Concern Blogs

Some 12 percent of all children in Malawi do not survive to celebrate their fifth birthday. Photo: Concern Worldwide

I have arrived in the Concern office in Lilongwe, capital of Malawi. The goal in the next week is to gather as much information on the current health situation of mothers and children in Malawi, and develop a program strategy about how to address the problems.

I find that trips to the field are tremendously energizing as I can hear the stories directly from the people being impacted and see how Concern’s work has transformed their lives, even long after a program has concluded and the community have assumed responsibility.

My respect and fondness for these communities grows deeper each time I visit field sites and the learning is exponential; something a book will never teach me, no matter how many times I read it.

Apparently, I made it just in time for the end of the rainy season. It poured rain all through the night and well into the following day. In fact, I woke up to pools of water—several inches deep—in my bedroom. I am always amazed by the resourcefulness of the people here who solved the problem, temporarily at least, by hanging an upside down umbrella over head!

Following several days of meetings with Concern staff, other international organizations and national authorities, it has become quite clear there is a need for health activities which directly target children aged two months of age to five years.

Women and children wait to be treated in a health center in Lilongwe, Malawi's capital. Photo: Concern Worldwide

In the United States, the majority of people benefit from robust water and sanitation departments, easy access to primary health clinics staffed with sufficient numbers of nurses and doctors and an ample source of food to ensure proper nutrition.

By contrast, in Malawi, we are grappling with some of the worst statistics in the world. Nearly 12 percent of all children in Malawi do not survive to celebrate their fifth birthday. Some 20 percent of children here are underweight, which predisposes them to other illnesses like pneumonia.

Diarrhea continues to be a common problem as a result of poor water, sanitation and hygiene, and contributes in too many cases to death. It is estimated during any given time that 30 percent of children aged under-five are suffering from diarrhea.

These deaths are preventable or what some have titled “stupid” deaths. Children should not be dying from poor nutrition, diarrhea or common infections that can easily be treated with antibiotics. It’s just one of the reasons that it is crucial this program gets underway soon.

Next, the Concern team and I will head to the field for a few days where we can witness first-hand what life is really like for people in Malawi and develop strategies with the local leaders that will respond appropriately to the current context.

We will travel to Dowa and Nkhotakota Districts to speak with District Health Officers, health staff, women and children attending the under-five health clinics and local community leaders.  More on that in the following days.