News – What has been Accomplished!

2018 Program Updates

JANUARY 2018: According to Peter Minjale, we have achieved an 85% saturation rate of donated goats in the area we work. Given the reproductive rate of goats, this means that there will be an approximately 95% saturation rate within 6 months. As a consequence, we are phasing out the BTM goat pass on program at this time. In the next 12 months without further expenditure, we will meet our overall goal of a goat for every poor family in the part of the Kasungu East District we cover. Thanks to all for their donations and support!

2017 Programs Update

Dear Friends of Bridges to Malawi,
It’s getting close to Thanksgiving so it’s a good time for us at Bridges to Malawi to take time to thank you for your past support. I wanted to take this moment to bring you up to date with all we have accomplished from our beginnings to date, while, of course, also asking for your further help. We have accomplished a tremendous amount in a short time and could never have done so much without you.

a) 6 Medical Mission Trips since 2012
b) Over $ 25,000 in Medications, Medical Equipment (including an ultrasound machine), and Medical Supplies donated to St. Andrews Hospital, K2 TASO, and Kasungu District Hospital
c) Over 40 High School Students have travelled with us to Malawi as part of a BTM trip
d) 510 Goats Donated in our pass-on program, providing milk, manure, and a new revenue source to over 3,500 People (and counting!)
e) 23,000 People Protected from malaria via Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS). Malaria rates decreased by 85% in 18 villages
f) 18 Cows and 9 Ploughs Donated to help over 1100 People in 6 villages providing milk, manure, improved cultivation, and transport of goods to market.
g) 8 Irrigation Systems to help over 56 People grow crops even in the midst of famine induced by drought.
h) 180 Businesses Started as a result of 1st time $10 Loans (all paid back) from our Micro-Credit Bank. There have been an additional 160 2nd time $15 Loans (85% paid back so far). Our bank has helped over 1100 People improve their economic well-being.
i) Through Land Lease we have helped keep over 525 of the Poorest stay on their farms despite a terrible drought induced famine while helping them actually improve their nutritional status and economic well being.
j) Over $16,000 Donated to Direct Famine Relief, saving countless lives during the most recent famine
k) In 2017 we constructed “Cindy’s House,” future insurance against the next famine by providing a facility for surplus grain storage. It also will provide space for the Mooncatcher Program (see below) and for Palliative Care Therapy sessions.
l) Over 120 Solar Powered Flashlights Donated to poor farm families, decreasing the need for fuel to light a house at night and thus also allowing children to study after dark.
m) 10 Laptops and a Solar Powered 8 Tablet System Donated to 2 secondary schools respectively
n) A Bubble CPAP Machine (Pumani) to help keep premature newborns alive until their lungs have developed properly to ensure survival without help was donated to St. Andrews Hospital through our efforts. Over 100 neonates saved
o) The Mooncatcher Program, providing free Reusable Menstrual Pads to school-age girls, was brought to Mtunthama through our financial and logistical support. Over 300 made and donated so far.

Mooncatchers Program

About

We have partnered with The Mooncatcher Project. A mooncatcher is a handmade reusable/washable menstrual pad. Girls all over the Developing World miss a lot of school because of menstruation. The school boards tend to be entirely men who choose either white or pale pastel colored skirts for the girls to wear as a school uniform. Many of the girls cannot afford underwear or bleed through what they have. Menstrual pads and tampons are expensive and hard to come by. Most girls will not go to school when they are having their periods, and, as a result, fall farther and farther behind in school and ultimately drop out. The Mooncatcher Project seeks to solve this problem by providing, free of charge, reusable menstrual pads to these girls. The Project is already in Uganda and Kenya and we brought them to Mtunthama, Malawi in April 2017. BTM purchased/donated 3 sewing machines and paid for the founder of the Project and her Ugandan colleague to come to Malawi. They trained local Mtunthama women how to make mooncatchers. These women will be paid a small amount of money to produce a monthly allotment of mooncatchers, following which hey have the use of the sewing machines for their own purposes (especially if they wish to start a small business of their own!) So far, over 300 mooncatchers have been made and given away since we started the program in April.

