My friend Liberty and I enjoyed climbing Mount Chiremba Saturday afternoon.The picture below shows Liberty on a grassy green near the AU Guesthouse with Mt. Chiremba in the background. We hiked around to the far side of the mountain, and then followed a rough trail with many switchbacks to the top. It took us about two hours to get there, but it was worth the climb. The view was magnificent. We could see miles across verdant valleys to other mountains around us. Farms and villages dotted the valley. Distant mountain ranges stretched to the north as far as the eye could see. It’s an inspirational site. It was from the same site over a century ago that Bishop Hartzell had a vision of an educational institution attracting Africans from all over the continent. Today, Africa University fulfills that vision.
Liberty with Mount Chiremba in the distance
I have students from six different African countries in my classes, and they’re all sharp students. My lectures cover the chronic diseases of the West that are striking Africa so hard today. We’re studying what can be done to prevent these diseases on both an individual and a community basis. There’s much more potential for prevention than most people realize, and my students are getting this. Yet, the old tropical diseases still flare-up, and they must be respected. I went to Walter’s family compound nine days ago, and I enjoyed meeting his family. Sunday, Walter told me that two of his brothers were sick with malaria. Yesterday, his youngest brother was worse, a very worrisome sign with malaria. A village health worker gave them the recommended course of treatment for malaria. Happily, little brother was much better this morning!
