The Famine of 2016

For generations, Malawian have known to plant when the rainy season begin in November or December. So, when the showers came in November, farmers did what they have always done, prepare their fields and purchase and plant  seed.  Each year, farmers invest all their resources in one crop, maize -their hard, physical labor and all their meager finances - to purchase seed, and if possible, a bit of fertilizer.  

There were rain showers in early November, so, by the end of the month, most fields were prepared and the seeds were planted. The hopeful seeds sprouted, and the fields were a beautiful sea of green. 

But soon after the first tease of rains began, they stopped. Then nothing, barely a drop of rain fell in November, December, or January, and only a couple of teasing short-lived showers came in February. The stunted and spindly stalks eventually produced tassels. The hybrid seed made a feeble attempt to do what they were programmed to do, produce something edible. Some of the stalks produced tiny ears, only a few inches long and with only few small grains. Harvest is usually in April, but this year, many stalks have absolutely nothing to show for their effort.

This is the second consecutive, devastating  year for rural Malawian farmers - already the poorest of the poor.  Last year, monsoon rains and flooding  destroyed both homes and crops. 

Since last year's poor harvest they have been rationing their meager stores of maize, hoping for a better yield this year, one that would not only feed their families, but enough surplus to make a profit. At this point, farmers have no reserve and have lost not only their crops, but their hope.  

We had heard that many families in the villages are suffering from hunger. We drove out to the villages yesterday, and all along the way were drying fields of stunted and browning, fruitless stalks.  Without an intervention of God, this will be a year of serious famine, starvation, and death for many people. 

I sat with the women in the village trying to bring hope and to restore faith. 

They brought out a bench, and many women gathered on the ground around me. They were physically there, but they weren't there. Their eyes were pools of despair,  hollow, dejected,  and distant.  With all my heart, I wanted to see their situation from God's perspective, so I prayed for understanding and asked a lot of questions.

I asked about government subsidy programs that sells food aid to the poor at deeply discounted prices. I learned that many of those food stores are empty. They gestured with their hands. "Only a small basin of maize is 1,500  Kwacha, and we don't have money." 

When they told me they have been going to the river to forage for food, pulling grasses along the banks to feed their families, my heart quietly broke.  With all my heart, I was asking God for wisdom to know how to help them. I prayed, "Jesus, give me your words, your wisdom, so somehow I can encourage them to trust you." 

After I heard their despairing stories,  I said, "When there are no answers, God will give you answers. Turn to Him and ask for His ways and His wisdom, because He loves you, and He can make a way for you.  He will give you ideas and plans if you ask Him." I said, "In the Bible, James 1:5 says that if anyone is lacking wisdom, they should ask God, and God will give it generously." 

I told them that because the weather in Malawi is unpredictable -alternating between floods and famine- it is very important in the future to diversify crops.  When all you have is invested in one unpredictable crop, you have a greater risk of losing your entire investment. 

But, as I talked, I became more and more aware that the cloud around them was so thick that my words were going past their ear and falling on the ground. I turned to my interpreter and said, "Are they hearing me?" She said, "No, I don't think they can." 

We have taught Farming God's Way for the past  three years in that and other villages with varying degrees of success. In the first year after it is introduced, most farmers,  reluctant to abandon their traditional  farming methods,  start by trying  it on a small portion of their field. 

One of those farmers was Bernard. Last year, he did FGW on a little piece of his land, and even in flooded conditions, the portion of his field in which he did FGW produced two large ears per stalk, twice what the remainder of his field produced. Then, this season, he prepared his entire field using FGW.  He was eager to show us his field. The stalks were taller and stronger than any of the fields bordering his, and each produced two healthy, full ears. 

As I was talking with the women, Bernard's wife, Eunice joined us. Unlike many of the other women, she did not seem at all discouraged.   I asked about how her farming was going. When I asked if the stalks are producing one or two ears, she said two. She said the field would have done better if there were not a drought, but even so, each stalk produced two ears.  

When I asked why her husband's field is different from those around it,  she said it is because he is Farming God's Way.  Then she said, "Next season, I will also plant a field, and I will have enough vegetables for my family and enough to sell." I think Eunice was the one to deliver the message of hope and encouragement the women needed to hear: Bernard was blessed because he was honoring God, so  God make a way.  

We traveled on to the next village where we learned that because there is so much need, our preschools ran out of food before the end of the month. Then, because the children were too hungry to attend school, they stayed at home.

An elderly gentleman, Gray, too old to farm, nearly blind and barely able to toddle along, approached George as he was standing talking with some men. He didn't ask directly. He simply said, "I haven't eaten in three days."  George slipped him some money in a handshake and asked him not to tell anyone. If we could hear the stories of hundreds of individuals in the villages, it would be the same: gnawing hunger and a hope-numbing dread for their future.

In this village, we met with the preschool teachers to discuss our plans for a vegetable garden to improve nutrition in our feeding program.  We now feed each child a bowl of porridge each school day, but a well-tended vegetable garden would also supply fresh greens, tomatoes, and other vegetables.  We also plan to add powdered whole milk to their porridge.  The teachers were very excited to hear these plans and were eager to begin.  

A little later, we met up with a woman, Alice, who has attended my Bible studies almost from the beginning. When we first met her, a lot of circumstances were stacked against her.  She was already dirt poor when her husband left her to raise five children alone and to care for her very elderly mother.

When the floods last year completely destroyed her little mud brick house, our ministry built her a cozy little house that she is very proud of.

We have prayed with her and encouraged her, and over the time we have known her, she has seen God's provision for her.  Yesterday, I asked how her maize is producing. She said, "My maize is not doing so well, but look at my groundnuts. They are doing well, and I will have a good crop." 

Then she pointed off in another direction and said, "I have a fields of mustard greens just over there. My hen is now laying eggs, and she has a brood of chicks too. Next year, I plan to have another garden of sweet potatoes just over there, with vegetables enough for me and my family, and some to sell."  I said, "Many of your neighbors' farms are not doing well.  How did you know how to plan for all this?"  She said, "I prayed and asked God for wisdom, and He helped me to plan this.  

Before we left the villages, I told the women George and I would discuss all the needs they had mentioned to me, and we will ask God how we should help.  We understand that long term solutions are the best, but we also know the enormous need of all these starving people is pressing and immediate. 

George and I love these people, and our hearts are full of compassion for them, but how do we respond?  We want to show  Christian compassion, but we don't want their eyes on us, but on God as their provider. I am asking for ways to help them diversify and generate income so they will have the basic human dignity of providing for their own families. 

Today, we purchased and prepared a variety of vegetable seed packets for distribution. This is a start, but for the five villages where we work, we will need hundreds of these. 

If God puts it in your heart to help us feed the hungry, go to www.surefoundationministry.com and make a contribution on the donate page.  We are a 501(c)(3) US registered non profit, so your contributions are tax deductible. 

Or make your check payable to ...

Sure Foundation Ministry

PO Box 30332

Winston Salem, NC 27130

May God bless you as you respond.