Update

Nov 2017

Dear Brian,
I hope this mail finds you in good health.We are fine too although its too warm here.  May you find the replies to Ellie’s questions on moon catcher progress.This is about the first amount of the set of pads you left behind in April this year.
-So far 300 kits have been distributed at All saints secondary school and  Chikanda community secondary school where  solar i-pads were distributed by Janet and Naomie.
-Jacqueline spent her time  together with the tailors in teaching the girls using the aids which you gave us for teaching.They also received calendars too so that they are able to know what is hapenning like during their ovulation and menstruation days.
-We still have the same step down as it was rechecked in the same shop and that its functional and they said that there could have been more current getting in to the step down than required so we still keep it.
-The new building is not electrified so we are still waiting for electricity
for the old office which we were using the time you were here. The tailors are
progressing well and they are really working hard.So far we have two tailors which you left behind and with the new one summing up to three tailors.
-From the money you left behind we spent abouK316 500.00 according to the exchange rate we used from the first set of pads.The tailors received K300 000.00 as per your advice.
-This program for moon catcher is benefiting alot to the school going girls because  previously there was a high drop out rate for girls in these  schools especially Chikanda Community Secondary School.
-As of our tailors,there is a difference in various developments in their houses since they are becoming empowered.
Lastly on behalf of my fellow workers at K2 TASO ,we are much greatful with this new project at our organisation  and also with much support and encouragement from BTM.Let me assure you that we will keep on working hard so that we reach these needy girls in Kasungu.
Lastly ,we wish you all the best as you are assisting us on this project.
Greetings and stay blessed,
Jacque.

Spring 2017 Trip Report

This year we traveled to Malawi from April 8-April 23, 2017.  Our group totaled 16 at maximum and consisted of doctors Brian Lisse; Don Hangen; and Sanjay Ram (an infectious disease specialist new to BTM this year); Trina Carroll, RN; Jen Hardy (IT teacher at Worcester Technical High School and point person in charge of laptop/tablet donation to Malawi secondary schools); Naomi Lisse (chemical engineer and Jen Hardy’s educating sidekick);  Ellie von Wellsheim  and Phoebe Nabwami (our Mooncatcher Project experts); and high school students Hallie Hangen , Helen Crosby, Melissa Buck, Kaitlyn Libby, Samantha Cirillo, Samantha McLaughlin, Megan Haberle, and Kelsea Blair.

What a fantastic trip!  With the exception of our waterwheel project, still in its infancy, I can gladly report that all of our projects have been extremely successful.  And we’re only just getting started!

The first and most wonderful thing about the trip was what a marvelous group of excited, energetic, and enthusiastic high school students we had this year. All women!  All team players!  All indefatigable! Bridges to Malawi began as a combination medical mission trip/high school and medical student experience and each year I’m struck by how powerfully rewarding it is to see some of our future leaders, the ones who are going to help solve the world’s problems, cutting their teeth on global health and international development while working with us in the Mtunthama area  and know that we are a small part of the change they will someday bring to a suffering humanity.  You can’t top this as one of the world’s best experiences; it should be on everyone’s bucket list.

The next wonderful (sorry about all the superlatives, but what can I say?) trip aspect I experienced this year was that Malawi wasn’t brown and withered, it was verdant!  I started going to Malawi in 2012 seeing everything through the eyes of the doctor I am, but now, after 2 years of devastating drought and consequent famine, on this trip I felt more like a farmer, marveling in delight at how tall and healthy the maize (corn) was this year.  Know what that means?  Healthier people and that means less disease! 

Oh yes, there were still lots of people in the hospital both at St. Andrews and Kasungu District, but we saw only a few children with kwashiorkor or marasmus  (protein and carbohydrate malnutrition respectively) this year, unlike the last two.  As usual, we saw far too many children with malaria, some of whom tragically died from it, but what was different was  that none of these cases came from the 9 villages (25,000 people) currently being protected by the Rotary IRS (Indoor Residual Spraying) grant (with the exception of a few households that had refused IRS).  We, as usual, participated in rural outreach clinics in two different villages, both non-IRS, and found malaria rates of 52% and 61% respectively.  Unfortunately, these are typical numbers in this area without IRS.

As part of our time in the hospital, our students got to help as we, working with our Malawian colleagues, treated patients with pneumonia, asthma, dysentery, and seizures among other illnesses.  Some of our EMT high school students also got to watch Trina deliver a few babies and a few even saw a C-section.  Hard to beat an experience like that; still one of my favorite parts of medical practice!  All of the students had a chance to spend time at Kasungu District Hospital as Don worked with outpatient orthopedic and trauma cases.  Our students also had a chance to work in the lab, pharmacy, dental, nutritional, and HIV clinics as well.  As always, many of our group donated blood and had the opportunity to meet the patient (usually a child with malaria) whose life they had helped save as a consequence. 

