Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are in the season of Lent, where we reflect on the suffering and death of our Lord. Isaiah 53:4,5 says, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” This passage reminds us that the punishment and suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ brought us everlasting life and forgiveness of our sins.

This month’s newsletter tells the story of Smith Patulani, an under-5 child who is a patient at our Msambo clinic. Smith was born in October 2023 at Daeyang Luke Hospital in Lilongwe. According to Smith’s mother, Modester Patulani, Smith was born through a normal spontaneous vertex delivery, and there were no complications during birth and throughout the postpartum period. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Patulani hails from Kabula village, Traditional/Authority Chimutu in Lilongwe District. The village is not far from our Msambo clinic.

In February 2025, Smith got sick. He was presenting with fever, vomiting, and general body weakness. Upon seeing this, his parents took him to a local hospital, the Chankhungu Health Center. Chankhungu Health Center is one of the government health centers close to Smith’s village. At Chankhungu, Smith was tested for malaria, and the result came out positive. He was given a first line malaria treatment (lumefantrine artemether), which he took for three days at home, and he got well.

One Monday morning in early March, Smith’s father discovered that Smith’s lower limbs were not functional. He informed the mother, and they were both shocked, knowing that the child was fine after completing his malaria treatment in February. They then visited the Lutheran Mobile Clinic at Msambo on 17th March 2025, where they met one of our clinical officers, Davie Khumula.

At the clinic, Davie asked the mother some questions, including the medical history of the child. The mother explained everything and of course the malaria that he had in February. Davie also asked if the child received the polio vaccine, and the mother said the child completed all the vaccines, including the polio vaccine. The child was then examined for any possible signs of malaria, and there were none. Davie then examined the child’s legs for muscle strength, reflexes, and muscle tone.

He found that the muscle strength and reflexes were absent, and there was decreased muscle tone. Davie then explained more about the child’s condition to the parents, his plan of referring him to a hospital, and its importance. Smith was then referred to Kamuzu Central Hospital for further investigation for the possible cause of the paralysis, management, and initiation of physiotherapy treatment. We look forward to hearing more from Smith’s parents and how he is coping with physiotherapy treatment.

Lastly, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the people who think about us. Your prayers keep us going. Your various donations have been of great impact to us, and that is why we keep running. May the good Lord continue blessing you and all that you do. As we journey through this season of Lent, may we embrace reflection and renewal, fostering a spirit of compassion and gratitude in our hearts.

Written by Violet Chikwatu, nurse in charge

Greetings in the Name of Christ!

As we enter the beautiful season of Christmas, we reflect on the joy and hope that it brings to our hearts and communities. We are reminded of the words from Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” This verse serves as a reminder that we can find solace and direction in Christ. As we continue to celebrate His birth, let us reflect on the profound impact He has on our lives and strive to share His peace and love with others.

Climate Changes Impacting Farmers

December has traditionally been a rainy month, crucial for our local farmers in Malawi. However, this year, we are facing an unexpected heat wave that poses a serious threat to their livelihoods. Many farmers who have already planted their crops are now watching them wilt under the relentless sun, this has caused huge devastation with the current cost of agricultural supplies which has skyrocketed, making it even more challenging. Just two years ago, the price of fertilizer was around 20,000 Malawi Kwacha ($20), but now it has risen to an alarming 120,000 Malawi Kwacha ($70). This steep increase strains our farmers’ budgets and limits their ability to sustain their crops.

The implications are dire, if this heat wave continues, we may face a significant drop in yields, leading to potential food shortages and increased hunger in our communities. The combination of wilting crops and high input costs paints a troubling picture for the coming months for many Malawians.

Gratitude for Support

Despite these challenges, we find strength in our community. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to CAMM and our generous donors who through your donations, made this year impactful in the communities Lutheran Mobile Clinic serves. As a token of thanks to

our dedicated staff we organized a wonderful early Christmas dinner for our general staff and a festive lunch for our professional staff just to appreciate them for their tireless work during 2024. The team’s commitment and efforts on behalf of the Lutheran Mobile Clinic and CAMM are truly appreciated.

We also extend our thanks to our generous donors who have contributed various donations, including monetary gifts, baby clothes pill bottles etc. Your support plays a vital role in helping us serve those in need, bringing comfort and joy during this season of giving. Thank You to Our Donors.

Closing thoughts
As we celebrate this season of giving and joy, let us remember the true spirit of Christmas. May your days be filled with peace, hope, and love.

