger”, he confesses, with a protective glance at one of his sisters who has joined us.
The Malawi Red Cross cannot work miracles to help Davis, but he does get food aid and counselling from volunteers within the community itself, at a remote site where no other organization is present on a permanent basis.
This presence is a real comfort for the young man and his sisters, who would otherwise be left completely to their own devices. If the rains are abundant, the famine will ease its grip and houses will be built as a result of the project.
To back up the work done by the Malawi Red Cross and by nine other African National Societies in southern Africa, the Federation has launched a new five-year plan to strengthen not only prevention but also follow-up and treatment for AIDS victims and for the some 500,000 AIDS orphans living in the region.