il' i *1 Whitbycople-backïin Afra Relief effort is tuli-time -By John Dujay The culinary deligbts in Malawi are great - if yeu enjy boled mice and reasted flying ants; Relief werker Glen Halliwell refuses te eat mice but on occasion bas dined on flying ants. 'They pull off their wings and then tbey roast tbem," be said in a recent interview from bhis Whitby home. "They're kcind of cruncby and have net a wbole lot of taste te tbem." Halliwel bas returned for bis fourtb term of duty --this turne for twe te four years - as a relief worker witb Emmanuel International, a Pentecostal kÀIF4-ZW Sales Manager's MODEL( ÇfY1W 1ïr( YEAR k(SÊWÙUM1ZI * 110 HP MPFI * Power Steering * Deluxe Cloth Interior * 5 Speed (automatic available) * Rear Seat Heat Ducts 2 DOOR COUPES Now Sale *9mýý From "LOADED" Automatic Mn - ---- Air Conditioning Dual Air Bags Now Sale AM/FM/CASS Prced Power Windows From $19,970 * Cruise-Tilt Woodgrain Dash EG $19,000 FINANCED OVER Plus Many More 48 MONTHS 0 5.8% APR C.O.B. $233456 Luxury Features MONTHLY PAYMENT $ 444.47 1 LOADED WITH LUXURY Stock Units Now Sale Priced From $22y 9mm ý* Other vans may be cheaper, but none of them are better! GLEN HALLIWELL of.Whitby with one of the duty as a relief worker. He helps feed, clothe inhabitants of Malawi, a southeast African an each M alawis who have suffered from country where he is now in his fourth term of recent severe droughts. churcb organization that helps feed, clothe and teach Malawis who bave sufl'ered recently froin severe droughts. Halliwell bas previously worked in a district with a population of 600,000, including another 30,000 r-efugees' frem neigbbouing Mozambique wbicb bas been plagued witb civil unrest in recent years. Malawi is located in the seutheast part ef Afica. What Halliwell would most like is te work himself eut of a job. "Our position is te work ourselves eut of a position se tbey could take over." Te that end, they teacb independence, be said, Yte wean people off the expectancy and total dependance on free food." According te United Nations figures, Malawi bas one of the bigbest infant rnortality rates in Aficia. t is aise one of tbe poorest countries on the continent. The average life expectancy is 46 years. Halliwell attributes tbis te a number of factors, foremost a pordiet and back-breaking labour techniques. He says Malawis are tee poor te afford work animais se tbey do all of the plowing theinselves. Consequently, older Malawis tend te be perrnanently bent over. For his troubles, Hailiwell is paid a salary of about $1,000 Canadian per month and he was given a 600-square-foot apartment in the capital city, Lilongwe, where he lives with wife Kerry. Even though it is the capital, it bas its share of'problems. He says tbat bis wife had been in tbe apartment for one week and saw at least tbree major power outages. As well, the phone service is net even close te Canadi an standards. 'Tou could try for days and net get tbrotigb," he said, adding that one time, the phone was down for twe and a baf months. Kerry, wbo was eriginally in the insurance industry, now is a principal for a school in Malawi. They met in Canada and were married two and a half years ago. However, he saiid, "l eof our anniversaries si) far have been in Afica." Such is the life of a relief worker. However, it is net new te HalliwelI. He grew up travelling the world witb bis parents as bis father was a missionary. Borne of the countries bhe bas been in include Singapore, Yugoslavia,, Hungary, Remania and Austria. One of the main bealtb concerns for Halliwell is AJDS, wbicb is rampant in Africa. Halliwell said that if be and Kerry encounter any bealth probleins, tbey refuse te go te local bospitals because -tbey are net hygienic. Instead tbey will travel tbree bours by plane te Soutb Aficia, where there 'are modem bospitals. Halliwell bopes te set up sports programs for the young children wbo often bave nothing te do outside of schooL; Wilson Sports bas donated equipment sucb as seccer and basketballs which be recently shipped over. 1 Halliwell aise builds bouses for the people. He says tbat, traditionally, tbe Malawis used grass roofs, whicb would only last a few years. Now bie encourages them te use steel roofs, wbich last a long turne. But bis main profession is teaching. A collection of bis photos show pictures of smiling children wbo are often bamming it up witb different poses. He bas taught at varieus colleges around the country. Halliwell received bis training in cross-cultural communication at bible colleges in Peterborougb and British Columbia. He explained it as "immersing yourself in their culture" te gain more acceptance. Se far, be bas found Malawis te, be very friendly people. When bie goes inte a town, "they corne eut and greet yeu a mile before you arridve; they sing and tbey dance," accompanying Mim all the way in. However, as in most African countries, there is a dark side. He related the time that be was distributing food at a building. Young Pioneers (tbe Malawi police force) were on band for crowd control. Unfortunately, tbey become very aggressive, using clubs te bold back hungry people. Later on, Halliwell was driving by a group of peeple wbo were beaten by the police. "They were going like this (be shapes bis band into a gun) and pointing it at me ,"be said. Later on bis interpreters stated the obvieus: 'They were threatpening me." Nothing came of the incident, luckily for HalliweIl, but it underseores the reality of life in Africa where civil unrest is always lurking around the corner. Hal liwell bas been witness to riots and Iooting in'the streets of the cities. But his work goes on. Back in Canada, HalliweIl sees that we stili have a major problern with garbage. "Vie throw 50' much away.--.4 In Malawi, be said, people would corne around te bis garbage and scavenge for milk bags. These would be carefully cut and flattened. Then they would sew thein together and make soccer halls eut of them., Perhaps Canadians could learn somnething frein these reseurceful people, be said. Although the poverty can sometimes feel overwhelming te Halliwell, be feels be is making a difference. "Ites a challenge, but you feel good about yourself." He would like te see student exhanges between Durham College and Malawi. As well, he encourages Wbidtby residents te make donations of clothes or old sports equipment te any of the various area churches. Retired persons who are looking for something to do, could go te Malawi and help lend a hand, as carpenters or teachers. "You don't bave te, do' much over there te make a difference," he said. Answers to Whitby Trivia from page 4 1 . Sheriff Reynolds built a castie because he wanted to entertain royalty. 2. Whitby's f irst motorized f ire trucks were purchased in 1926. 3. The Whitby Knsmen Club operated the old Taylor Arena from 1949 te 1951. 4. The old Taylor Arena was rebuiît at Chatsworth. near Owen Sound. job I - Page 26, Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, October 12,1994 -. 0 11994 AL TIMA FOGX LUXURY 11994 QUEST MINI-VAN