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Original poster

Back from Malawi

20 replies

mears · 07/10/2006 15:56

I have come back from the most amazing and humbling experience. Having 'googled' I have found this site with info which has a video of Jack McConnell's visit last year.

If you have the time, please have a look.

OP posts:
hub2dee · 08/10/2006 07:32

Welcome back.

Don't seem to be able to watch the vids. Were you there on holiday or as part of a health-training scheme ?

Amazing place, eh... in quite a dire situation.

I remember when I came back from a long Africa trip I was a rather different person... it touches you deeply.

tissy · 08/10/2006 07:52

mears where were you? My brother is going out next month to work for a micro-loans charity- any tips?

hub2dee · 08/10/2006 07:59

tissy - can I ask which charity ? This was something I was looking at getting involved in a few years back.

tissy · 08/10/2006 10:40

sorry, hub, I don't know, but will find out and report back!

hub2dee · 08/10/2006 10:57

Thanks tissy.

One example is Kiva but there was another one (I can't find now) that I was looking at...

pupuce · 08/10/2006 11:20

Glad you found it a good experience as I remember you were hesitating going!!!
Welcome back!

CalifornifamousFANGjo · 08/10/2006 18:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Gingerbear · 08/10/2006 18:21

Welcome back mears. What did you do in Malawi?

hub, click on 'video' first (further down the page), then select the media player and speed.

suedonim · 08/10/2006 19:16

Great to see you back Mears, I was hoping you'd post something of your experiences! Someone on MN last week posted a link to an article on the difference between childbirth in Sweden and Niger. Harrowing, to say the least.

hub2dee · 08/10/2006 19:30

Thanks gb. Will watch later.

Original poster
mears · 09/10/2006 08:37

I was in Lilongwe which is the capital of Malawi. I was part of a group of midwives and obstetricians from Scotland teaching skills to manage emergencies in childbirth. We were also identifying Malawi instructors to be able to continue the course in the future.

The country is beautiful and the weather was great. Very few mosquitos around - I only got bitten once.

We visited Bottom hospital which had most of us in tears. 12,000 women deliver there a year. At the moment there is only one doctor who has been on call day and night for 4 months. Midwives can be looking after 10 women each at a time.
The women lie down on their backs to give birth on old iron beds with no sheets on the battered mattresses. The women bring a garbage bag with a piece of cloth to put on the bed to deliver on. After birth they take the bag and cloth and wash it in the shower. It was actually fairly quiet when we visited which was unusual.
There are fantastic people who volunteer to work at bottom. One is an American nurse-midwife called Joanne who has worked there for over a year. There are a lot of Dutch doctors in Malawi too but not at Bottom.
We stayed at Heuglins lodge Tissy where there were other people who were staying for a few months to work. No real tips I am afraid as we were there for such a short time.
The life expectancy in Malawi is 37 years! Maternal mortality is very high and Malawi is a country that is being focussed on to reduce maternal mortality by 75% by 2015. A mammoth task.

OP posts:
Original poster
mears · 09/10/2006 08:39

Joanne's blog about working at Bottom

OP posts:
robin3 · 09/10/2006 09:27

I was born in Malawi...left at 6 months and have never been back. Mum & Dad lived out there for 5 years and loved it.

Glad to hear it's still a special place to visit.

Gingerbear · 09/10/2006 11:01

It must have been shocking to experience first hand. You read the statistics and hear dreadful tales, but it is not until you see something first hand that the full impact hits home.
We don't know how lucky we are.

hub2dee · 09/10/2006 13:48

mears - Just read some of Joanne's blog. Moving stuff.

When I came back home (after 5 months), I felt 'slightly different' - are you back in the swing of things or 'somewhat distracted' ?

Original poster
mears · 09/10/2006 17:04

I amazed at the selfless people who chose to work voluntarily in countries like Malawi. Joanne is such a lovely person but I think she finds it really hard going at times and feels she isn't making a difference. Then she does realise on other days that she manages to make a difference in the lives of women she cares for at Bottom.
I will be going back to work on Wednesday and I feel that UK midwives don't know what under-resourced and short staffed really means.

OP posts:
GhoulsToo · 09/10/2006 17:28

I having but admiration for people who dedicate a lot of time, and sometimes their lives to helping others not as privileged as themselves. These are the people who deserve honouring, not comedians and footballers1

I'm sure it was a real eye-opener mears. Do you think you will return?

GhoulsToo · 09/10/2006 17:28

have!

ediemay · 09/10/2006 17:39

Hi mears, I was excited to read this, I spent 2 summers in Malawi when my Dad was working there and ended up at Bottom one night when his neighbour's wife went into labour. Luckily we had a car so we took them in and went back the next day to see the little one - most beautiful baby I've ever seen. I will always remember the hospital. It's fantastic that someone with your experience has given your time like this. Malawi is such a beautiful country.

hub2dee · 09/10/2006 17:46

Too right Jools. The celeb addiction / interest tends to make me heave. I feel it is essentially an irrelevance. Yes, perhaps it gives us a 'common language' occasionally, a point of small-talk we can all share IYSWIM, but it's essentially b0ll0cks.

Look, now we're talking.

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