In Malawi, Catholic Relief Services reflects the Church in action

Friday, Nov. 06, 2015

Each day that I was in Malawi during my recent trip with Catholic Relief Services, my colleagues and I would experience a moment when we just had to say, “We’re in Africa!”  

Those moments came when we saw elephants in the wild or women carrying heavy loads on their heads as they walked for hours, when we traveled the country on its two-lane highway passing small village after small village, when we sat on the banks of the Shire River, or put down the mosquito nets at night. We learned so much on this trip, it is still hard to process it all.

A few lessons, however, stand out clearly. Malawi is about the size of Pennsylvania, and extremely poor. The country is beautiful, but its people lack adequate food, water, health care and education – the basic needs to live a life of dignity. And yet, the people of Malawi have great dignity. Their needs are many, the logistics of meeting those needs are challenging at best, but the people are strong, loving, resourceful, and have an understanding of faith and hope that is deeper than I have ever experienced.

We saw the resilience and faith at Mass, in the fields, and in the villages. Catholic  Relief Services programs empower individuals, families and communities to take charge of their futures, and the Malawians rise to these opportunities. We heard from poor farmers who have prevented widespread hunger in their villages by implementing new and in-genious farming methods to combat the effects of severe flooding that wiped out most of their crops and livestock. We watched women take control of their village’s futures by developing microfinance programs. We encountered children who had never seen Americans before but readily sought ways to make connections – and we learned that soccer is a universal language.

Throughout our trip, we saw just how vitally important it is for Catholics to put our faith into action. Catholic Relief Services – the international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic Bishops – is us, and it is us living our Gospel call. While non-governmental organizations and American churches abound in Africa,  CRS works in places no one else will travel. Only CRS was in the villages accessible by long, rocky, rutted, flood-decimated roads, and CRS operated programs in those villages regardless of the villagers’ faith.  

During our trip, we met with people who live in predominantly Christian villages and also those who live in predominantly Muslim villages.  All welcomed us with equally open arms and all were being served equally well by CRS.

We were privileged to see the amazing landscape of Malawi, and to meet with villagers working with CRS to address the deadly alterations in the region due to climate change. We were humbled to witness the dedication of the Sacramentine sisters who scramble for funds to house dying children and educate orphaned girls. We were saddened to find Malawi parents who want nothing more than to send their children to school, but can’t afford the 1,500-5,000 Malawian kwacha ($2-$9) in quarterly fees. Then again, we were heartened by the multiple early childhood education programs funded by CRS.

If I could, I would take every Utah Catholic to Malawi to experience our Church as a church that “is poor and for the poor,” in the words of Pope Francis. But our resources are better spent supporting the work of our Church through Catholic Relief Services. I urge Catholics to engage in our Church’s work in Africa and around the globe by donating to CRS, advocating with Congress for more foreign humanitarian assistance, encouraging USAID to lengthen its grant periods for programs in impoverished countries, and participating in Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiatives at www.confrontglobalpoverty.org.