In what some geologists have described as a rare occurrence, Malawi’s northern district of Karonga experienced over 30 earthquakes in December, ranging from 5.0 t0 6.2 on the Richter Scale. Four people lost their lives, over 300 were injured and an estimated 145,000 were advised to leave their homes. In total some 1,000 houses have been reported to have collapsed, while another 2,900 have sustained damage. Schools, hospitals and churches have also been hit. The Malawi Government declared Karonga a National Disaster Area on 21st December.

As the rainy season begins in northern Malawi, there is concern that people will be forced to return to homes, many of which were damaged in the quakes and are unstable.

Karonga is the northernmost district of Malawi, 6 hours drive from Lilongwe and has a population of approximately 270,000. US geologists are currently in Karonga and warn that further earthquakes are likely.

Meanwhile, a heavy earth tremor hit the central region of Malawi in the early hours of 13th January. Residents in the capital Lilongwe, in Dedza and other parts of the region fled as houses trembled and threatened to collapse. The quake measured 3.8 on the Richter Scale. No casualties have been reported.

We have heard from the Environmental Health Department at Ekwendeni Hospital that the pilot project to repair and maintain wells in the Ekwendeni district is going well. By Christmas, out of 19 wells identified for maintenance, 6 have been repaired. Work is in progress on a further 2 and the rest have been surveyed, the cost of repair estimated and it is hoped to begin work on these soon. The wells so far repaired serve over 5000 people.

A new development for the Raven Trust is to focus on the issue of servicing and repairs to hospital equipment. Frequently, donated equipment is not working due to a minor fault, as there is a lack of skilled engineers, tools and spares. To address this issue, the Raven Trust is working with CHAM (Christian Hospitals of Malawi) in Lilongwe to establish suitable training for engineers in fault finding and servicing for the hospitals so that specified approved equipment can be maintained to professional standards.

We have heard from John in Malawi that the wells project is going well. So far 4 out of the first 24 wells have been repaired. This means, for one village of around 300 people, that the women no longer have to walk over a mile to gather water from a scrape. One woman commented that this now gives her an extra 2 hours a day to work in her field. On some of the wells, the cover was broken, making them dangerous to small children. It is hoped that soon all of these wells will be returned to a usable and safe condition and will have regular maintenance and water testing.

John Challis and Alan Laverock have returned to Malawi for a short visit in order to monitor progress on the water wells project and hold discussions with various bodies on projects to be undertaken in 2010.

John will be discussing holding technical workshops and x-ray training in Lilongwe with CHAM (Christian Hospitals Association of Malawi) as part of the ongoing x-ray maintenance programme.

John and Alan will also be travelling to Livingstonia to discuss maintenace and repair of various DGMH properties and houses with Primary Health Care and the management of the David Gordon Memorial Hospital, using a skill sharing programme.

On Wednesday, 18th November FLC65 was loaded at Strachur and set off on the long journey to Ekwendeni. On board were over 1100 boxes and packages including an x-ray unit for Embangweni Hospital, blood bank, other hospital supplies, wheelchair, water tanks, tools, blankets and clothing, books and educational supplies, toys and teddies.

The rain, which poured down later in the day, held off unitl the last few boxes were being loaded. The doors were closed and sealed and, a few minutes later, the container was off on the first leg of its journey.

Wednesday’s loading was the last for Liz Keddie who is moving away from Strachur. For the past couple of years, Liz has helped Iain at the store in all weathers, with the long job of labelling all the boxes and packages and listing them onto the shipping manifest.

Liz is seen here with Donald Macnab, one of the volunteer container loaders. Farewell Liz - we will miss you. Thank you for all your hard work, We wish you much happiness in your new home - from all the team.

One of the objects of Chris Challis’s visit to Malawi in June was to finish a survey of wells in the Ekwendeni district. Many were found to be defective - some with minor problems, but about 40% were in need of major repair.

Funds have now been donated to undertake a water well maintenance project through the water department of Ekwendeni Hospital Primary Health Care. In this pilot project, the wells will be repaired and local committees set up to report maintenace requirements and test water quality regularly. John will be visiting Ekwendeni soon to monitor the progress of the project.

It is hoped that this project can be rolled out across Malawi, as the provision of clean water will make a great difference to the health of the region.

Funds raised were used to provide a plough and ridger for the villagers of Jumbo, a village approximately 30 miles northeast of Ekwendeni. Villagers already owned a pair of bullocks which were used to pull a cart. They are now able to plough in 8 days the ground that formerly took around 10 weeks to prepare by hoe, enabling them to increase the yield of their land. In addition, the equipment can be hired out to other, nearby villages, thereby providing some income to Jumbo and helping to lift the people out of the poverty trap.

The Good Hope is being used to ferry patients, staff, supplies and the community down the lake, to and from Tcharo and Zunga, two villages which are very remote and have no road access.

The boat is coping very well in all kinds of weather and is greatly appreciated as it provides a life line service  to remote communities.

