Eagles Malawi Feb 2021 Update 

Dear Supporters,

Please click here to download our most recent edition of ‘Connecting Lives’. At a time when Covid-19 has dominated so much of life everywhere, we thought we would bring you stories of hope from among those who are so often forgotten and lost, even during more ‘normal times’.

However, some of you have asked for an update on the current situation. Malawi has been going through a particularly difficult and dangerous time since the South African variant of Covid-19 hit in late December 2020. With a dramatic increase in cases and deaths and an infection rate of R2.1, hospitals were unable to cope. On 12th January 2021, the President declared a state of national disaster and announced measures to increase protection, though a full lockdown is not possible.

Thankfully, the situation is beginning to improve. Treatment unit admissions are decreasing and schools are reopening. Plans are in place through COVAX (the global collaboration on vaccines) to begin vaccinating health workers and the most vulnerable people from this month, aiming to cover 20% of the population. However, the wealthier nations like ours are impeding the work by entering into contracts with manufacturers that undermine the deals that COVAX has made. The WHO chief has reiterated the importance of making sure there are enough vaccines to be shared with the world’s poorest nations, saying “This is not a matter of charity. It’s a matter of epidemiology. Unless we end the pandemic everywhere, we will not end it anywhere.” If you have the time and would like to write to your local MP as part of your support for Malawi, it would be greatly appreciated. You can use the template letter here to adapt and send. An easy way to contact your MP is to use the website WritetoThem and paste your letter into it or you can send it directly to the constituency office. 

As everyone we know in Malawi grieves for the loss of loved ones – and some of us here too – we celebrate the positive changes that are happening in people’s lives as Eagles continues to help churches and communities work together to keep the vulnerable safe and find ways to meet their basic needs in sustainable ways.

Thank you all so much for continuing to care about those who do not have access to the information, services and amenities that we all take for granted, even in these challenging times. Thank you for continuing to look outwards despite all the pressure to look inwards and focus on ourselves and those around us.

Please do get in touch if you would have other questions or any feedback on the newsletter.

With our thanks and prayers
Cathy, Beverly, Rick, Tony and Diane
Malawi Support Trustees