For us, we might be looking forward to the signs of the coming Spring, but in Malawi, it is approaching harvest time. At the time of writing (January), it is the rainy season, and so far it is going well. But the whole dependence on the land is so different from those of us used to our supermarket mentality. The photo shows one of the Evangelical Bible College of Malawi (EBCoM) students, James Dinyero, with his wife at the end of a busy day harvesting maize and pumpkins. They are fortunate, but for many the last year was hard: bad rains meant that many people suffered the effects of famine.

Apart from noting the different attitude to the seasons and the dependence on the rains, Ruth Guinness has noted other cultural differences: one of them is the different approach to ‘Open days’ – over here we use Open days to raise money for the institution, in Malawi it seems that people expect money from the institution so that they can feed and entertain their visitors! From December 2003 until she came back to the UK, Ruth has been Academic Dean at EBCoM. She says: ‘It has certainly been a challenging and stretching job, but I can see that God has used me to fill a particular need at a particular time – especially all that needed to be done during the accreditation process for EBCoM.’

So, what does an academic dean do? Well, it includes invigilating student exams; chairing committee and staff meetings; assisting the Principal in evaluation meetings with staff members; administration/computer work; being a tutor to groups of students, teaching courses (in the local language!); and, of course, there is that accreditation to deal with. After two years of work, the Accrediting Council for Theological Education in Africa has accredited EBCoM’s Certificate and Diploma – which was a relief to Ruth and the others who had worked so hard.

Since she has been back in the UK, Ruth has pursued an MA course in Contemporary Issues in Mission, but she says ‘EBCoM remains very much on my heart. Since I left, a new Principal has been appointed. There is a shortage of full-time staff – made up for by having many Malawian part-time staff. And, of course, there are still the effects of last year’s famine. Please pray that there will be a good harvest across the country in March.’

[For further information on Ruth’s work in Malawi, go to www.sim.co.uk ]

Andrew comes from a Tamajaq family. The Tamajaq are a nomadic tribe living in the Tchin-Tabaraden region of Niger. Being shepherds, the Tamajaq people are dependent on their animals for their livelihood. Many animals, particularly cattle, have died this last year due to lack of pasture. On a recent trip home, Andrew saw more animal carcasses than he has seen since the last big drought in 1984. But still the question; what to do? Food distribution can and does help, but only in the short term. A long term solution is needed: the answer? Goats!

‘Distributing goats to nomads is of great value, as they can use them for milk, and also sell them to buy food.’ says Rachel. ‘Goats reproduce fairly quickly and are hardy animals. A small amount of food distribution will prevent families from selling their livestock immediately to buy food, giving them a chance to breed their animals.’

The aim of the project that Andrew and Rachel set up was to identify families in need and get the necessary aid to them. An immediate appeal raised over £2,500. This money was converted to 145 goats, 32 sacks of rice, 32 sacks of wheat flour and 320 litres of oil.

Connection with many of the identified families was made at the weekly Sunday market at Tahoua, the nearest large town to Tchin-Tabaraden. These families were then provided with goats and food on the spot. However, some families had to be found in the bush, so Andrew and his team made a 170km (over 100 miles) return trip over rough terrain looking for these families.

And the result? Let Andrew put it in his own words: ‘A total of 55 families (that’s 178 children and 111 adults) are now in a far better position to face the coming year. They will be able to breed the animals they have and sell the kid goats to buy food. The goats that breed will provide milk for 2 months after giving birth and, as the Tamajaq saying goes, “Aman i man, ax i suder” (water is life, milk is food).’

Andrew and Rachel hope to repeat this project as soon as they can, as more families still need help. They also want to set up a ‘grain bank’ in Tchin-Tabaraden so that immediate food aid can be given whenever there is a crisis (and before animals, much less people, start dying) – for more information see www.sim.co.uk