Linley's story

Linley

Linley's house - no electricity or running water

I took little printed guidelines along on the trip to give the health workers ideas for reporting their stories.  They took the assignment very seriously and immediately began writing stories for me.

This is Linley's story as dictated to her husband -- the grammar and spelling are as written.  Her husband, Patrick, speaks fluent English and was our translator during the training.

I am Linley Mzira, a Sinkhani volunteer here at Chintheche, Malawi.  Chintheche is a small township in Nhkata Bay Malawi which is bordered by Lake Malawi to the East and a range of hills to the West.  It becomes exceedingly hot in the months of September, October and early November of each year.
People of this town benefit from the fish that is caught from the lake and also from the yams and firewood that come from the hills.  Every morning a number of bicycle riders come down from the hills carrying bundles of firewood on their carriers and also some bags of yams which they sale or exchange with the fish at the lake.
One Sunday in June, 2011, as I was preparing breakfast for my family ready to go for worship service, I heard a cry just outside my house which is just close to the road that goes to the lake.  When I came out of my kitchen I found out that a man had made an accident.  The man's name is Mr. Tijing Phiri.  This man aged 32 years was on his bicycle with a bundle of firewood on its carrier.  On the top of the bundle of wood he put a very sharp axe and when he wanted to come off the bicycle his right leg hit directly at the sharp edge of an axe and he was wounded badly.  Blood came out of the cut without seazing (he was bleeding badly).
I went in my house and informed my husband who is a pastor, and I took my "first aid" kit and with the assistance of my husband we tied the upper part of the wound to stop blood from coming out then I cleaned the blood from the affected part and applied "triple antibiotic" the medicine for wounds which Sherri brought for Sinkhani community health workers and then bandaged the wounded part.
The day this accident happened was Sunday, as a result this man was not taken to the hospital at the spot, but I advised him to go and see the doctor the next day.  But when he went there the follosing day, he did not receive any help.  There were no medicines at the hospital to treat wounds, as a result I found out the following day this man coming to me again for further treatment.
I did my treatment for six days and the wound disappeared completely.  This man got healed.  He started testifying about Sinkhani in his vallage and now many people with wounds from that area come down for aid from me. This man has opened a way for me as a Sinkhani (CHW) to be visiting his home area and meeting with women whom I expect to teach lessons about child care and sanitation since many people in the remote do not find chances of receiving health lessons.  This program will start soon.