Board Members Kathy Curtis, Cindy Oster, and Margot McGorman traveled to Malawi and were there from July 22 to Aug 13, 2024.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THEIR TRIP INCLUDED:

• Renewing friendships with the widows from Mzenga and Mbowe villages and their families.

• Sharing in joyful Sunday worship at Mchengautuba Church, giving thanks for the many blessings we all continue to receive.

• Distributing 152 PantiPacks, assembled during the sewing training, to Kaligomba School,

  Mbowe School, and Mzuzu University.

• Participating in the fuel-efficient stove workshop provided by Ripple Africa to improve the health and safety of the widows and their families.

• Sharing a meal with Tyler and Rochelle Holm, permanent American missionaries in Mzuzu

  Malawi. Tyler teaches theology at Livingstonia University to future pastors and Rochelle, a PhD

  biologist, works in clean water and sanitation

Thank you Lord, for the blessings you have bestowed on my life. You have provided me with more than I could ever have imagined. You have surrounded me with people who always look out for me.

Cindy, Kathy and Margot sharing time with Tyler & Rochelle

The Honorable Sam Chirwa, Field Director of WOGWF

Sam has been an integral member of our team since the Women of Grace began in 2008. Raised in Mzimba District in central Malawi and the oldest of 7 children, Sam has always taken his responsibilities for others very seriously.

Sam married Grace Chiumia, our founder, when she was a young widow and now, with her chronic illness, he manages her care at home with the support of her family. Thoughtful and caring, Sam is trusted by the widows and he meets with them regularly as a group. His responsibilities are many:

1. Ensuring that the sewing project is running smoothly and paying the widows for their work.

2. Distributing the finished PantiPacks to local schools.

3. Purchasing and delivering housing materials to the widows’ homes and arranging for a builder to complete the construction project.

4. Providing critical assistance to the widows as needed, such as transportation for urgent medical care, money to purchase a prescription medication, etc.

Sam became “The Honorable Sam Chirwa” on his election to the national Parliament in 2019 for Mzimba District. He has been an effective representative for his community, resulting in the construction of several bridges, a new school, a dormitory for high school girls, and a health center. Thank you, Sam!!!

MEET A WIDOW...

Vaida Nyirenda was born on December 5, 1966 in Mzimba, Malawi. She attended Baula Primary School, completing Standard 8, but could not continue further because her family was unable to afford the school fees. At age 18, she married Leonard Banda, with whom she had 7 children, 1 boy and 6 girls. They moved to the Mbowe community in 1991, when Leonard was hired as a mechanic by the Chikangawa Forest Company. Sadly, Leonard contracted tuberculosis and died in 2006 when Vaida was pregnant with their last child.

Vaida says that “life is hard”. After her husband’s death, she didn’t know how she was going to survive and raise her children. She was one of the first widows in the Women of Grace group at Mbowe. She is grateful for the widows’ fund because she has learned to sew and life is easier. Vaida uses the money from the widows’ fund for food, soap, and school fees for her children and grandchildren.

Vaida is thankful for the donors who support the Women of Grace and wishes them the very best in life. She prays that God will continue to bless the donors, so they will be able to continue helping needy people in Malawi.

Vaida, her daughter and grandchildren between her house and the outdoor kitchen.

WOGWF ASSISTS WITH HOUSING ISSUES

Weathering the Rainy Season Weather

In December 2023, a major storm hit northern Malawi, with rain and extremely high winds. Two of our widows’ houses sustained major damage to the iron sheet roofs and required emergency repairs. Fortunately, these 2 widows (Jane and Atisiya) were able to shelter temporarily with their families at the Mbowe Community Center. We were able to send money to complete the work quickly. Both houses have been re-roofed and the families are safe and dry at home again!

Jane and her kids before the roof blew off

Jane receives her new iron sheets at a widows meeting. A village builder will put them on her home.

