COVID-19 in Malawi – Ansbach for Malawi’s first online presentation

On a regular basis, “Ansbach for Malawi” offers its members and interested people the chance to learn more about the East African country Malawi as well as about the ongoing projects in the country.

Since the current corona crisis makes a lecture as it was known up to now impossible, the association has decided to present it simply online. Fortunately, the director of the Mulanje Mission Hospital, which is supported by “Ansbach for Malawi”, could be recruited for a presentation via Zoom. The Dutchman Dr. Arie Glas has been living with his family in Mulanje, Malawi, for three years and is the director of Mulanje Mission Hospital, with which the association works closely. The aim of the presentation was to give people in Germany an insight into the current health situation, which is also changing dramatically in East Africa as a result of COVID-19..

Glas made it very clear that COVID-19 also poses a massive challenge to the health care system in Malawi, but in this context one must not forget that many countries in Africa have to deal with many other deadly diseases besides COVID-19, such as tuberculosis, HIV and malaria. Accordingly, the new pandemic must be brought under control even with the few resources available, such as a total of 100 intensive care beds and no ventilators in the country, but it must be remembered that the other diseases mentioned, such as malnutrition, remain the greatest challenges in the county.

Ansbach for Malawi is now collecting donations for the Mulanje Mission Hospital for the next 14 days (until 13 May 2020). These donations will be used for COVID-19 prevention but also to support the work of the hospital with regard to other fatal diseases. All donations collected by the association during this period will be doubled again by a Dutch organisation, so that every Euro will work twice.

Update 17.05.2020: A total of 3,160 Euros came together in the upcoming days after our online lecture with Dr. Glas. This amount will now be doubled by the Dutch organization Wilde Ganzen, so that a total of 6,320 Euros will be donated to the Mulanje Mission Hospital in Malawi to fight COVID-19 (including its consequences) and other diseases. Thank you very much for your support and interest!