In June/July we spent a month in the Netherlands. Teleza had her annual check-up in the hospital in Leiden and we also enjoyed a wonderful holiday in the Netherlands. Fortunately, the results of Teleza's investigations were good. Little has changed in her medical situation since the surgery. Everything functions as planned during the operation, nothing has improved, but nothing has deteriorated.
So good news and she won't have to come back for a check up for a year. Less good news was that unfortunately we still didn't manage to find a solution for her teeth. Because Teleza has been vomiting many times a day for almost a year, her teeth are very affected. She has a lot of cavities and some teeth break off. I am still discussing with the doctors how and when she can be helped.
Mid-August Diana and Maria started school again. They are having a great time at school and are really looking forward to going back. Teleza also likes school very much and now goes to a kind of preschool every day in the village where we live. All three kids back in their daily rhythm, it does them very well.
Everything is going well in the Africana house. Twins were recently adopted by a family in America and we have had several new children in the house.
Prices in the local hospital where we live have increased enormously. As a result, far fewer people come to the hospital because they can no longer afford it. We see the effect of this because new children are added to our program every week. Fortunately, many children can stay with relatives in the village and we can then help them with bottle feeding, but it remains a worrying development that more and more people no longer come to the hospital.
Not only in the hospital but all prices are, like in the rest of the world, risen enormously. Most prices have doubled while inflation is only around 25% is. In Malawi there is no social safety net from the government and the enormous price increases therefore cause a lot of hunger and malnutrition. The hunger season starts in Malawi around December and the forecasts are not good. A few examples; corn is with 87% increased compared to the same month last year, sugar is with 53% increased compared to the same month last year and oil for cooking is with 90% increased compared to the same month last year. Most people in Malawi don't have a job and depend on what they harvest, but also the price of fertilizer is with 148% increased and therefore become unaffordable.
Fortunately, we also have good news! We recently have solar panels on the roof and what a blessing that is. In Malawi there is no power for many hours every day. There is normally not enough power available and as a result each region only gets electricity for a few hours a day. It's all year round 6 dark in the evening and that means only lighting in the evening with the help of candles. Pretty difficult and very dangerous with so many small children in the house. In addition, you can therefore not wash regularly, to cook, use the kettle and fridge and so on. Now we don't have any problems with that anymore and that's very nice!
One of the new kids in our house is Mike Sitima (see picture).
Mike was pas 10 days old when his mother died. The mother had given birth in a local clinic and everything went well. The next day she was allowed to go home and there were no complications. On the ninth day after giving birth, she suddenly became seriously ill and went back to the local clinic. Once there, she was immediately sent to the hospital in Nkhoma. Sadly she passed away within hours of arriving in Nkhoma. Mike was her third child. We have taken him in with lots of love in the Afriana house.
Greetings also from Diana and Maria.
Lots of love, Nicole.
