I can’t believe it’s August!
This month’s newsletter was written by Lusungu
Mwambeye, who is serving as Clinic Administrator in
Malawi at the Lutheran Mobile Clinic. You will read in
her opening paragraph about how each day at clinic
begins with prayer to God. Each day the staff gathers
for prayer before the work begins and it is a powerful
reminder for us to keep our eyes fixed on Him too.
Amid our busy days and the things we put on our
priority lists, we need to remember who needs to be
at the top of that list; God.
I hope you you enjoy reading about the wonderful
work that continues to happen in Malawi. God is
truly watching over the work of CAMM. Thank you for
your continued prayers and the packages you are
sending to support the clinics in Malawi and Zambia.
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any shipping
questions you or the groups you are working with
may have.
God’s Blessing,
Stephanie Otto
cwc.camm@gmail.com
Contact Women Coordinator
CAMM.US
Facebook: facebook.com/CAMM.WELS
MONETARY Donations:
Check (Payable to Central Africa
Medical Mission) Mailed to
WELS Gift Processing
N16 W23377 Stone Ridge Drive
Waukesha WI 53188
Donate online: www.camm.us/donate-to-camm
“HE HEALS THE BROKENHEARTED AND BINDS UP THEIR WOUNDS . ”— PSALM 147:3
Every clinic day at Lutheran Mobile Clinic begins the same way — not with a vital sign or a vaccine, but with
prayer, except for critical cases. Before a single patient is seen, our staff and patients gather with the pastor or
church elder for devotions, asking God to work through their hands that day. Psalm 147 reminds us why: it is the
Lord who heals and binds up wounds, and we are honored to be part of how He chooses to do it in Malawi. We’re
grateful for the Lutheran Church of Central Africa leaders who join us at each site to open our work in the Word.
Greetings from Lilongwe! August finds us deep in Malawi’s dry season — mornings still carry a chill, but by midday
the sun is strong, the hills have faded from green to brown, and our ambulance kicks up its familiar trail of red
dust on the way to Msambo, Suzi, Thunga, and Mwalaulomwe. The skies are clear and blue, which means good
light for our clinic days and safe roads for our teams.
July marked the first month of our fiscal year, and we’re excited to share some of the facility improvements
planned for the year ahead. Our Area 10 house, which serves as our office and houses our pharmacy, is due for
some renovations, as we’ve noticed the paint beginning to wear and some ceiling boards sagging. Several of our
clinic sites also need fresh paint, as the walls there have worn out with time. We also plan to redesign the kitchen
shelters at Suzi and Thunga, which were previously open on the sides and, unfortunately, have been misused as
bathrooms, a hygiene concern we hope to resolve by closing them. Finally, mindful of the long, bumpy journeys
our staff make to clinic sites in our Land Cruiser, we plan to replace the benches they currently sit on during clinic
days with proper chairs to ease the strain on their backs after each trip.
Our under-fives clinics remain full most days — the sound of crying babies getting their life-saving immunizations
is one we’re always thankful to hear. Antenatal visits are the one service category that grew this past year, a
hopeful sign that more mothers are seeking care early in pregnancy. Our nutrition program, led by Jean
Kanyemba, continues to support vulnerable children and pregnant and lactating mothers with maize and soya
rations every two weeks.
On the cost side, we’ve seen some relief and some new pressure. Maize prices have eased back from last year’s
highs, which is welcome news for the families we serve and for our own nutrition program budget. At the same
time, fuel prices have risen sharply due to the conflicts in the Middle East, and that increase is being felt
everywhere — from running our ambulance between clinic sites to the transport costs baked into medication and
supply prices, which have climbed as a result. Your continued giving is what allows us to keep patient fees low for
the underprivileged and our pharmacy stocked with the more than 90 medications we rely on daily, even as the
cost of simply reaching our patients keeps rising.
Looking ahead, we’re keeping an eye on the coming growing season. Malawi’s Ministry of Natural Resources has
flagged a strong likelihood — around 80 percent — that a strong El Niño pattern will persist into 2027, bringing
below-normal rainfall and extended dry spells, with the Southern Region especially at risk. Agricultural experts
are urging farmers toward drought-resilient crops like cassava, sorghum, millet, and sweet potato, along with
early maturing maize varieties and better water storage and are calling on government and partners to invest in
irrigation and food-for-work support for the communities most likely to be affected. If this forecast holds, it could
mean real strain on household food security in the areas we serve — which makes your support for our nutrition
program more important than ever heading into next year.
Thank you for standing with us in this work. Please continue to keep our staff and patients across Chiwamba and
Nathenje in your prayers, that God would continue to bless this mission and the people of Malawi it serves.
In His service,
Lusungu Mwambeye
Clinic Administrator, Lutheran Mobile Clinic