Malawi Aid Progress

Things are beginning to be completed. The pictures above were taken mid-March 2001. For more photos please click here. Photo on left shows the main entry into the Birthing Center and Clinic. On right Gladstone Chonde inspects newly installed bathrooms.

The container from Minnesota left Monday, February 26, 2001 due to arrive in Malawi about April 20th. To see the container phase of this project click here. Story and Photos

These photos show construction progress as of February 1, 2001. The Clinic is really coming along. We are sending a 20 ton 40 foot container with equipment for the inside of this birthing center and clinic.

Thanks to all who have been so supportive and helpful. We will be needing to get a number of last minute items for the container. At this time we would really appreciate any financial support to complete this phase of our working in Malawi.

Tax-deductible contributions can be sent to

        LifeNets - Malakia Clinic and Birthing Center
        3707 Turfway Ct
        Indianapolis, IN 46228

On January 17, Mark Chonde writes: "Currently they are working on plastering. They just finished the outside, and are now working on the inside. They already finished the piping (plumbing and electrical pipes)."

CONTAINER: GREAT NEWS! On January 18, the military notified me that all formalities regarding shipping our container are concluded and that they will bring the container to our collection site on February 23. We will be loading the container on Sunday, February 25th.

        LifeNets - Malakia Clinic and Birthing Center
        P.O. Box 88165
        Indianapolis, IN 46208-0165

The walls are going up! These October 12, 2000 photos show the latest progress in the construction of the clinic. Contributions towards the clinic totaled $2055.60 in the period from September 1 to October 26, 2000.

Here is the progress in the foundation as of September 12, 2000. Your aid is helping make this clinic and birthing center a reality. Thanks for your support.

What a period this has been! Andre van Belkum and I traveled to Malawi July 4-7 to see first-hand the desperate health condition of the people of Malawi. We were able to visit with the Chonde's and see their present clinic and the location for their new Malakia Clinic and Birthing Center. You can see and read our story at www.lifenets.org/africa2000.

In this period contributions totaled $2527. On earlier reports we listed amounts pledged. I decided to drop the pledge report and stick with the actual amounts that have come in. As of September 1, our total for the Malawi clinic has come to $10,612 with $9388 still needed to complete the project.

Work on the clinic started shortly after our trip by the burning and removal of refuse from the plot of land purchased. Then a bulldozer leveled the ground. Now the foundations are being dug. 40,000 bricks have been delivered to the site.

We are busy digging the foundation of the clinic. You do not know how excited we are to see the work of building the clinic going on. If all goes well, we will finish it in about 4-5 months time. As I am writing, the workers are busy digging the foundation of the clinic. I took a picture of the bricks we will use. At the moment we have nearly 40,000 bricks for the foundation.

At the same time as the clinic is going up, we are collecting blankets around the country and rounding up hospital equipment. Six reconditioned mountain bikes were purchased. Tom Kerestes in Wisconsin is arranging for some of the furniture for the clinic.

A container to Malawi will be shipped about the first of December. We want to thank various people around the people who are helping in this humanitarian effort.

Thank you, again for all your support for this project. The date on the above photos is August 14, 2000.

        LifeNets - Malakia Clinic and Birthing Center
        3707 Turfway Ct.
        Indianapolis, IN 46228

Belinda McCloud of the Ambassador Bible Center has enthusiastically taken on participation in this project and is helping us look for blankets that will be shipped via container from Minneapolis to Malawi as we did two years ago. We are still looking for storage space in Minneapolis for collecting items for the clinic.

Our fundraising has netted us $290 since June 3rd. We still $5915 to reach our goal.

On June 8th I visited with Dr. Chuck Dietzen and his assistant Julia of the Timmy Foundation in Indianapolis who have pledged $1000 towards the clinic. Also, they have offered a tremendous amount of equipment for the clinic such as beds and medical apparatus that we will ship via container.

I have been on the phone with Gladstone Chonde. He has received the first installment of $8000 from us to build the clinic. We will have the groundbreaking when I visit Malawi July 4-7. We also received the blueprints for the clinic June 15th.

Dyanne Dick has agreed to help with another blanket collection drive for Malawi as she had in 1997. The blankets will be sent by container from Minneapolis to Lilongwe, Malawi to the new Malakia Clinic. Thank you, Dyanne!! You can contact her at dedelo_99@yahoo.com.

This past week we received $185 in donations towards the Malakia Clinic Construction Fund. To view the history of fundraising click here.

Also, we were hoping to acquire furniture for the clinic and we want to give Tom Kerestes of Wisconsin SPECIAL THANKS for what he was able to do. Here is what he write June 2:

So, we're well on our way. Thanks to everyone who is supporting and helping out with this project!!