malawi africa

Malawi AfricaMalawi Africa

TriMedx Foundation TripsTriMedx Foundation Trips

2005 and 20072005 and 2007

Nestled in the South Central African Rift Valley, Malawi is known as the “Warm Heart of Africa”.

Bordered by Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia, 20% of Malawi is covered by Lake Malawi(Lake Nyasa)

The TriMedxThe TriMedx FoundationFoundation

• Global Impact• Non-Profit Entity / Established in 2004

• Partners with Medical Mission Groups• Provides technology support• Coordinates donations of equipment

•Goal: To improve 10,000 lives per year through…•Equipment Service Centers

•Medical Mission Trips•Local Charity Outreach Programs

www.ambassadorsforchildren.org

The TriMedx Foundation has partnered with Ambassadors for Children and the Malawi Project Group to impact the

lives of the people of Malawi.

AFC is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving children around the world through short-term humanitarian

service trips in order to make an impact on world peace through cultural exchanges.

86% of Malawians live in villages and farm as many generations before them.

With only one main highway, most Malawians spend their entire life in their birth village.

Famine and Aids have decreased the Famine and Aids have decreased the life expectancy from 57 years to 38 life expectancy from 57 years to 38

years as of 2007.years as of 2007.

Our Malawi ProjectsOur Malawi Projects

• Blessings and Bottoms HospitalBlessings and Bottoms Hospital

• Vita-meal Production PlantVita-meal Production Plant

• Mtendere Orphan VillageMtendere Orphan Village

The TriMedx Foundation partners with Dick and Suzie Stephens and Napoleon Dzombe of the Malawi Project

as well as Ambassadors for Children to support the Malawi Projects.

Dick and Suzie Stephens, Co-founders of the Malawi Project

Napoleon Dzombe

“Do not do for us” ………….. 

These words were spoken in one of the earliest planning meetings, and became one of the founding principles for the Malawi project. Spoken by a Malawian, Napoleon Dzombe, it was given in the text of asking for help in order to learn to fish---not to be given fish.

“Do not make us a nation of beggars,” he pleaded.

“Help us to get on our feet.

Do not do for us what we can do for ourselves”.

The HospitalsThe Hospitals

Blessings and BottomsBlessings and Bottoms

Blessings Hospital – a private hospital right off Hwy M1 near the town of Lumbadzi

Blessings HospitalBlessings Hospital

Half of the world--nearly three billion people, live on less than 2 dollars a day.

On the walls of the Hospital waiting room are these words……..

IT IS NOT ABOUT THE BUILDINGS, THE IT IS NOT ABOUT THE BUILDINGS, THE

EQUIPMENT, OR THE MEDICINEEQUIPMENT, OR THE MEDICINE…………

IT IS ABOUT THE PATIENT.

With life expectancy of 37 years and 54% of Malawi under the poverty level, it is important to have a place of healing to take care of the people of Malawi.

Blessings Baby Ward

Quilts are donated by the Quilts are donated by the Ladies of Greenwood Ladies of Greenwood Indiana Quilt GroupIndiana Quilt Group

Walls Painted by various Walls Painted by various VolunteersVolunteers

The Malawi birth rate is 7.6 births per woman.

Much is DonatedMuch is Donated

Someone has to get it working……Someone has to get it working……

This now works!

TriMedx technicians repair radiology and monitoring equipment…..

Al Morton, TriMedx, St Mary’s of Michigan

Donated Equipment RoomDonated Equipment Room

Older equipment sometimes works better than modern networked equipment due

to lack of electrical support systems.

Everyone helps to move an X-ray unit from storage to the Hospital

Equipment to evaluate includes Radiology, Lab,

Surgical, Monitoring, and

Ultrasound

TriMedx techs take Inventory and Evaluate equipment for future repair…

Donated Equipment

Bottoms Maternity Hospital in Lilongwe

Bottoms serves the poorest of the poor pregnant mothers who come here to deliver.

Each mother brings her own food, caregiver, and garbage bag for cleanup.