CHANGU CHANGU MOTO STOVE TRAINING

In Malawi, the traditional 3 stone cooking fire, is a smoky tripping hazard that requires a lot of wood for fuel.

Women and children in the smoky outdoor kitchen inhale the equivalent of 1-2 packs of cigarettes each day.

Children especially, can trip and fall on the protruding sticks of firewood, resulting in serious burns.

Deforestation is a major challenge since 90% of Malawians cook on this traditional type of fire. Wood is increasingly scarce as larger and larger trees are felled for cooking fuel.

This year, to improve the health and safety of our widows and their families, we partnered with Ripple Africa (a Malawi NGO) to provide a 2-day workshop in construction and use of fuel-efficient cooking stoves. This stove greatly reduces smoke, eliminates large fire logs and long sticks, and requires about 1/3 the amount of wood compared to the 3 stone fire.

3 stone cooking fire

Fuel-efficient stove

WHO IS RIPPLE AFRICA?

Ripple Africa is a registered UK charity, founded in 2003, working in Malawi to improve the environment and local education. It began as a grassroots organization in a small community on Lake Malawi, and has slowly grown to employ over 200 Malawians full time. Ripple’s focus on sustainable, community-led environmental projects includes fish habitat conservation and forest conservation. Encouraging use of the fuel efficient cookstove is part of their forest conservation initiative. We were happy to partner with Ripple to bring these amazing stoves to the widows!

Oswald and Thandi, the Ripple trainers, were excellent! They provided the participants with lots of instruction and hands-on practice at setting up the 30 bricks in the right pattern. A simple mud mortar was used for a smooth finish on the stove. Two stoves were created in the Mbowe Community Center outdoor kitchen the first afternoon. The smoke in the community kitchen was reduced by about 90% by using the new brick stove.

The second day, the Ripple trainers traveled to 6 widows’ homes and helped those widows construct their stoves. With their new knowledge from the training, the remaining widows will be able to make stoves in their own outdoor kitchens. Ripple trainers will visit at intervals over the next few months to ensure that the stoves are being used and maintained correctly.

Each widow received a brick mold.

Rosemary builds her stove in her outdoor kitchen.

Ripple trainers encourage Josephine as she arranges the bricks.

Success for Gladys and Loveness

The pots fit perfectly

One of the widows, Sarah Mphande, who built her stove during the workshop, has reported that she now gathers only a third as much firewood each week for cooking. Definitely a labor-saving device, with health, safety, and environmental benefits!

Win-Win-Win!

SUSTAINABLE SEWING PROJECT

The widows from Mbowe and Mzenga villages continue to make the PantiPack washable menstrual kits and earn an income from their work. This summer during the mission trip, 16 widows from Mbowe and 5 from Mzenga came together for a week long sewing training, renewing friendships and learning new techniques. Four younger women (widows’ family members) also joined the training to improve their cutting and sewing skills. All the women were included in the work. Non-sewers worked to make doormats and pillows from the sewing scraps, leaving nothing wasted. They will sell these items in their community to enhance their collective earnings. We brought 2 more electric machines from the USA, and purchased 2 more treadle machines in Malawi, to ensure that sewing can continue during the worst of the rainy season. The women at Mbowe continue to assemble the PantiPacks throughout the year when enough components are ready. The PantiPacks are then distributed to local schools by our field director, Sam Chirwa.

Sewers at Work

PANTIPACK DISTRIBUTION/HEALTH EDUCATION

In the past 12 months, over 600 PantiPacks have been distributed to needy girls in these local schools:

• Phwechi School (catchment area 12 villages)

• Kauvi School (catchment area 16 villages)

• Kavinkhama School (catchment area 18 villages)

• Kaligomba School (catchment area 12 villages)

Thirty PantiPacks were provided to Mzuzu University for low income students.

At each school, the kits are given to the girls from the neediest families, as identified by the teachers and headmistress. Each school receives a book about menstrual health for the girls to read, share, and discuss. At the distribution event, girls are taught how to use and care for the kit so it will last for 3 years. They learn how to use the circular chart sewn on to each purse to track their monthly cycle.