Thank you for being a part of our community. Wishing you all a blessed and joyous Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Written by Lusungu Mwambeye, Clinic Administrator 

Partnerships are everywhere in our Christian faith: partnerships with our fellow believers, partnerships with our home churches, partnerships with the pastors that guide us, and most ultimately our partnership with God. In Philippians 1: 3-6 we are reminded by God that partnerships are necessary to share the good news of the gospel.

The Central Africa Medical Mission (CAMM) started as a partnership; the Lutheran missionaries used the Central Africa Medical Mission to provide healthcare to the local community and because the community’s physical needs were being taken care of, doors were opened for the missionaries to share God’s spiritual love and healing with those visiting the clinic.

Today, CAMM operates with many partnerships. We partner with the missionaries through the Board of World Missions and the One Africa Team, with local national staff, with local African pastors, and with supporters all across the United States and abroad.

The Board of World Missions and the One Africa Team help support CAMM by providing spiritual support, marketing support, and help to lead CAMM’s mission. WELS Christian Aid & Relief (CAR) provides CAMM with financial grant support. CAMM has been extremely blessed by CAR with their grants to purchase medicine, fuel, and vaccinations. They are a key financial supporter for the short-term medical camps that were held in Kenya in 2024 and the camp that is planned for February of 2025.

While today we have all national staff at our clinics, originally CAMM employed an American nurse-in-charge and an American clinic administrator in both Zambia and Malawi. The individuals who held these positions moved far away from their families and lived in Malawi and Zambia for three years or more. They helped lead the national staff and relayed communication on clinic operations back to the CAMM stateside committee, even though communication was slow due to limitations in phone and mail service, especially from our start in 1961 through the late 1990’s. CAMM relied on the leadership and professional background of the American nurse-in-charge and American clinic administrator at each clinic to ensure the clinics ran smoothly, and their partnership was essential to the success of CAMM, especially in those early years.

In 1994, the Lutheran Rural Health Centre in Zambia was turned over to national staff to run the clinic. The same followed for the Malawi staff in 2022. Where would CAMM be now without the knowledge, commitment, and integrity of the Malawian and Zambian staff? CAMM relies on them to ensure devotions are held each morning and to treat each patient that arrives at our clinics with empathy and professionalism. The staff is the face of our clinics and through the love and compassion they share with each patient, they are reflections of God’s compassion to them. The local pastors of the Lutheran Church of Central Africa are also key partners with CAMM, as they have an important role to further develop the spiritual welfare of each staff member and patient.

Finally, all of our supporters are key partners with CAMM. Schools, churches, and women’s groups, including LWMS, help spread the word about the work of CAMM with even more individuals across the country. And this in turn has caused an outpouring of support, in the form of prayers, monetary donations, assembling and mailing parcels to the clinics, and special projects such as a CAMM baby shower, chili potlucks, special mission Sundays, and school mission projects, which help fund building projects and new vehicles. The CAMM stateside committee members are filled with gratitude when we see photos of these activities or learn of all the assistance that is being provided. Since CAMM is supported solely by donations, we would not be able to carry out our work without the partnership of all of you, our supporters.

God has truly blessed the work of the Central Africa Medical Mission for over 60 years, beyond what we ever could have imagined. May he continue to use all of these partnerships to guide and bless our work in the future to provide Christ-centered health care and to share the gospel with all those who come to the clinics.

Have a blessed Christmas season as we celebrate the joyous birth of our Savior!

Written by Angela Sievert, Central Africa Medical Mission chair

The Lutheran Mission Rural Health Centre (Mwembezhi) in Zambia has been providing both physical and spiritual help to both the clients and patients in its 63 years of existence. It is the hand of God that has brought us this far. God established this work through His missionaries and their wives who were serving this area at a time when it was most difficult to live in Africa. Today the clinic stands tall with its ever-increasing population which has grown significantly since the 1990’s. The area has witnessed growth in both population and infrastructure since the area was declared a district in 2011 by the President at that time. There would have been even more growth in population and infrastructure had the President lived to see his vision through.

