Recently I wrote to Azikiwe, asking him to do many tasks for Itatu. As usual, he agreed to undertake all that was asked of him after clarifying a few small points. He is paid nothing for his efforts. Feeling guilty, I asked him how he feels about his role as manager in Malawi. His response was incredibly sweet and I wish I could quote him directly. He told me that he has come to take the girls as his own. If they suffer, he wants to ease their burden. He has come to enjoy chatting with them and he feels that they are now his responsibility.
In a later conversation he informed me that he had spent Saturday morning at Ntcheu Secondary School. He told me that he had attended a meeting for parents. Confused, I asked him why he had attended, as he has no children attending that school. His surprised response was that of course he does. He has Annie. I almost cried at this simple, genuine response. Annie is being sponsored by a family here in Canada but Azikiwe feels responsible for her well-being.
He proceeded to tell me that he has always been a kind-hearted person and that because he struggled to remain in school he understands how important it is to help others. Apparently during his secondary school years Azikiwe’s father was in exile in Zambia. The family struggled financially without the financial support of a father. Azikiwe, like many Malawians attended a boarding school some distance from his home. Often he did not have transport money for his trip home at the end of the term. His classmates, respecting his perseverance and dedication would take up collections to pay for his transport. They would gather about 35 cents between them for the 40 cent bus ride. Azikiwe would walk several kilometres to the spot where he could board the bus for a lower fare. The ride home was long and not direct. He would board one bus which would take him part of the way but would then have to walk approximately 13 kilomtres through the night down the side of a mountain to meet the next bus in the morning. His classmates would often share with him their soap as he did not have enough money for the luxury of his own soap. Shoes were another luxury he could not afford. He would search through the garbage for discarded flip-flops, often finding mismatched pairs to wear.
I feel constantly grateful that our girls have a man in their life who truly does have their best interests at heart. He obviously cares about them and enjoys their company. Having overcome so many hardships in his own life I have tremendous respect and admiration for this kind man. I don’t know if he will ever know how grateful I am for his assistance.