Overall, it’s easy to say that the hospital and rural clinic experiences are life-changing for so many of our students.  Frequently, those who were considering a career as a healthcare professional will really catch fire in Malawi and know that they’ve definitely picked the right calling.  Occasionally, some students will be converted from “can’t see it” to “oh, yeah I want to be a nurse (or doctor)!”  Less often are those who are more interested in the development, cultural, or journalistic aspects of our trips.  They usually come home certain that medicine/nursing is not for them, but find they want to alter their life goals to include changing the world for the better.  As I said earlier, in so many ways, the high school students are the best part of the trip for me!

Since the last trip report, Bridges to Malawi has significantly expanded its development operations.  This was a direct response to the ongoing famine and the belief that good medical practice starts with prevention.  Wipe out poverty and malnutrition and you have a good start eliminating some diseases and significantly mitigating the effects of many others.  This is particularly true in a place like Malawi where 80% of the population survives on subsistence farming, barely making it when it rains and starving when it doesn’t. 

So we started a goat pass-on program, and a microcredit bank, and our Land Lease program, and cows and ploughs program, and irrigation projects.  Peter Minjale, who makes all things BTM happen when we’re not in the country (and most when we are)took us to meet beneficiaries of these various programs, and wow!! was it wonderful to see how we (YOU!!)  could make such a huge difference in the lives of the hard working impoverished farmers of the Kasungu East District.  We drove through villages teeming with goats and were told that this was a result of our pass-on program.  We met one women who had started with 1 goat in 2014 (given her by K2 TASO our Malawian partner, not us) and now had 8, which made it possible for her to help feed an extended family of 30 people (or more…I lost count), including her 101 year old mother . 

We met 5 women, typical of the 230 recipients of an initial microloan of $10 who had gone from subsistence farming to thriving business as a consequence.  One had started a restaurant, another a tea shop and bakery, the other 3 each had opened a small grocery business. All had paid off their initial loans ($10!) and some had enhanced their business with a second ($15) loan, also paid off in the case of the women we met.  In fact, Peter told us that 100% of the first loans given out had been paid back while 88% of the second loans had as well, with an expectation that the remainder would be paid back soon.   These women each had powerful stories of poverty and need before they got these loans and then told us about now: children’s school fees afforded, medical bills for sick children payable, solar panels bought, a pig purchased, better nutrition for all, and best of all, hope for the future!  $10. $25.  Imagine how easy it is to spend that in the US on so little; in Malawi it was life changing.  Remember too that the average Malawian family consists of 7 people.  230 x 7 is a lot of people whose lives we’ve changed!  We were overwhelmed and right there and then agreed to double the bank’s capitalization.

Peter took us to meet “Brian” and “Cindy” the cows, part of our “Cows and Ploughs” project.  They are both pregnant but had been used to plow a field before this was known.  I had expected to have a bull named after me, but I realized how much more useful a pregnant cow is, so I’ve decided it’s an honor.  Peter took us to the plowed field, and introduced us to the very grateful farmers who had not had to break their backs cultivating with hoes, like all of their neighbors. These farmers were also delighted to meet “the Brian” for whom their cow was named.  They were disappointed that Cindy (my wife and fellow BTM board member) couldn’t travel to Malawi (bad back), but were equally excited to see a picture of her which I had in my wallet and left behind with them.  As a result of this BTM gift to them, they hope to plant 3 successive crops this year, not just the usual single planting.  In addition, he pointed out that this field had been irrigated with one of our treadle pumps last year and produced a good crop despite the drought.  Thus far we have donated 8 cows and 4 plows to groups of 180 farmers each, and also donated 8 treadle pumps for irrigation purposes, again to large groups of farmers who then share them. 

Finally, with regard to development, Peter took me to a Land Lease Project.  13 of the poorest farmers in the village of Chiwela (about 2 hours from Mtunthama over a string of potholes that passes for a road) had pooled the money we donated to cultivate a ¾ acre field donated by a local chief.  These guys did cultivate with hoes.  They dammed up a spring to provide year round water, even during drought, and had raised 8,000 tomato plants from seed.  They had also grown onions, mustard greens, and  “chinese cabbage” from seed.  They had even constructed 6 inch high thatched structures to protect the seedlings after initial transplant.  The day we visited, we brought them watering cans made entirely by hand in Kasungu town from the remnants of automobile bodies (cost $2.50 each).  They sang songs of welcome,  joy, and gratitude just to me, Peter, and Patrick (K2 TASO’s microloan and Land Lease expert) since we represented the entire group.  Peter explained to me that the average tomato plant yields a minimum of 20 tomatoes and that 4 tomatoes go for about 150 kwacha (20 US cents) in the market.  Assuming that all 8,000 plants survive (I was told this was very likely) and that the sudden large number of available tomatoes doesn’t depress the market, this means that these 13 farmers are likely to make, at a minimum, from this one crop alone, about  $615 apiece.  The average per capita income in Malawi in 2013 according to WHO was $750.  One crop, $615!  This will make a huge difference in the lives of these people.