After a student spokesperson thanked the team for the PantiPacks, Margot told them:

“We are so happy to make it easier for you to stay in school. Maybe one day, because you stayed in school, one of you will be a doctor, one will be a teacher, and one of you will be the President of Malawi!”

And they all smiled “Yes”!!!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.

- Revelation 22:21

Ripple Trainers and Josephine with her new stove.

Cindy coaches Josephine.

Distribution training

FINALLY! AT LAST!

Kathy Curtis and Margot McGorman returned to Malawi for 3 weeks in May after a Covid hiatus of almost 4 years. They were warmly welcomed by the widows and pleased to find housing projects completed and the sewing training center requiring only a few tweaks.

Many, many heartfelt thanks to ALL OF YOU who have supported the Women of Grace Widows Fund and ensured that the 2023 mission trip was an amazing success and blessing to Kathy and Margot, and to the women and girls of northern Malawi.

This year WOGWF board members Kathy Curtis and Margot McGorman were able to:

• Renew friendships with the 25 women who sew, after almost 4 years apart due to Covid.

• Participate in joyful Sunday worship with our Malawian friends, giving thanks for the myriad of blessings we all continue to receive.

• Watch the installation of an iron sheet roof on a widow’s home.

• Provide sewing training to 6 new women who are members of the widows’ families, making the project intergenerational.

• Upgrade the solar power system to support 4 electric machines at the sewing center.

• Purchase 2 more treadle machines, for a total of 6, so sewing can continue even in the depths of the rainy season.

• Distribute more than 225 menstrual hygiene kits to needy girls and women. Some of these kits were sewn by supporters in the US and Canada. Thank you!

Enjoy a beautiful 7 minute video of the trip highlights:

MEET A WIDOW...

Mary Mkhandawire

Mary was born in Rumphi, Malawi, a town about 40 miles north of Mzuzu in 1956. Her family was poor and her father went to work in Zambia. He died there when Mary was a young girl. With no money to pay the school fees, she ended her schooling at Standard 3. She married in 1972 at age 16, and she and her husband had 6 children. They moved to Mzenga when her husband found work as a stores clerk at the nearby Kawalazi Tea Plantation. Her husband also asked the Mzenga village chief for a plot of land for the family to farm. In 2010, he was suddenly rushed to the hospital where he died of pneumonia. Mary joined the Mzenga widows group and serves as treasurer.

Mary volunteered for the first sewing training in 2016. Mary sews flannel pads for the PantiPack menstrual kits and earns a reliable income. She also sews other items to sell in her community. Mary reports that her sewing income “helps me buy food for my family.” She was able to buy a goat with her sewing income, and eventually had 5 goats, but 3 died from disease. She hopes to raise and sell enough goats to repair the roof on her home.

Mary is grateful to be one of the Women of Grace widows. She says “It’s a very good thing; as a group, we support each other, know each other’s problems, and enourage each other.” “Thank you very much for what you are doing. May God bless you and multiply your blessings.”

Talita Banda

Talita Banda has lived in Mzenga village all her life. She was born on July 5, 1961 and attended Mzenga School through Standard 5. In 1976, at age 15, she married and she and her husband had 8 children together. Her husband was a laborer at Kawalazi Estates, a local macadamia nut farm. In 2001, he experienced stomach problems, became very sick and died. Talita, age 40, was pregnant with her youngest child at the time. This youngest child finished secondary school in 2022.

Talita joined the widows group in 2008. She initially learned how to bake cakes and how to make doormats from scrap fabric. In 2016, she volunteered for the sewing training offered by the Women of Grace. She now sews flannel pads for the PantiPack menstrual kits, earning a regular income. She supplements this by using her sewing skills to make dresses and do sewing repairs for her neighbors.

