Blog 3

Isaiah 6:8:

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here I am Lord, send me.”

Our morning began at the Opulence library.  We were greeted with joyful singing and dancing from both staff and students.  We got a tour of the building with an overview of  library services and Malawi education in general.   They had a recent delivery of 400 books of all types, but are expecting to have a total of around 40,000.  Education is required in Malawi but it is difficult to enforce. Drop out rate is high especially for women who often end up in arranged marriages at an early age.  Expansion plans include another library plus use of outdoor space for reading and instruction.

Next stop was the first of several permaculture farmers.  Yohane Banda started us off with a very moving explanation of how he became one of the lead farmers.  In 2022, he was an “idle person.” His land had no crops as it was his custom to sweep the ground rather than plant on it.  He was then recruited for the permaculture farm program and has turned his plot of land into a flourishing garden with a variety of fruits and vegetables. We were all moved by how proud he was of what he had accomplished.    Clearly he felt it has changed his family’s life for the better.  We met with several permaculture farmers who came to the same conclusion.

Permaculture is defined as a “design system for creating sustainable…agricultural systems that mimic natural ecosystems. Essentially it is a way of living and working with the land that aims to create self-sustaining and productive environments.” Through Opulence, the farmers are trained on the systems, and then recruit others to follow the same process.  Permaculture is working and learning from nature, and returning the land to God’s creation.  As one person noted, “God gave us a green world and we chose a brown one.” Opulence is training farmers to return to the more eco-friendly systems based on nature not profit.

The subject of food insecurity was woven into many conversations.  It affects their educational system as well as the general health of the population. Families are going hungry. By providing better sources of locally and lovingly sourced food, families have a much better quality of life.

A visit to the seed bank helped us understand how seeds are stored and distributed among farmers. The usual songs and dances welcomed us.   Hugo was surprised to find that in Kansas we eat sunflower seeds as a snack or in salads, baking, etc. This was our one small contribution to the discussion of seeds.

Then it was on to visit with several more of the permaculture farmers.  We heard their inspiring stories of hard work and successful harvests.  Most of them had “before and after” pictures of their plot of land.  The difference was nothing short of miraculous.  Bananas, papayas, mangos, avocados, and even some livestock and chickens.  Again we heard that it was their responsibility to “pay it forward” by sharing of knowledge and resources which they did with pride.

Lunch was lovingly prepared by Opulence with locally grown organic foods and lots of love.  Delicious!  There is talk of opening a restaurant.

Next we visited the Village Savings and Loan group.  Again we were greeted with joyful songs and dances, this time including family members.  We got to see first hand how one of their groups functions.  They meet regularly to discuss recent financial transactions including payment of loans and borrowing money, subject to considerable oversight.  We said goodbye as clouds and a cool breeze rolled in and our young friends waved goodbye.

Final stop was a demonstration of solar lighting, making it possible for kids to study at night.  We even visited a classroom with students working in a well lit classroom. The classroom is open everyday for two hours in the evening so students can continue their studies. Opulence believes that education is a critical step in improving peoples lives and lifting them out of poverty. One family opened their home so we could see what an impact the solar lighting has made.

A very busy day but the energy and joy of all who participated made it so worthwhile.  I, for one, will never forget this day.