We did go to the Bua River where Peter was thinking of siting our first waterwheel.  It was clear that it wouldn’t work in the place he chose because the wheel would have had to pump water uphill, something it can’t do. Peter seemed to think that two other rivers nearby would be better candidates but we didn’t have time to check them out while there. He promised to take this up with William Kamkwamba when he arrives in Malawi next month.

Speaking of William, we also went to his house and met his dad, Trywell, and his cousin, Geoffrey, who had partially built our first waterwheel in Malawi.  He didn’t have a chance to finish it while we were there, but it looks like it will work, given the right site.  At William’s house, we inaugurated the “William Kamkwamba Museum of Science (or whatever he wants to call it) by donating posters (in English and Chewa) explaining the workings of the internal combustion engine, electricity generating windmill, and typical Malawi water pump along with a plastic model of the “visible engine”, and a cut-in-half real auto engine as exhibits.  We also carried William’s original windmill (no longer in operation) and placed it as an exhibit inside the museum along with everything else. It was a great start; who knows where it will end up, but the idea is to provide a learning opportunity for Malawi children that they wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Then there was Ellie and Phoebe and the Mooncatcher Project.  In the developing world, girls and young women often miss school once a month because they have no access to underwear and menstrual pads or tampons.  The mooncatcher project is designed to help a group of interested women start a small business by providing them with sewing machines and training in their use.  The women are then provided with materials necessary for producing the “mooncatcher,” a reusable washable menstrual pad.  They are expected to make a certain amount every month with the material provided.  All of the mooncatchers are then donated for free to needy girls.  In return for their free labor, the women can then use the sewing machines for their own purposes; thus they provide an amazing free service and they get to start a small business on the side.  So far, the mooncatchers are produced during “moonbees” in the US and also by groups of women in Kenya and Uganda.  Ellie and Phoebe agreed to come to Malawi to initiate a mooncatcher program with the help of BTM and K2 TASO.  They were amazing!  With only about a week to accomplish anything, they spent every day teaching, training, working.  It was such a pleasure to walk into the big K2 TASO headquarters conference room and find it filled with a busy group of women having a wonderful time as they learned their trade.  By the time we left, they were successfully making mooncatchers without difficulty!  Ellie and Phoebe both plan to return sometime in the next year to help grow the project.

Meanwhile, Jen Hardy and Naomi Lisse were busy every day with our laptop/tablet donation project.  BTM donated laptops to the All Saints School secondary school in Mtunthama (which has electricity most of the time) and the secondary school in the village of Chikanda, which has no electricity(where we donated a solar powered tablet system).  Both computers and tablet system were so filled with educational software as well as microsoft office, that they enabled the user to “access the internet” without actually being able to do so.  Jen and Nao spent every day teaching faculty and students at one school or the other.  Nao told me that in Chikanda the students had never seen a computer before, and they loved them!  At this school they had over 60 students show up to learn.  At All Saints, students and faculty came in to learn on Easter Monday, even though they were on break.  Jen and Nao left already planning next year’s trip.  They exchanged contact info with the faculties of both schools so that they could continue support throughout the year.  In addition, they befriended a local Mtunthama internet café IT expert to help continue the project in their absence.  They both plan to return next year to keep the project going and help it expand.

I can’t produce a trip report without mentioning that everyone spent a lot of time at the AMAO orphanage in the Anglican compound which also contains St. Andrews Hospital and our living quarters.  The over 70 orphans love it when we come to town.  They are all so cuddily and they quickly adopt their own special members of our group.  Most of our high school kids and Trina carried a small child on their back, Malawi style and, thank goodness, nobody dropped anyone! Don brought a lightweight projector and we had movie night.  He also organized an Easter egg hunt.  Both events were certainly a novelty for these kids and everyone had a blast.

As a reward, the group went to the Salima craft market after tearful goodbyes on the last day in Mtunthama.  From there we swam in Lake Malawi and spent the night on the lake.  The next day we returned to Lilongwe and the airport and flew home.

Sorry this report was so long, but we did so much it was impossible to make it any shorter.  If you want to see pictures to go with this narrative, please check out our facebook page (I haven’t figured out how to get the pictures on this website yet).  Thanks again for your interest and support!  Brian

 

February 2017: The rains have finally started and are persisting!  Peter Minjale says that there is hope for early crop harvest, thanks to our irrigation projects!