The clinic serves eight separate areas within our catchment and was seeing about eighteen thousand eight hundred people per year. In 2023 The Zambia government built two new health posts within our catchment area. These health posts were designed to provide people with a clinic closer to their homes rather than travel to Mwembezhi. The Mutombe health post is located about eight kilometres from our clinic and the Shikatende health post is about twelve Kilometres from Mwembezhi. Each health post was given a population of around five thousand people to serve thereby lowering the population served at Mwambezhi by around 10,000. However, it did not work out that way. People prefer coming to Mwembezhi over the health posts for reasons such as “at the Mwembezhi clinic they pray to God” and “offer Bible reading” (devotion), they have drugs and at the centre there are “Doctors” available (Doctors in this case meaning medical staff in white coats). True to the peoples’ words, we are vessels of God sent for the sake of providing physical and spiritual help to our brothers and sisters in that area. As a team, we believe that the clinic is a Christ-centered facility. We treat, but Jesus Christ heals.

I am grateful to hear how people in the area praise God and mostly I hear them saying “Leza alelekwe pakutupa chibadela cha Lutheran” meaning that “May the name of God be glorified for giving us the Lutheran clinic”. Hearing of the nice comments reminds me of the favour of God in our lives and how we ought to be grateful to Him. We are grateful for everything that God allowed us to see and do this year and remain grateful to all who pray for and support the Clinic. Let’s encourage each other to live for God and be grateful to Him, especially around this time.

As children of God let’s remember what He has given us despite the many challenges we face. There is an example of two people travelling in a public bus, one passenger (a woman) accidently spilled something on a smartly dressed passenger (a man) who was seated next to her and his clothes became dirty. It was expected that this smartly dressed man would get angry at the woman. But to the surprise of everyone the man smiled and said, “It’s okay my sister, I will be dropping at the next station and home is near.” The point is, let’s not
stress too much on the issues beyond our control, rather we hand over everything to God and be grateful for what He has given us.

With prayer and believing in God’s promises it was possible to establish the clinic that does His work now as it did 60 years ago. The God our forefathers served is the same God today. The clinic serves as a ready platform to extend God’s grace to His people, showing the love of Jesus to all who come. Our hope is that more will praise God for his salvation through Jesus as well as being grateful for the medical care given at our clinic. Thank you for your time.

Written by Alisad Banda, CAMM Clinic Administrator in Zambia.

I recently traveled to Malawi and Zambia and was looking forward to sharing some updated information and news about the field. My wife Beth and I recently gave a presentation about CAMM for the Grand Canyon Circuit of LWMS (Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society) at a retreat at a camp outside of Prescott, Ariz. There were about 80 women attending and three Arizona pastors who helped with devotions and worship. We were glad to see our former Malawi Mission Liaison, Rev. John Holtz, and a former pastor in Zambia, Rev. John Hartman and his wife, Sharon.

At the retreat we had the opportunity to learn about the mission work to the Native American Mission, including the school in Peridot. We also heard about the mission to the children in Mexico and its Spanish ministry to Mexicans in Tucson.

We shared our slides about the Lutheran Mobile Clinic in Malawi, the Lutheran Rural Health Center in Zambia, and the medical camp that was run in Kenya last February. We enjoyed answering questions and feeling so much support for the ongoing work of CAMM. We knew these women would be praying for our African staff and supporting the mission with their prayers and offerings. It was apparent that many of them also had ministries in their churches and with other mission organizations. We give thanks for these brothers and sisters in Christ, who love Jesus and want to help spread the gospel around the world!

In other news, in Malawi we have recently completed the construction of two private consultation rooms at our clinic at Thunga Village. We have seen that outpatient numbers have been growing at this clinic, which has caused crowding and even less privacy. We decided that it was it about time that these patients were provided the same degree of privacy as the patients at our other clinics, hence the new consultation rooms were built. Now all outpatient consultations at all four of our clinics are conducted in private.

Also, in Malawi, after a few months of wondering why we have not received many parcels, we have just received 40 parcels of pill bottles and other supplies. Supplies were getting low and we were beginning to worry. But the Lord provided. We suspected that something was amiss either at the post office or customs, but only recently discovered that parcels were being held by the Malawi Revenue Agency (MRA) for possible customs duty. Lusungu Mwambeye – our administrator in Malawi – was able to work with the MRA and get the parcels released to us without duty. She also obtained a letter from MRA giving us customs clearance for three months. While our stocks are looking good today, it can take up to three months for a parcel to arrive, so please keep the parcels coming so that we always have a ready supply of pill bottles, blankets, hats, onesies, etc. for our patients.

Written by Mr. Gary Evans, CAMM Field Director.

