Moment of Silence

I had intended for my newest post to be rambling about monotony of daily life, excitement for my upcoming holiday and a comment or two about how since Zim has just recently revalued their currency (removing a whopping 10 zeros) overnight I have gone from dating a trillionaire to a mere mortal once again. I am sad to report however, that these items will have to wait, because the WUSC Malawi family has suffered a great loss.

MacDonald Mbicholo was first and foremost a husband, father of two young girls and caretaker of 4 orphans. As a valued member of the WUSC family, he was the Assistant Programme Officer responsible for the Students without Borders and Bike for AIDS programmes. He was the “go to” guy in the office, and the first person to greet many of us volunteers when we arrived at the airport in Lilongwe for the first time. He was friendly, helpful, and always busy running around assisting everyone. When I first arrived, in the stress of the first few weeks, it was MacDonald who helped us order beds from the carpenters at the side of the road, shop for furniture at auctions, and source out a fridge and stove.

MacDonald died suddenly and tragically on Thursday night, after a severe asthma attack. He was 32.

I got the news in an email sent to all long term volunteers and staff both here and in Canada. Everyone is still in shock.

The burial took place on Saturday afternoon. I attended along with Vi, Claire, Heidi, Beth and Elizabeth, and over 100 others. WUSC made most of the arrangements for the coffin and other funeral expenses. When we arrived at the cemetery, the burial was already taking place. The casket had been laid to rest and there were a number of men with shovels filling in the hole while the group of mourners sat on the grass under the large tree he was buried under, and sang. Once the burial was complete, certain people were invited to place wreaths on the grave. When his wife fell to the ground in grief while placing hers, there was not a dry eye to be found. Heidi joined our Country Director to place one from WUSC staff and volunteers.

After the ceremony, we all congregated at the family home to pay respects to his family and present some monetary offerings. Then we left. But the hole that remains is vast.

MacDonald Mbicholo
25/12/1976 – 31/7/2008