Challenges and Opportunities in Phalombe

Wiskie Chidobvu and Geoffrey Magombo revisited the Phalombe region to reach out to a local residents in a village that is isolated from Christian teachers. This region is plagued with persistent drought conditions. Wiskie and Geoffrey are looking to the Lord to use them as instruments to bring peace on earth and goodwill to men as His followers (Luke 2:14) .

While Wiskie communicated a plan to help parents to teach their children the foundations of Christianity and as he described plans to assist them in building their economic community, Geoffrey documented his observations of the interactions with the locals , and he described the conditions they endure. 

Despite the challenges of their recent past, Phalombe residents look to the future with hope.  Wiskie brought a small solar powered water pump to demonstrate how it works and how it can be used to alleviate chronic drought conditions in Phalombe.

Geoffrey noted, “Phalombe soils are well fertilized by the natural surroundings, and it’s people are well organized, hardworking, and are seasoned cultivators. The problem with the area is  the early rainfall that they depend upon rarely occurs. The lack of rainfall results into drought conditions and low produce from their cultivated fields. The lack of agricultural produce leads to hunger.  Therefore, it was the privilege of the Phalombe residents to see and appreciate that the Lord brought to them a viable way out of the shortage of rainfall they have experienced many years. 

Wiskie demonstrated how the solar pump system can be used to irrigate crops.  Many residents expressed relief that the problem can be solved  in such a simple and logical manner. Hence, they have accepted the vision and have committed themselves to do whatever it takes to make water available for farming so that they can improve their standard of living.

From the picture below you can see the area where farm crops are grown, but due to shortage of water, the crops didn’t do well. The groundwater in this area is only 10-15 meters (45 feet) below the ground; however, it is a seemingly impossible task to reach this groundwater.  On the same note, we see the challenges of this community as an opportunity to show Christian goodwill to help them to build a spiritual and an economic legacy for their families.

In another picture below, Geoffrey is shown in a deep hole where the local residents tried to dig a water well with hand tools out of desperation to irrigate crops. But they didn’t make it , so they just gave up the effort; however; the glimpse of the vision we offered helped many believe life will be changed for the better with the Lord’s help.