June was a sorrowful month in Malawi, as the country mourns the demise of its vice president, the Late Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima. The vice president along with eight other high-profile delegates, including the former first lady Shanil Muluzi, were killed in an aircraft crash in the Chikangawa forest while on their way to the burial ceremony of the Late Ralph Kasambala, the former Attorney General. According to reports, the late vice president’s jet flew off the radar shortly after takeoff and crashed in the Chikangawa forest due to bad weather. The Chikangawa Forest is in Malawi’s northern region and is about a 40-minute flight from Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe, the country’s capital.

We also mourn the demise of the Late Lucious Banda who was the country’s presidential advisor on youth and art. He was a legendary musician who started his career in the early 1990s and released 20 albums to date. He was dubbed ‘soldier’ due to his music genre, which advocates for the betterment of the poor and fights for their rights. In these terrifying storms, we rest our hope, peace, and comfort in Christ. Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

On the same sad note, as reported in our May newsletter, the Lutheran Mobile Clinic supports children with disability to access physiotherapy treatments at Children of Blessings. Unfortunately we have lost one child, Tamara, who died following continuous convulsions and was also found with low blood sugar. She was admitted to Kamuzu Central Hospital and passed away a few days later. The remaining four kids who are still under Lutheran Mobile Clinic transport fund to get physiotherapy are progressing well with their sessions. We thank God!

As temperatures drop in Malawi and concerns rise relating to the impact of cold weather on communities, we have had our physicians educate our patients and guardians about pneumonia, cough, and colds throughout this cold season. The unprecedented surge in patient numbers strains resources but demonstrates the critical need for healthcare services in most areas. The last week of June, I had the opportunity to chat with some patients mostly to know why they would rather spend more on transport to come to our clinic when they can use the same funds to access private or government hospitals close to where they reside. One patient said, “In addition to the availability of medications at Lutheran Mobile Clinic, the staff treats the patient with respect and empathy, unlike the public or private hospital”. The other patient stated, “The physicians do not listen to all the concerns of patients but instead immediately send them to the pharmacy to get the medications or refer them to buy, whereas Lutheran Mobile Clinic physicians take their time with patient consultations”. Another patient stated that “when tested with malaria rapid diagnostic test, before the blood clots, the nurse/lab assistant at Lutheran Mobile Clinic provides cotton swabs to patients whilst at the public hospitals, sometimes they are advised to rub the blood in their hair and the blood will clot quickly which to a patient comes off as rude nurses”. These are some of the reasons why people prefer our healthcare provision to other hospitals/clinics on top of almost the free service provision and availability of medications.

Despite the rough roads that hurt the backs of our staff members from consistently driving in bad conditions, the Lutheran Mobile Clinic has been tirelessly serving the communities, providing critical medical assistance to those in need. I would like to applaud my team for always showing up for the clinic to serve the communities in need.

On behalf of the Lutheran Mobile Clinic staff team and the communities we serve, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your generous donation towards the purchase of our new ambulance. Your support and generosity have made a significant impact on our ability to provide critical emergency services to our community. The 2023 Toyota Landcruiser/Ambulance is admired by many as a new model but also its great off-road performance. Despite the bumpy roads, this new ambulance has great shock absorbers that make the effect of the bumpy roads less noticeable. Thank you once again for your generosity and commitment to the Lutheran Mobile Clinic’s cause. We are deeply appreciative of your support and donations; it makes our work possible and easy to manage. May God bless you all and give you good health. 1 Thessalonians 1:2, “We give thanks always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers”. Amen!

Written by Lusungu Mwambeye, Clinic Administrator for the Lutheran Mobile Clinic in Malawi

Greetings in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is April and people have started harvesting their maize fields. The harvest has happened a little bit earlier this year as people are trying to protect their crops from theft. These theft cases have risen because a lot of people have empty fields due to the prolonged dry spell that Malawi experienced in January and February. This dry spell has really affected this country and the harvest is worrisome to the point that the Malawian President declared Malawi in a state of disaster.

Newa Amos

The Lord has been faithful to the Lutheran Mobile Clinic and all its staff. He is keeping us healthy so that we can continue serving his people. However, we are still experiencing a huge number of patients in all the clinic sites. The top diagnosis at all these sites remains malaria. For the past weeks, our Mwalaulomwe Clinic has seen a huge turnout of patients. So much so that we ran out of medication during clinic hours and had to send our ambulance back to our pharmacy in Lilongwe for restocking. This is happening because the government hospitals have a low supply of malaria commodities, includes malaria testing kits and medication. We hope that the supplies will be available soon and that God brings healing upon his people.

I would like to tell you about our disabled kids at Msambo Clinic; the Lord has been so faithful in their lives. Newa Amos is a four-year-old little boy. In 2022, at two years old, Newa suffered cerebral malaria and was admitted to Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe. This malaria affected him such that he lost developmental milestones. He could not sit, stand, or walk. He lost speech and started drooling. After he was cured of malaria, the boy was discharged through the physiotherapy department and the mother was told to visit three times a week. Due to transportation problems, the mother was unable to visit the hospital as required and was just staying at home with the little boy. After a few weeks, this mother together and her boy came to our clinic at Msambo to find out if we could help in any way. Our clinic was able to help with money for transport and the boy started getting physiotherapy sessions at Children of Blessings Hospital which is a little bit closer to her home.

2024 marks two years since Newa started his physiotherapy sessions at Children of Blessings. He visits the hospital two times a week. The mother was taught how to do the physiotherapy at home. Both the physiotherapists and the mother play a great role in making sure that Newa gets back on his feet. Today, Newa is four years old, and he can sit, stand and walk alone without support. He is now in a speech class, and he can utter a few inaudible words, but there is hope that he will be able to talk.

Currently, our clinic supports five kids with transportation money so that they get their physiotherapy at Children of Blessings. There is a great improvement in all four kids, and there is hope that they will be able to live normally. The mothers and the kids’ families are very happy and thankful for the help they receive.

The medical mission’s work in fighting disease and malnutrition in children, especially the disabled ones, helps to prolong their lives and gives them and their parents a chance to hear the gospel and be saved. We are so very thankful for all who give to the Central Africa Medical Mission to make it possible. May God continue blessing you.

Written by Violet Chikwatu, Nurse in Charge for the Lutheran Mobile Clinic in Malawi

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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