In memory of wife and son

A gostino Trussardi, 68, is from Bergamo district in Italy. However, his passion and efforts to help the poor makes him a friend in need, particularly for people of T/A Sawali in Balaka District.

For the people of this area, Trussardi is not a foreigner, considering the development projects he has undertaken with his money which he got as a pension following his retirement as a workshop mechanic.

He first heard about the warm heart of Africa in 2005 when he met Father Mario Pacifici back in Italy.

“When I heard about Malawi, I expressed my interest to help the poor in Malawi,” says Trussardi.

He arrived in Malawi in September 2006 as a volunteer at Andiamo Trust in Balaka. Later, he embarked on his own K48 million ($80 268) project which consisted of the construction of Chikondi Nursery School and Chikondi Health Centre. The school opened its doors in December 2009 and it serves children from 12 villages which include Toleza, Chimkwita, Mulandula, Mzengeza, Malula and Liwonde.

The school has seven teachers, six cooks and four security guards. During break time, the children engage in different sporting activities including football. The school has an enrolment of 250, of which 150 are girls while100 are boys.

Every month, the children consume four bags of maize, four bags of rice, four bales of sugar and four bags of beans each weighing 50 kilogrames (kgs). Every Thursday, the school slaughters a goat for the kids, bringing to a total of four goats every month.

Currently, construction of a chickens coop is underway at the school campus. Children in the area learn at this nursery school by paying only a K100 per month as a contribution towards breakfast and lunch which they receive at the school.                                                                                             “This is a charitable initiative. I am not here to make money but to transform the lives of poor people through Early Childhood Development [ECD] and health services,” says Trussardi. At the health centre, villagers access services free of charge. Every Thursday the community comes at the clinic to receive medical treatment from nurses from Andiamo Comfort Clinic. Trussardi foots the K200 000 monthly bill to Andiamo Comfort Clinic for the nurses’ services.   Trussardi says he came up with the development projects as the only way of remembering his late wife and son. His wife, Emilia, died of cancer in 2006 at the age of 55 while his son, Mauro, died in a road accident in 2003 at the age of 27.

“When my son, the only child, died in 2003 I told my wife that I wanted to do charity work as a dedication to our late son. Therefore, I set for Malawi especially in Balaka to kick start the charity projects. When I was in Malawi to lay foundation for the projects, my wife became very sick in Italy and I went back home. Her condition worsened and she died of cancer. ”

“My wife is gone. My son is gone. I’m just alone in the family, but I now find joy in Malawians who are loving and humble. By doing these development projects, the souls of my wife and son will fully rest in peace,” he says throwing a smile at the children at the nursery school.

The K100 monthly fee is still a tall order for some parents whose children just stay idle at home.

“It’s unfortunate that some parents still fail to send their children to this nursery school because they can’t raise K100 per month. The K100 fee was introduced just to top up on the expenses I meet on food for these kids.”

“One day, I passed a certain home within this area where I saw a kid just playing while his age mates were in class at the nursery school. His mother told me that she had no fees to send the child to my nursery school. I felt sorry such that I told her to send the boy to school free of charge. The boy accompanied me and attended the classes that day, but did not come the next day because he did not have the right clothes,” he says.

This reveals how some Malawians struggle to earn a living. According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), around 51 percent of the Malawi population lives in poverty – surviving on less than 1 dollar per day.

Trussardi’s passion to transform lives of Balaka people did not end on the Chikondi Nursery school and the health centre as he has also sunk boreholes besides constructing classroom blocks in the district.

Moving around the area of T/A Sawali, the name Agostino is a household name, proving the strong bond that exists between him and the people.

Although Trussardi is not fully conversant with Chichewa language, he is able to say something in the local language: “Zikomo Amalawi. Ndinu anthu abwino. Ndilinanu nthawi zonse pothana ndi umphawi.”