Killarney area farmers, Dan and Hertha Penner, recently travelled to Malawi, Africa to participate in a Learning Tour with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFB).

The Penners visited four different projects in rural Malawi to learn about the collaboration efforts between the CFB and the organizations in that country to provide food security to the very poor.

"A highlight for me was just seeing the projects that the Foodgrains Bank is doing there, and there were a couple in particular that were farming projects, where they have helped them to change the ways that they farm so that they can increase their production by a substantial amount," shares Dan Penner. "So, they can not only feed themselves, but also have a little bit left over and get a little further ahead with other areas of their lives as well. That was very encouraging for me to see, and a highlight."

Hertha says there is no middle class in Malawi, only the rich and the very, very poor. 

"They struggle to put food on their tables each and every day, and the hard work they go to, to make it happen and to feed their families, especially the women," shares Hertha. "They work very, very hard to try to get ahead. And getting ahead there is different than our getting ahead. Getting ahead there means, get enough food and a little bit more with hopes of making life better for their children."

The Aids epidemic is a factor to the people in rural Malawi.  The Penners visited an orphanage where there were children with special needs, and children who have lost their parents to Aids. "The government just wants these agencies to find some family to take care of these children," shares Hertha. "They just kind of wash their hands of it. To see the length those mothers of special needs would go to, to walk for hours just to get a little bit of food aide."

"The food insecurity goes down the line," she explains. "Men eat first, then the children and then the women. So, the mothers are often doing a lot of the physical hard work but they're not getting fed properly either."

One village they visited had more of a focus on gender equality where the husbands farmed together with their wives, "and to make farm plans together and to work as a team. We saw there was change happening in that village and it was really cool to see. But it's very cultural there," she adds. 

Between tropical storms and drought conditions the rural villages and towns struggle to grow crops.  The one area the Penners visited, farmers would typically see the November rains, however the rains haven't come yet and so the crops don't get planted and thus no food and no income.

And farming tools are sparse and simple. Dan says they saw only hand-held hoes to work the land, and Hertha mentioned there wasn't even a wheelbarrow to be had.  The people carried everything on their shoulders, or their heads, and most often it was by the woman in the family.

"The one area we visited was hit by a tropical storm in March and it destroyed their crops, and it destroyed their homes, and people lost their lives, but with the help of the CFB they are getting some financial aid just so they can eat until they can get a crop again," shares Dan. "Life in Malawi is very difficult."

Please listen to more with Dan and Hertha Penner below!

Thus far, the Penners will be presenting their experience in January, with more presentations to follow:

January 21, Sunday morning during Church services at the Lakeview Community Church, Killarney

January 28, Sunday morning during the Church service at New Life Assembly Church, Killarney

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