No-one enjoys going to the dentist; many of us pick up a magazine to read whilst waiting. Mavutu Mandela did just that in Zomba, Malawi. He read a letter about Equipes Notre Dame and decided that the Movement was just what Malawi needed. A single email to the couple who had written the letter (who lived in England) started the process of remote piloting what was to become the Zomba 1, the first team in Malawi. Sadly, Mavutu died of meningitis just 18 months after the team started, but the seeds had been sown.
Just 10 years later, more than 200 people from 35 teams attended the 10th anniversary celebrations. Christina, Mavutu’s widow, was given a special presentation to mark her unique place in the Movement’s history. Teams has now spread to 5 of the 7 dioceses in Malawi and is poised for a further period of major expansion.
The Bishops are really supportive. They can see the difference the Movement is making. Teams are more self-reliant; husbands and wives operate together in partnership as a couple and the women are a lot more confident and assertive. When houses were damaged in the floods earlier this year, teams members worked together repairing the most damaged houses first.
Peter & Anna Chandler who wrote the original letter 10 years ago have maintained liaison with the original team, writing individual letters to each couple, up until this year when Peter sadly died aged 93. So, the moral of this story is that you are never too old to make a difference!
