Spirit Of Wilson: Malawi, the resilient

LILONGWE, MALAWI--The wi-fi isn't working, which means that even though Maggie got the SIM card into my G6 Android with help from a handy pair of scissors, I'm still not able to call the refugee camp to schedule an appointment. I can't reach Ulisa Bay Lodge either, where I want to spend a five-day getaway meeting the natives, distributing One World Futbols, hats and clothing, and see the cathedral that was erected with the encouragement of Dr. David Livingstone. That's right, Livingstone, the missionary Sir Henry Morton Stanley went looking for in the late 1800s. ("Dr. Livingstone, I presume?") Stanley not only had the distinction of finding Livingstone. He also appears to be the only man to serve in the Confederate Army, the Union Army, and the Union Navy.

Anyway the wi-fi will probably come back on sometime today, and at least I have internet connection (although it quit for a while last night.) Yesterday the tap water also slowed down due to some problem with the pipe from the humongous water tank in the yard, which will be fixed sometime today. Wi-fi and Internet can be spotty, sometimes due to power outages. But it isn't obvious to me that power is the reason, because Maggie has a generator that automatically kicks in when the electrical grid hiccoughs.

Malawi demands resourcefulness

Malawi's flag

You have to be resourceful in Malawi. The natives certainly are. They live on the lowest per capita income in the world -- about $250 per person per year, according to the World Bank. Somehow they scrape by. At first glance, the extreme poverty isn't so obvious in the city; but most Malawians don't live in cities.

Maggie's version of resourcefulness includes realizing that the SIM card I paid K2000 for (2,000 Kwachas) didn't fit the holder in my G6 Android so she carefully and confidently whittled it down with a scissors until it did.

Incidentally, this process got me to finally find out what SIM means. It's "subscriber identification module." if you want to know more, click on the boldface. It's a link to a Wikipedia explanation.

Enormous lake on its border

Malawi is a landlocked nation of 17 million in southeast Africa. It is bordered on the east by Lake Malawi, which comprises one-fifth of the country's territory. It is the world's ninth largest lake and has an abundance of fish. It also has little critters that can get into your body and make you really uncomfortable, so this will be a non-snorkeling trip for me.

(I should acknowledge that much of this information that doesn't come from direct observation is pulled from the Internet, so it has to be true, right?)

Lake Malawi is just large enough to justify a tiny navy. Its army is composed of two rifle and one parachute regiments reportedly trained by the United States at one time. Its air wing of a few helicopters and various other aircraft was formed in 1976 with help of the German government.

Kwacha, kwacha, kwaca!

K2000 = $2.71 U.S.

The unit of exchange is the Kwacha (dawn) subdivided into 100 Ngwee (bright). On June 25, 2018, 2,000 "dawns" were worth $2.71. So now you know what I paid for a SIM card and a bunch of minutes. When I realized it was $2.71 I went back to count how many of the original 40 banks notes I had gotten from the ATM, and only one was missing, so yes, I indeed paid $2.71 for that SIM card--and a big bunch of minutes.

By the way, I kind of like the sound of the word, Kwacha. It's kind of what I might say while tickling a baby. For instance: "Kwacha, kwacha, KWACHA! . . Kwacha, kwacha!

17 languages

There are 17 "living" languages in Malawi. English is spoken widely and the main native language is Chichewa. Two-thirds of the adult population are literate (73% men, 59% women).

National government structured like ours

The country's constitution provides for three branches of government similar to ours, except that they haven't created and populated the Senate yet. Voter turnout has declined from a record 93 percent in 1999 to 54 percent in 2004, with only 14 percent voting in local elections.

Death rate

Amazingly, Malawi's death rate fell gradually from 26 per 1,000 people in 1966 to 7.5 per 1,000 people in 2015. U.S.rate: 8.44 deaths per 1,000.

Refugees

The Dzaleka refugee camp. Click image to go to "There is Hope Malawi" Web site.

Just a short drive from the heart of Lilongwe, Malawi's capital, there is a refugee camp with 27,000 individuals from eight African nations. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees is the service organization for the camp, known as Dzaleka. Total refugee population in Malawi is estimated at 57,000. Dzaleka is the refugee camp that I hope to visit this week, before I and Maggie head out on safari for a week starting Friday. We will be driving, camping, and occasionally finding indoor accommodations where we can shower.

The fortunate Chinese baby

If I can squeeze a visit to Dzaleka in, I also want to connect with a young Chinese woman I met on the plane from Addis Ababa to Lilongwe. Her name is Nicole.

Nicole has the distinction of being the "lucky baby" in her family. Under the "one child" policy in China, she was supposed to be aborted. Instead, somehow she made it past that gauntlet and qualified as "undocumented." I think this disclosure occurred when I asked her what was taking he to Malawi. The answer -- she feels an obligation to give back, so she is volunteering at the Dzaleka refugee camp, with an organization called There is Hope Malawi. I myself have hope -- that I find her and that she shares her story -- it's the kind of story you don't hear every day.