As you read blogs, self-help books, and Facebook posts, they seem to have one common theme: How do you find your joy and happiness in life? You may look around and joy seems to be missing in so many areas of your life. There may seem to be less smiles and less laughter. Work is hard and tedious, relationships are difficult to maintain, and healthcare is expensive and time consuming. We go to church and surround ourselves with the gospel, but is the joy we feel truly displayed? In Romans 15:13, Paul wrote, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Are we overflowing with hope?

This past month, I traveled to Mwembezhi Lutheran Rural Health Centre in Zambia along with Gary Evans (Field Director) and Alisad Banda (Clinic Administrator). While all of us had been there many times in the past, we were not expecting to see the joy displayed as we drove past Martin Luther Church, which is adjacent to the clinic. Hundreds of people were camped out for a five-day Lutheran Church of Central Africa campout.

What a surprise! Kids were running and playing, adults were socializing and getting ready for the day and the singing. . . nothing can truly impact you like the sound of an African choir! The harmony, smiles, and joy that we saw and heard is my version of the singing I hope to hear when I arrive in my home in heaven. To hear a sample of the choir singing, visit our Facebook page. What a blessing to hear and see the fellowship as we ventured down the road to tour the clinic buildings and see the clinic at work.

The joy did not stop at the campout. You could see the smiling faces of the clinic staff, the moms as they weighed their babies, the village residents greeting us and thanking CAMM and clinic staff for being there. Some of you have experienced these sights first-hand, but for those that haven’t, I pray the videos and photos that CAMM shares help bring you joy and give you a sense of the joy that is displayed at the clinic.

Your support, whether through prayer, shipped donation boxes, monetary donations, or sharing the work CAMM does, brings me joy and helps us share your joy with the patients that visit the clinic in Zambia as well as the clinics in Malawi.

Whether it be from seeing the photos and videos CAMM posts, or the joy that surrounds you in your personal life, we pray that God continues to bless you and bring you joy. CAMM humbly thanks you for your continued support that helps to spread joy to so many within our organization.

Written by Angela Sievert, Central Africa Medical Mission (CAMM) chairwoman

The Lutheran Mission Rural Health Centre-Mwembezhi has a come a long way since it began in 1961, and I can indeed say this far that the Lord has brought us. The Clinic that started as a drug dispensary is today one of the Zambia mission’s success stories, not by human efforts but, by God alone. One of the many positive changes that has happened over the years has been the extent to which the government has recognized the Lutheran Church in Zambia through the clinic.

The recognition of the health centre is attributed to the members of staff who have put in their best effort in the delivery of the health care in the Shibuyunji District. The big motivation comes from serving Christ our Savior. The Central Africa Medical Mission, through its leadership (CAMM) and its supporters, provides the means that enable success such as salaries, medications, maintenance and everything that requires monetary help for the facility. In the past five years, the clinic has seen a face lift in many areas of the centre and uplifted the status of Lumano village. The clinic leadership appreciates the Field Director’s regular visits. The article cannot be complete without mentioning our supporters who have generously given the finances, material help and for some, even coming to visit the clinic. Every donation, in all forms is appreciated, even baby blankets, hats and clothes which are given to newborns and act as a motivation for expecting mothers to come and deliver at the facility.

As the clinic nears the end of the financial year, we can say yes, this far the Lord has brought us, but one thing is so loud to my ears and that is to stay faithful, as the clinic is founded on Christ-centered love and compassion. It is very important to remember that God has sustained the clinic. He has sent people to the centre for numerous reasons, for all it is to hear about the love of God, for many it is for healing and health maintenance, and for our staff who gain expertise and experience through the variety of patients they see.

Today, the clinic has twenty-six members of staff, sixteen are on the CAMM payroll and the rest from government and non-government organizations. A lot of them are young people and sometimes this age group comes with its own pressures. These are part of our Christian battles, but the call is to remain faithful to our God despite the situations that may come our way. This far, indeed the Lord has brought us. The clinic is a reliable source of healthcare and sometimes this can cause us (the members of staff including management) to forget that God has created the facility for His own purpose and that is to demonstrate God’s love to humanity. This love must first be seen in the members of staff before it can be demonstrated to others. Indeed it is particularly important to remember that the clinic is not only a source of medical expertise and medications, but is primarily a place where Christ is the centre of all our activities.

In conclusion, the Lutheran Mission Rural Health Centre in Mwembezhi is a family, and by the grace of God, we continue planning as a family for the future and pray for each other. It is important to pray for our leadership at CAMM, well-wishers, and members of staff at the clinic.

