A woman's work

I got the chance to visit my first Mary's Meals projects this week. A and Lawrence (one of his colleagues) were going to HHI a Blantyre school to put up a sign saying this feeding centre was being funded by East Ayrshire Education Dept. I tagged along.

The children were charming and the headmaster impressive but what was most striking was how hard the volunteer women work – MM just buys the food & provides the secure storage space / the stoves etc but all the preparation and organisation has to be done by local volunteers. Apparently they find it easier to get volunteers in the countryside than in the cities. But at this school of about 1500 primary school children, 6 women had organised themselves into a rota.

Ellen, the chairwoman, reminded me of my Dad's mum - thin, elegant and very proud. When she saw that we wanted to take photographs she sent us away for a while whilst she got the other women mopping the floor (which looked spotless to me anyway) cleaning all the buckets and changing all their clothes. She explained that they arrive at 6am every morning to collect the water, chop the wood, and make the vats of Likuni Pala (just like porridge really). By 2 they've fed all the children, cleaned up and can head home to do the same for their own families. All she wanted from MM was some soap to be able to clean their clothes.

We then went to an under 6 centre where aids orphans are deliberately mixed with other orphans to help reduce stigma (and some children are there whose parent's pay for them to be looked after for the day). There were about 30 tiny tots in a bare room about 7m x 5m. Four women were keeping them singing and occupied and making two meals (the little ones get breakfast and lunch but that's probably it until they come the next day). Again, the children were charming (and very pleased to show us they could recite the months of the year, and say their name and how old they were) but the women were phenomenal! Babies strapped to their back, they were stirring and chopping and cleaning and signing with the children – the head woman again clearly knew every child and their own little strengths / worries. We all gave an 'introduction' and one of the women with a wiggling baby strapped to her back was 28 too – same age as me but a very very different life.

It is the 'mamas' here that keep it moving, there is no doubt about that. God bless them.
Fx

PS – I'm taking the HHI women some soap next week. MM don't do it (though I've mentioned to the acting head of MM (Malawi) that perhaps they should) but I see no reason why I shouldn't, on this occasion, to these women.