Kondwani, our AIDS Prevention Worker, had told me about the village of Thendo. It was located on Malawi’s south western border with Mozambique. His one and only visit there had taken him two mini bus rides south from Blantyre, followed by four hours being doubled on a bicycle to reach this isolated village.

“Will my car get there?” I inquired. “At this time of year, yes” he answered, “but maybe not once the rains come.”

Our journey took 2½ hours, the last 20 kilometers along bumpy dirt roads, crisscrossed by many small dry stream beds.

Upon arrival we were greeted by singing, and joined the villagers for their Sunday church service. Afterwards, Kondwani met with the young people.

They had recently started meeting together to discuss life issues in the context of HIV and AIDS, and to see what the Bible had to say. God wants us to have the “best life” and to have it in abundance (John 10:10).

One girl, *Grace, told him about the difference that the group was making, as boys and girls looked together at what God had to say about relationships. They were surprised to learn from Hebrews chapter 13, about God’s call to abstinence from sex outside of marriage. That meant them!

Meanwhile I spoke with some of the church leaders and found them to be very supportive of our peer education program amongst the young people. They were encouraging their youth to talk about these issues. Not all the churches and their leaders have been so supportive in talking about sex and AIDS.

It had been a long time since someone from “church headquarters” had been to visit them, and the elders told us to come again soon. We pray that the young people at Thendo will choose to live their lives God’s way.

*Not her real name.

Get Involved

You too can participate in teaching these young Malawians about how to prevent HIV and AIDS—pray for this peer education ministry and designate your donation to the Malawi Prevention Program (project 96654).