Help is given to provide checkups to newborns and their mothers and to maintain hospital rooms.

Market outside of the hospital

TriMedx donated fans for the delivery rooms to Bottoms Hospital.

Mtendere Children's VillageMtendere Children's Village

“Place of Peace”

The idea started as a dream for a small 30 bed-ward in Blessings Hospital for AIDS orphans, but soon it grew into the idea of having a group of village houses for both the sick and the well.

Construction on Mtendere Village (Mtendere means “a place of peace”) started in February 2004. The village encompasses a large area nestled in the Dowa Valley just below the hill where Blessings Hospital and the Madilitso Vita Meal Food Plant are located.

A new day dawns over the Mtendere children's village---home to orphans from various villages of Malawi

The Village as of June 2007The Village as of June 2007

For the first time most of the children have a real bed of their own. For the first time most of the children have a real bed of their own. They now receive heath care and the opportunity to go to school.They now receive heath care and the opportunity to go to school.

Brick buildings….sometimes the first such structures the children have lived in….

Welcome dances and songs greet all visitors ….

As well as provide As well as provide activities for all….activities for all….

Kelli Dottenwhy, TriMedx

Mary Larkin, TriMedx

Clothes and Shoe donations are used to provide warmth and dignity to the children of the village…..

Both girls and boys attend school

Children range from ages 2 to 18….

A Drip Irrigation Garden was started in 2004 to supply fresh

food year round for the village…

Drip irrigation garden as of

2007

Older children help take care of younger children….

House Mothers doing daily chores

Each “house” has a house mother who is responsible for up to 20 children

A single well supplies all water for laundry and hygiene needs….

Preparing Meals at the Children’s Village is not an easy task….

A New Kitchen is in future plans…A New Kitchen is in future plans…

Village Children attend school daily—where

spiritual, educational and social needs are

met.

Donations

Volunteers bring medical, educational, and recreational items for distribution.

On the walls of the volunteer guest house are these words….

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE PLAN, THE PROGRAM, OR THE PROJECT---IT IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE.

Volunteers stay at the Chewa House within the compound…..

The Vita-Meal MadilistoThe Vita-Meal Madilisto

Food Production PlantFood Production Plant

The Vita-Meal Madilisto Food Production PlantThe Vita-Meal Madilisto Food Production Plant

Goal: To ensure that all children of Malawi have adequate nutritional needs met on a daily basis.

Of the 2.2 billion children in the world, every other child lives in poverty.

640 million without adequate shelter (1 in 3)

400 million with no access to safe water (1 in 5)

270 million with no access to health services (1 in 7)

In 2001 a food plant was built and by November of 2004, the plant began producing Vita-Meals!

For the first time maize and soy grown by farmers in the immediate area was being used to produce food for the needy of Malawi. A vitamin and mineral component blending into the mix made this porridge meal the most nutritional meal of the day for most Malawians.

Volunteers help with Vita-Meal Distribution

Each bag will feed one child for one month

Images of Malawi…..Images of Malawi…..

Lilongwe Carvers Market

African Fishing Village

Fish from Lake Malawi is a source of protein for the fishing villages.

Transportation is whatever is available…

Selling fruit along the road…

Saying Goodbye…………Saying Goodbye…………

The TriMedx Trio

2007 Malawi AFC & TriMedx Volunteers

• SERVED OVER 2,762 CHILDREN WITH VARIOUS ACTIVITIES• DELIVERED $15,953 IN GOODS AND SERVICES DONATIONS• GAVE MONETARY DONATIONS OF $1355• PURCHASED 155 MOSQUITO NETS• PAINTED ROOMS AT BOTTOMS HOSPITAL• PURCHASED SOCCER UNIFORMS FOR GIRLS AND BOYS

TEAMS• DISTRIBUTED VITA-MEAL TO OVER 1000 CHILDREN• INVENTORIED ALL ITEMS AT BLESSINGS HOSPITAL• REPAIRED MOBILE X-RAY UNIT

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Please come back again…..