Written by Alisad Banda, CAMM Clinic Administrator

The Central Africa Medical Mission (CAMM) mobile clinic in Malawi depends on having reliable ambulances for our daily trips to our clinics. While the Toyota Land Cruisers we use are rugged and tough, after a few years they start to require more and more maintenance. So, if we are going to use them on a daily basis, we cannot have them sitting in the shop waiting for repairs. For that reason, we replace them every five years.

Unfortunately, if we want to buy a new ambulance in Malawi, we cannot go down to the local dealer, pick one off the lot, pay for it, sign the paperwork, and drive it home that day.

Instead, we use a company called Toyota Gibraltar. They are named after where they are located, on the rock of Gibraltar, the British Overseas Territory and city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula in Spain. Toyota Gibraltar specializes in providing vehicles to non-governmental organizations, such as ours, who operate in third world countries within South America, Africa, and Asia. The advantage of using them is we see significant cost savings over the local Malawian Toyota dealer. The bad news is that it takes a while for the vehicle to arrive, and we (CAMM) must deal with all the local customs and vehicle registration issues instead of the dealer. As clinic administrator, Lusungu Mwambeye handles these challenging details with help and guidance from me.

We ordered and paid for the vehicle in September of 2023. It arrived in Lilongwe on March 30, 2024. To get here, the vehicle traveled from Japan to Gibraltar. There, it was put in a container where it left Gibraltar by ship in late December enroute to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, via Oman and Jakarta. Once in Dar es Salaam the container was put on a truck for the 1,000-mile overland trip to Lilongwe. The ambulance is now at the clinic house/office in Lilongwe, but it will be a while before we can put it on the
road. Lusungu still needs to get final customs clearance before we can begin the registration process. As we use the vehicle as an ambulance, we can import it duty free. A savings of $35,000, but duty-free status requires a lot more paperwork.

For registration, the vehicle first needs to be checked by Interpol to make sure it is not stolen. Then it must be inspected by Malawi Road Traffic to check the engine and chassis numbers match the paperwork, then it can be registered. Visits to the road traffic office are not for the faint-hearted; your local DMV is a haven of efficiency and serenity by comparison. Once registered it will go to Toyota Malawi to complete the delivery inspection and installation of the roof rack and any other remaining parts. Finally, it needs a government safety inspection called a Certificate of Fitness, throw in some insurance and we are ready to go. I’m praying that it will be ready for the road by late April. Then we can worry about selling the old ambulance.

It is getting toward the end of the rainy season in Malawi and Zambia. Malawi had a period of three weeks with no rain in the middle of their growing season, but rains had returned to the central region by early March. Unfortunately, a little too late. People are not expecting a good harvest. In Zambia this year, rains have been very sparse. The government has already declared a state of emergency and began scheduling power cuts because of low water levels in the Zambezi River – the country depends heavily on hydroelectric generation for its power needs. Normally by this time of year the fields are lush with freshly grown maize. I am no farmer but much of the maize I saw when I visited Zambia in March looked brown, stunted, and poor. Very likely, this is not going to be a good harvest, and hunger could be a very real possibility.

Thank you to everyone who made our new ambulance a reality and please pray for our brothers and sisters in Malawi and Zambia. They are going to need a lot of prayer and support this year.

Written by Gary Evans, CAMM Field Director

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Almost three years ago, Pastor Mark Anariko Onunda from Lutheran Congregations in Missions for Christ—Kenya approached the One Africa Team (OAT) and the Central Africa Medical Mission (CAMM) with a proposal to hold a week-long medical camp at a Lutheran congregation near the town of Sagana, Kenya. These medical camps are common in Kenya, and the government approves of them to reach people in rural areas with free screenings and medical care.

The CAMM committee prayerfully considered and agreed to this, knowing that nothing should be done that would detract from the work we are doing at the Lutheran Mobile Clinic in Malawi or the Lutheran Mission Rural Health Center in Zambia. OAT was in favor, because Pastor Onunda’s main goal was to bring patients to the church by providing evangelists to lead devotions and share the gospel of Christ with people coming to the camp. With a generous grant from WELS Christian Aid and Relief, the cost was covered. After almost a year of preparations by our Field Director Gary Evans, Pastor Mwangi, John Michoro, and other leaders of the congregation at Karima Lutheran Church, together with the Kirinyaga County Health Department, the four-day camp became a reality from February 26-29.

