Supporting widows, helping kids
A-Lin’s second stop was with an AIDS patient support group.
Once PCH’s AIDS patients have undergone the drug cocktail therapy and recovered some immune function, their most pressing needs become emotional support and nutritional supplementation. PCH addresses these together by training groups of patients to make organic soy milk. They then go on to open their own soy milk stands, meeting their own nutritional needs while also becoming economically self-sufficient.
“Everyone knows that the AIDS virus is only transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids,” says A-Lin. “But knowing that and actually dealing with AIDS patients in person are two different things.” She recalls that many people tried to discourage her from traveling to Malawi, telling her it was too risky. She chose to go anyway, and came to understand the courage it took for these patients to operate their businesses in the face of the social stigma associated with the disease.
After meeting with the support group, A-Lin’s next stop was a widows’ community.
Women have very low social status in Malawi, and widows are particularly disadvantaged. In fact, they are often shunned, which makes it that much more difficult for them to survive. But widowed mothers possess great strength.
In 2005 a group of motivated Mzuzu widows, assisted by Taiwan’s medical mission, formed a group aimed at fostering their own economic independence and aiding orphans. They chose to do so by raising and selling chickens, and even built the coops themselves. The group then spent all of its profits on community construction efforts, opening a daycare center for orphans.
In 2011, PCH began offering microloans to the chicken farmers, assisting them with strategy and operations, and helping them build a brand. These efforts enabled the widows to increase their production capacity, enhance their reputation, and improve their return on capital. The widows have consistently made their loan payments on time—as of late October 2012 they had repaid more than 97.5% of their debt—while also earning a reputation for producing high-quality chickens and eggs.
When A-Lin’s group visited the widows’ community, the women welcomed them with a song of thanks that demonstrated the Malawians’ natural talent for harmonizing: “Thanks to the Earth / Thanks to all the creatures on it / Thanks to the people we meet every day / Thanks for the grace in everything.”
The name “widows’ community” had led A-Lin to expect a place filled with hardship and worry. Instead, she heard a tenacious optimism in their song that made her heart pound and her blood race.
A-Lin visited a group of widows and orphans, learning with them how to make soy milk. Embracing these children with AIDS, she saw great optimism in the midst of adversity.