Malawi Correspondences
MALAWI TRIP UPDATE
> by Nashville/Cookeville Oral Surgeon - Dr. Tania Nkungula-Howlett
Back in September 2008 in Blantyre, Malawi, I met a very special lady (pictured here). She was awaiting surgery to remove cancer from her lower jaw. Amazingly, we met again in December, and it was a joy to see her doing so well following her oral cancer surgery.
Dr. Charles Ottober, a Ugandan dentist, who works at Blantyre's Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, performed her oral surgery. While being cancer free made her happy and smile, the surgery also removed the middle segment of her lower jaw.
The next part of her treatment will be to reconstruct her jaw so she might one day be able to wear a denture and chew food. We are investigating the pros and cons of her jaw and dental reconstruction and how that type of treatment will be managed across the Atlantic.
Besides our dental health services, we gave away love in Malawi as well. Many of our friends gave us gifts of money as well as notebooks, pens, pencils and markers to help the children in the area.
The Limbe Rotary Club coordinated the distribution of our donations. My Uncle, Peter Nkosi, a past president of the Rotary Club, was our intermediary in reaching out to the Samaritans' Trust and assisting the Bangwe Children's Home.
The Bangwe home serves many children. Most are found living in the street because they are unwilling to live with their extended families. Many of them have lost parents due to premature death from HIV infection. The kids range in age from 4 years to 14 years. The children are encouraged to attend school while they live in the home. They have chores and homework, and little personal space, which can be very unsanitary.
With these funds and school supplies, we hope to assist them in getting a good education. It was truly overwhelming how meaningful our small contributions were to each child. We also left a monetary donation for the fabrication of lockers so that each one could have their one place for privacy.
Thanks for your past and continued support.
Sincerely, Dr. Tania Nkungula-Howlett