William Kamkwamba

William Kamkwamba has come and gone.  Both he and his talks and his wife, Olivia, proved to be amazing!  He drew some very big crowds (overfilled a room at the Bolton Library with 70+ people!) and raised over $4633 in addition to raising a tremendous amount of interest and awareness in our work and the crisis in Malawi in general!

Meet Kamkwamba

William Kamkwamba is here!!  He will give his first talk in Hudson at the Library today.  He is scheduled for multiple talks through Jan 21st (see schedule).  Please come and meet him and get your copy of his book, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” autographed (or purchase a gently used copy and have him sign it for you).  If you are unable to attend, see our donate page for another option  So wonderful to meet him face to face and have him join us in our crusade to help the people of Malawi.

William Kamkwamba Lecture Schedule

February 20, 2017:

William’s lecture schedule was very successful!  He raised over $4600!  He also kindly agreed to join our Bridges to Malawi board.  Thanks to everyone who helped make his tour possible and successful! 

January 1, 2017:  We are pleased to announce that William Kamkwamba will be giving a series  of talks in the Boston and Metro West area from January 14th through Jan 21st.  William wrote the book “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” and grew up in Wimbe a village we serve.  We highly recommend you try to attend one of these talks.  PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY TALK HAS BEEN MOVED FROM JAN 16 TO JAN 21 FROM 3PM-4:30PM.  William will autograph your copy of his book for free.  In addition, used copies of his book will be on sale for $40 apiece; William will sign them for you at the time of purchase.

Schedule

Jan 14    Hudson Library  2 pm  3 Washington St, Hudson, MA 01749

(978) 568-9644

Jan 15  First United Methodist Church, Hudson    10:45 am  34 Felton St, Hudson, MA 01749;
(978) 562-2932

Jan 17  Nashoba Regional High School  7 PM       50 Mechanic St, Bolton, MA 01740&; (978) 779-0539 

Jan 18  United Parish of Auburndale   7 PM    64 Hancock St, Newton, MA 02466; 617-964-8516.

Jan 19  Bolton Public Library   7 PM     738 Main St, Bolton, MA 01740  978-779-2839

Jan 20  Hudson High School 7 PM    69 Brigham St, Hudson, MA 01749  978-567-6250

Jan 21  Cambridge Public Library  3PM-4:30 pm    449 Broadway 02138  (617)-349-4040

 

Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS)

The first large scale Rotary involved indoor residual spraying  (IRS) is complete!  3,346 dwellings were sprayed (9 entire villages) with a resultant protection of 25,000 people per Peter Minjale.  Peter has also been able to purchase 280 goats with the money we sent him (he got some goats at a discount rate and thus got 10 more than we thought we could afford). All of the 11 initial groups who were funded via our micro-loan bank paid back their loans to date.  We are already identifying new groups for more loans. All 26 of the initial farmers identified for our “Land Lease” program received their first month’s payment.  Unfortunately the rains are failing again this year (should have started between early November and mid-December), so we have held off giving the farmers seed/saplings to plant.  Our medical mission group has purchased our plane tickets.  In 2017 we will be in Malawi from April 9-April 22.  We are always interested in bringing healthcare providers if any of you out there are interested.  You will have to pay your own way.  Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Acres and an Ox

The Skype part of our telemedicine project has worked well, but unfortunately thus far we have not been able to transmit view able ultrasound images.  Meanwhile K2 TASO working with support from us via a Rotary International grant has re-started the long delayed IRS (Indoor Residual Spraying) operation in the Mtunthama area.  To date over 2200 dwellings have been sprayed, protecting approximately 15, 500 people from malaria.  Peter Minjale has identified at least 36 farmers for our Land Lease program.  We have authorized him to add another 14 if he can find suitable candidates.  We have also begun a new initiative to help farmers cultivate more efficiently with consequent improvement in crop yields and areas under cultivation.  This new program called “…Acres and an Ox…” will provide an ox and a plow to 6 villages initially (we will expand the program through “pass-on” of first born as well as when funds become available) to help the poor farmers in the Mtunthama area who currently plant their crops using a hoe and their backs.

Testing the Telemedicine

We tested the telemedicine system today and found that it worked very well.  Peter Minjale, CMO in his office at St. Andrews Hospital presented two cases to Brian Lisse, MD in his home in Hudson, MA.  Brian could clearly see the patient Peter had sitting next to him.  Tomorrow we will try to Skype an echocardiogram with a Daniela Capriles, MD, a cardiologist in Ayer. Peter will perform it while Daniela talks him through it and interprets the results as she watches the ultrasound screen via Skype.  Wish us luck!