Talita expressed gratitude that the program has continued for so many years. She said “Learning to use a treadle machine was challenging, but we kept pushing ourselves to learn. The community in Mzenga is benefiting because now we are teaching others to sew.” Talita is pleased that the sewing workshops “provide a comfortable learning situation, with training at our level.” She had special thanks for Sam Chirwa, the Women of Grace field manager, because “he has never given up on us.”

WOGWF ASSISTS WITH HOUSING ISSUES

In a rural Malawi village, houses are typically made of local brick with grass roofs. A good house has a foundation of several layers of bricks to keep the home elevated above ground level in anticipation of the rainy season. An iron sheet roof is a valuable improvement to the home but not the only important feature to consider.

Brick foundation and iron sheet roof

Bare feet on the hot roof!

Widow Esnart’s house

Widow Esnart Phiri was very grateful to receive an iron sheet roof on her house this year. The $1200 cost is out of reach for a widow in Malawi. The builders worked in their bare feet, installing the rafters and roof in the hot sun. Spaces between the top of the brick walls and the roof will be filled with plaster once the iron sheets are secure.

Widow Esnart Phiri and Margot McGorman

During our trip to Malawi, Esnart became ill with malaria and a high fever. We were able to pay for hospital transportation using money from the Critical Needs fund. Once she received medical treatment, she recovered within a few days and was able to return to the sewing training.

The women at Mbowe decide as a group how to share among themselves the housing money we send. In the past few years, they have chosen to make improvements to their drainage, walls, and floors as most of them already have iron sheet roofs. Cement is used for these projects. The cement is mixed with sand and water to make the correct consistency for each application. The women participate by carrying the necessary sand and water in buckets up to their hillside homes from the river.

Drainage

In the torrential downpours of the rainy season, houses are at risk in rural villages. At Mbowe, the hilly terrain means most houses have uphill and downhill sides. Run off from the uphill side can begin to erode the foundation and brick mortar. Over time, this will weaken the wall on that side.

With ground level cement gutters, run off can be directed away from the foundation to protect the house. The culvert under the door walkway keeps water from running into the house. A gutter like this requires 4 bags of cement.

Sometimes an outside wall is plastered part way up to protect the mortar between the lower layers of bricks. Sometimes the entire wall is plastered all the way up. Plaster is a thinner consistency than concrete so a bag of cement goes further.

Walls and Floors

In the red clay soil of Malawi, where there is never a winter frost, insects thrive year round. In a typical rural home, insects, especially ants and termites, can easily burrow up through the dirt floor and clay brick walls and infest the house. A concrete floor and plastered walls can eliminate this unpleasant health hazard. This project requires 8 bags of cement for a typical widow’s house.

THE PANTIPLUS PROJECT CONTINUES TO BE A GREAT SUCCESS!

PantiPlus Sewing Training

This year, the widows learned to make the final component of the PantiPack. The PantiPurse holds all of the menstrual kit items and each purse has a menstrual tracker sewn inside. A safety pin, easily moveable each day, helps girls track their cycle and understand changes in fertility throughout the month.

The menstrual tracker is written in English and Chitumbuka (the local dialect) and also includes pictures.

The widows in the remote village of Mzenga work on treadle sewing machines.

They produce a monthly quota of pads and wet bags that dovetails with the number of purses and panties produced at Mbowe on electric machines. The widows are assembling the PantiPacks and have begun learning how to teach girls to use the kits at the school distributions.

Distributions are planned at local schools when sufficient PantiPacks are assembled.

Going Intergenerational

This year, 6 younger women from Mbowe began to learn to sew. With their sharp eyes and nimble fingers, these women show great promise. As members of the widows’ families, they are keen to help bring income into the family unit. Over the next year, they will be mentored by the experienced sewers at Mbowe, learning first to make the PantiPurse, then progressing to the more complicated Panties.

