Safety First

While preparing to leave, one of the things I heard most often as I said farewell to people was, “be safe”. To this I would always respond, “thank you, I will”. I thought now would be a good chance to show everyone what steps I have taken here in Malawi in order to fulfill this promise.

Malawi is not necessarily an unsafe place to live, however, being too casual about safety is not wise. Because we are white, people here automatically think we have money. Which, generally speaking, compared to a large portion of Malawi, we do have a lot of money. But because of this assumption we are often targets for theft. To reduce this risk we take the following steps:

We have metal gates that have been built across both of the doors of our house. We close these gates at night and when we leave and lock them with pad locks. There are also metal bars across all of the windows of our home for safety. At night we have hired guards that walk around our house to ensure its safety. We avoid walking and driving around at night, just because the threat of something happening greatly increases once the sun goes down.

The final and newest addition to our security system for our home is the addition of Remus, our new German Sheppard “Guard Puppy”. Remus is 7 weeks old right now so we will train him to guard us and our house from a young age! Guard dogs are very common here, and we are thrilled to have this little ferocious fur ball’s companionship. 

The threat of being robbed isn’t the only thing we have to be mindful of here. We also have to take steps in order to prevent diseases. Before I left I consulted with my primary care physician and she and I decided on the right malaria medication for me to take for the year. Luckily the pill is only once a week and I am able to get refills of it here.  Also to help prevent malaria, Lauren and I each sleep under a mosquito net every night. As we get into the hot summer months of the Malawian climate this can be frustrating at times, but I know that it is an important step in preventing this disease.  We are also excited because we have just hired a carpenter to come install screen doors and windows throughout the house so we can be mosquito free, but still get a nice breeze during the day.

Other ways besides medication that I am avoiding the threat of getting sick here is being smart about what I am eating and drinking. Because Malawi is so hot, I am forced to drink a large amount of water daily. Before the water is consumed, it must first be boiled to eliminate any of the foreign bacteria my system may not be used to. Having enough water that has been boiled can sometimes be tricky if we have been without power for an extended period of time. We are also mindful of illnesses that can travel through the food we eat, so we are diligent about washing all the vegetables we get from the markets before we eat them, and making sure meat we consume is cooked properly.

I appreciate your continued prayers of safety and good health during my year here, and ask that you also pray for the people who are so desperate they are forced to resort to stealing, for the people infected and suffering from malaria, and for the people without access to a clean water source. Those are the people that need your thoughts and prayers. Lauren, Remus and I feel safe and at home here, but I promise, I will continue to be careful.