Six volunteers from the CAMM committee arrived four days early to complete the work of sorting and organizing supplies and medications in the storage room and setting up the camp in a large field near the church, joining Gary and Pastor John Roebke. They met with key government staff to confirm what supplies were still needed and which services would be provided. Tents and toilets had already been installed. Volunteers from the congregation were available to help set up chairs, tables, handwashing stations, and rope lines. Everyone worshiped together under one of the tents on Sunday prior to the start of camp. There was a sense of unity of faith and joy in the mission ahead.

The government staff included clinical officers, nurses, nutritionists, laboratory technicians, a pharmacist, pharmacy techs, and record keepers. There was a truck in which women could be screened and even treated for cervical cancer. American volunteers assisted wherever they could, whether taking blood pressures, checking blood sugars, doing triage, weighing patients, finding equipment, running to the storeroom to bring medications to the pharmacy, placing garbage and sharps containers, and monitoring the overall workflow. The church volunteers registered and numbered patients, directed them where to go, answered questions, emptied garbage, cleaned, translated the Kikuyu language, spent time talking with patients, and led Bible studies, and hard-working women made traditional African food lunches for 70 people each day!

All patients were screened for hypertension and diabetes and received nutrition advice, health education, and medications as needed. Over the four days, 1,400 patients were seen. One 12-year-old girl with a very painful ulcerated rash on her ankles for two years was finally treated with the correct antifungal and antibiotic medication, and follow-up was arranged. A woman who had dangerously high blood sugar but had not been taking medication for diabetes was treated with IV fluids and insulin. She could go home with oral medication and was taught how to change her diet to help keep her glucose levels down and to follow up at a local clinic. “Asante sana” (thank you very much) was heard often. We were told the community had benefited greatly from the camp, and the church leaders knew that there would be many new visitors to church the next Sunday.

Although the volunteers were tired, dirty, and sensory overloaded at the end of each day, it was gratifying to know that it was mainly the Kenyan peoples’ initiative and efforts that made the camp happen. We were watching God’s plan unfold for people to hear about their Savior as well as have their health needs met. Will there be more Lutheran medical camps in Kenya? God willing, yes. Meanwhile, our clinics in Zambia and Malawi continue to thrive.

Thanks be to God!

Written by Beth Evans, CAMM Nurse Advisor

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Originally appears on the Central Africa Medical Mission website. Learn more and follow updates at camm.us.

As I write this letter, it is late December and it’s amazing how it feels just like yesterday that we were celebrating the beginning of 2023. Now that we are just a few days away from ending 2023, there is so much to be grateful for—especially the gift of life that the Lord has granted us throughout the year.

Here in Malawi, December always comes with heavy rains. It’s the time when all the farmers plant their fields knowing that the rainy season has arrived. However, this December was different because a lot of districts had not received any rain until mid-month. This brought so many worries to farmers as they had no hope on when the rains would start. But because our Lord is good, by December 20, Lilongwe and other districts received heavy rains. People were happy and ready to work in their fields.

Despite being happy about the rains, during this rainy season the clinic faced challenges in so many ways. December 20 was a clinic day at Suzi, and because it had rained heavily we had difficulty traveling to the clinic site. The road was bumpy and very muddy making it hard for driving. Despite all these difficulties, we still made it to the clinic as our land cruisers are good, even on bad roads.

Upon reaching the clinic, we found a large crowd of people—men, women, and children—sheltering under the roof of the clinic and some under the trees as it was still raining. The people were happy seeing us as they thought we wouldn’t make it due to the bad road. When our staff were setting up the clinic, our clinicians had already started seeing the patients that were triaged by the village staff before we arrived. These people were very sick and the complaint that presented the most was malaria.

Malaria is a condition that worsens during the rainy season and is one of the leading causes of death in Malawi. From the month of October on, our clinic started registering an increase in malaria cases that worsened in November and December. Not only has this malaria affected children under five, but it is also affecting adults. As a clinic, we are always prepared for this as we carry enough malaria testing kits and medication for uncomplicated malaria. Not only that, but we also carry with us medication for complicated malaria, which we give to patients before we refer them to hospitals for continued management. As always, our staff, who are hardworking and team players, did an outstanding job in dealing with the large number of patients we saw that day. When a staff member sees that a colleague needs help, they can be relied on to jump in and assist without being told to do so. We thank God for this and may he continue blessing all of the staff.

Written by Violet Chikwatu, nurse in charge at the Central Africa Medical Mission Lutheran Mobile clinic in Malawi. 

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