Igniting the Spark
The following article was submitted by Ms. Lee Ann Bartran as part of her assignment for Photographers without Borders.

Driving into the Thyolo District, the first thing I noticed is a landscape so
lush, it took my breath away. Rolling green tea fields for miles, sparsely
scattered with magnolia trees, and orange colored dirt roads weaving
through this beautiful countryside. It’s stunning. I stop…. take some
iconic photos of Malawian tea workers, and beam inside thinking what a
cool shot. It’s every tourists dream.
But I am not a tourist, I am on assignment, seeking the stories that define
this community . So we keep going, following the orange colored roads
for miles and miles, deeper into the fields……and things changed. The
landscape became more barren as green began to fade to brown, small
brick houses began to crop up, barefoot children playing in the dirt, and
then we stopped. Stepping out of the car, I took in a breath of the dusty,
hot dry air, and a heaviness settled over me.

Panning the landscape around me, I see a way of life like nothing I have
water, no electricity, no plumbing, no heat. Tiny brick homes that provide
marginal shelter for families of 8, parched crops struggling to push through
the dirt and no transportation or access to health care….. anywhere.
Eight-five percent of the 120,000 people CDF serves in these communities
live like this. It felt surreal. Yet when my eyes began to connect with the
women, men and children…….they smiled. With song and dance, they
welcomed us so warmly, I cried. We sat down and listened to the people
of this village share about their life, their stories of hardship, of daily life
living with HIV, of overcoming and persevering and the spark of hope they
all hold close, hoping things will change for them. “This is our community,
our friends, our families”, said Boniface Mbewe, Program Manager for
Chipembere Development Foundation (CDF). “We work here because it’s
home and we want to give them hope, that change, even in small steps, is
coming”.
For over 100 years, in this region of Malawi, land has been one of the
biggest socio-economic challenges. This country was once ruled by the
British, only achieved its full independence in 1964 , but they are still
facing the fallout of external oppression. The fertile tea fields and
Macadamia estates in Thyolo are all owned by foreigners, whose profits
are in the millions. What ground is left is barren, marginal soil, which
means the few vegetables they are able to plant are sparse, greatly
impacting their nutrition and any possible source of income. Working on
the tea plantations is the only opportunity for employment in the region,
yet the wage is so low and unpredictable, that the hope of creating a
better life is always out of their grasp. The remoteness keeps them
trapped and secluded away from any city or other work opportunity. A
modern day slavery playing out in 2019. It’s heartbreaking.
Thyolo district has the third highest rate of HIV, out of the 28 districts in
Malawi which creates another huge obstacle for these communities. For
years, women in their most desperate moments, have turned to
commercial sex work with potential bosses, in hopes of obtaining
employment or to earn money. Risking their own health and the
possibility of contracting HIV, but needing to provide for their families, it is
a difficult choice they face. Poor access to health care and few HIV
educational programs only compounded the problem.
Since 2010, Chipembere Development Foundation has work diligently to break that
cycle. Their goal to provide community wide HIV testing and treatment,
support groups, transmission education, and nutritional programs, for
everyone is still on the horizon. Desperately needing a local health post to
truly begin addressing this problem is their number one goal . For the few
who have been fortunate to access testing and medication already, it has
been life changing. As Krissa in the Nkalozwa village shared, “When I was
initiated on drugs for my HIV, there was improvement. With my community
support I now feel hope and can return to the fields to cultivate”,
Along with stabilizing the health of its community members, CDF also has
created other new community programs like:
~ Child Marriage Prevention Program
~ Construction & development of Early Childhood Development Centers
~ Increased enrollment in Secondary Schools
~ Solar farming water projects
~ Revolving Livestock Programs -increasing household income by 35%
~ Women’s social entrepreneurship and agribusiness opportunities
They have taken that spark of hope, that everyone holds onto so closely,
and ignited it. Slowly, their communities are transforming. Visiting 2-3
sites a day, I was able to see first hand the progress . Women living with
HIV are now able to return to the fields to provide for their families. Teen
girls are staying in school longer and waiting until they are 18 to marry.
Young children are going to school for the first time, educating a whole
new generation. Running water, at their fingertips, is now available in
some villages for their homes and farming. Women are learning
entrepreneurial skills and a new way to make a living, which is one of the
main missions of CDF. As Dalitso Chiwayula, executive Director for CDF
said, “We believe that empowering women is to empower the entire
society”, and it’s working.
As for me, I was the fortunate one that got to take this journey. To sit in
these communities and hear their hardships, feel their pain and share in
their hope. There is no greater privilege and one I don’t take lightly. My
hope is by sharing their stories and my images, connecting their work with
the outside world, that this fire of change can keeping burning.
Author: Lee Ann Bartran