Keith and Judith Feay returned to Malawi at the end of June for three weeks. During their visit, Keith ran the first ever course in Malawi for CHAM elecrtical engineers responsible foe x-ray equipment. It lasted for 3 days and was attended by engineers from 14 hospitals. Such was the enthusiasm that it is hoped to run a more advanced, fault-finding course in the future.

During their visit Keith was also able to service several pieces of equipment at Ekwendeni, Livingstonia and Embangweni resulting in good images being produced at each location.

 Primary Health Care (PHC) at Livingstonia works in many areas of social support (see Newslink Extra on Young Soko and the work of PHC) including Orphan Support and Mother and Baby Care. This is one of the projects that the Raven Trust seeks to support with your donations of baby clothes and blankets.

The baby pictured here lost her mother within an hour of her birth, Her father had died three weeks previously. Mrs Soko was able to supply the child’s guardian with warm clothes and blankets for the baby along with milk and nutritional support.

Mrs Soko would like all those who have donated baby and children’s clothes and blankets to know how deeply they are appreciated by those to whom they are given and how much excitement there is in her department when a Raven Trust container arrives with boxes of gifts from the UK.

Although the foundations for the building were laid in March, the building itself was completed in just 10 weeks this summer. It was funded by  Explorer Scouts from York. A group of 30 scouts and leaders visited Malawi for three weeks in July and August and painted the newly built clinic as well as undertaking various other projects.

The building was quite a “Challis Family affair”, being designed by Daniel, and project managed by John and Chris. The result is an attractive building which is light and airy inside.

By the middle of August, Sue Kevan and her team of eye specialists from Focus on Malawi (see links) had moved in and were arranging their equipment. They met and helped many people on this trip at hospital eye clinics and clinics they held in rural and lakeside locations, including one man who had had a sliver of metal embedded in his eye for some time. They were able to remove the metal and his eye is healing well. The Focus on Malawi team have also been raising money to help train a local ophthalmologist and the lower picture shows Angela (a trainee) examining a patient.

Container FCL64, carrying the “Good Hope”, arrived safely at Chilumba on Lake Malawi on 9th August. When it had been lifted off the lorry the next day and opened, it was found that the boat had travelled thousands of miles from Macduff without damage.

John Watt, who built the boat at Macduff Shipyard, was on hand to help with the unloading and re-assembly. A group of scouts from York were also there to witness and record the historic event..

At 14.30 CAT (Central Africa Time) on Monday, 10th August the “Good Hope” was lifted into Lake Malawi and, after final checks and stowing of equipment, the engine was started and she set off on Lake Malawi for the first time.

On Tuesday John Watt and George West took her down the Lake to Mlowe where she will be stationed and laid her mooring there. Her “placing on station” service was held on the beach the next day. The Malawian “boat boys” are delighted with the boat and the way she handles - even in rough weather.

Within a fortnight “Good Hope” had made her first emergenct run - to evacuate a newly delivered mother who was haemorrhaging and needed urgent hospital treatment.

Livingstonia Eye Clinic - 20th June

Work progresses well in the warm, dry weather. The walls have been built up to window height and the first lintel has been placed in position today. It is expected that the bricking, up to wallplate level, will be completed by Wednesday this week. The workforce consists of 4 bricklayers and 8 labourers who have been able to collect materials from the various local sites. We have Tiwonge as foreman again and Muma Cook makes the boys tea and sweeps and clears up at other times. The treated timber for the roof has arrived and roof trusses will be started this week by Mzimbe, a local carpenter.

We have since heard that the roof trusses have been constructed and put in place and the roof is now being put on.

General News

Fortunately there is not too much malaria about at the moment and the crops are being harvested, so there is lots of maize about in the country. At Ekwendeni, they only had 2 cases in the hospital nutrition unit.

The local chief from Chitimba died last week and many people were involved in the funeral arrangements. Some of the work force were absent for a couple of days as a result. It was very strange driving into Chitimba on the day of the funeral. There was no music, many of the shops were shut and all was very quiet as people went about serviceing the busses etc.

Mlowe Water Mill

Chris and I went to see the storm damage on Friday. The storm ripped through the source channel to the pond which has silted up and the wheel is damaged. We have been asked to estimate costs for rebuilding and strengthening, which we will do this week.

Arrivals

Next weekend (27th June)sees the arrival in Lilongwe of Keith and Judith Feay. Keith will be doing some x-ray maintenance as well as running a training course at Ekwendeni for 8 electrical engineers on x-ray and other equipment.

Update - The course was a great success and much appreciated.

First - the bad news
The mill lade serving the water mill at Mlowe has been almost swept away by the storm which caused so much damage in Ekwendeni at New Year. Professor Alan McGown will be in Malawi soon to survey the damage and make new plans.

and the good news…
The building of the Livingstonia dental / eye clinic is coming on well. Daniel and John laid the foundations during their visit in March, and now the walls are up and the roof is going on. There is still much to be done, but it is hoped to have the building finished soon.