Chrissy learns to sew

Gladys demonstrates to Febbie

Brenda makes a pad

In May 2023, a WOGWF team will travel from the USA to Malawi to see how various projects have progressed. Kathy Curtis and Margot McGorman will visit the sewing project, and look at housing projects that have been completed during these last 3 years of Covid. Kathy and Margot will meet with the widows, and listen carefully to their joys, hopes, and concerns in order to discern any new future directions for the WOGWF. After 4 years apart, we will celebrate by eating s’mores around an open fire with the widows. We are very blessed to finally re-connect with our friends in Malawi after such a long hiatus.

ONGOING HOUSING PROJECTS

Housing improvements continue for our widows. The widows decide who among them is next in line for a critical housing improvement. Projects include iron sheet roofs, outside wall plastering, outside ground level gutters for drainage, cement floors instead of dirt, and windows and doors.

Gladys’ house still needs windows and doors

Without plastering and a ground level cement gutter, these walls are still vulnerable in the rainy season.

PANTIPLUS WASHABLE MENSTRUAL KITS

In August, Rev. Dr. Andrew Long, the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Watertown NY traveled to Malawi to meet with many of our church mission partners. He was able to transport a number of USA made PantiPacks which he gave to Mzuzu University Student Services on behalf of the Women of Grace. These washable menstrual kits will be distributed to ultra-low income female students to reduce this hidden barrier to education. Thank you Dr. Long! More than 40 additional “Made in the USA” PantiPacks will travel to Malawi on a cargo ship in November. These kits will be shared by Mzuzu University students and Mbowe Elementary School. Since 2017, Annie Ghambi, the Mbowe Head Teacher, has provided small group instruction in how to use the PantiPack as the young girls in her school come of age.

Board Member Angela Elmer has packed 40+ US made PantiPacks

Young girls learn to use the Pantipack Menstrual Tracker

Annie Ghambi, top right, Mbowe Head Teacher

CHALLENGES IN MALAWI

COVID

As of late August, vaccine access continues to be very limited, with only 8% of the population having received just 2 doses. Bad roads, limited health clinics and supply chain are but a few of the hurdles affecting access to vaccines. Vaccine "vans" provide mobile vaccination clinics in rural areas. Pediatric vaccines are still not available in Malawi, and so far, schools continue to require masks. In late 2021, after 2 years of Covid restrictions, the widows making the washable menstrual kits ran out of the specialty waterproof fabric we bring on mission trips. Fortunately, Sam was able to pick up the fabric needed from Pastor Joseph Wyson, who supervises a PantiPlus workshop in the capital city of Lilongwe. Thank God for our supportive partners in mission!!

INFLATION

In late May 2022, the Central Bank of Malawi devalued their currency (the Malawi Kwatcha) by 25% in response to global economic forces. This immediately raised prices for anything that is imported: medicines, food, building supplies and more. Very quickly, locally produced products were affected. For example, within days of the devaluation, Illovo Sugar Malawi, which produces about 60% of the sugar in the country, announced a 25% increase in their prices. It cited a sharp increase in the cost of production, for which it needs imported goods like fuel and fertilizers. As in the USA, inflation affects the day-to day life of the lowest wage earners the most. Fortunately our strong US dollar helps us maintain our purchasing power when we purchase goods and services for the widows.

HOW CAN YOU HELP THE WOMEN OF GRACE?

Watch for details of our Spring Take-out Dinner in 2023. All money raised will support the mission projects of the Women of Grace Widows Fund.

First Presbyterian Church has again designated their Christmas Eve Offering to the Women of Grace Widows Fund. WOGWF is truly blessed by the faithful support of First Presbyterian Church. A matching grant of up to $3500 will be provided for any WOGWF donations received from Dec 15, 2022 thru Jan 31, 2023 either through the mail, electronically, or on Xmas Eve. Thank you for helping us reach this matching goal!

Pastor Andrew Long meets the Widows

Excited Mzuzu University Students receive PantiPacks

A safe and secure house for Widow Coliness