Stories from the Mission Field

October 2024

The Balaka Farm in Malawi: A place for diverse growth and development

On the Balaka Farm, people and plants grow and live in harmony. Young women and men experience what it means to be part of God's creation and to take responsibility for it and for themselves. Botany and sustainable farming methods are on the curriculum, along with Bible studies and creative prayer exercises.

In the middle of a barren landscape, between Lilongwe in the west and Blantyre in the south, halfway to the town of Balaka, is the Balaka Farm. Like a green spot of color, it spreads hope in an area where the thermometer reaches 45 degrees Celsius at its peak. Karin Schwarz has been living and working here since 2018 together with her team on an area of 27 hectares. It belongs to the Malawi Baptist Union and EBM INTERNATIONAL supports the work on site. A wide range of plants, herbs, fruit trees, and shrubs are grown here with a lot of love and care.

“Mama” Karin Schwarz – a competent teacher

As a trained nurse, Karin Schwarz has acquired many other skills in her career (for example, naturopathy, alternative healing, management training, and trauma therapy), all of which she uses profitably on the farm. She also loves to make useful things out of leftovers and waste. Upcycling the Malawian way.

Karin Schwarz is a “Jack of all trades” here, as she herself defines her role. Whether it's a personal problem or a subject-specific question, Karin helps. She takes care of the daily workflow. She only has time off when she goes away, she emphasizes. And she does that too. In the mountains, she finds peace and quiet to prepare new topics for the annual courses.

Learning agriculture and rediscovering faith

Almost 80% of the inhabitants of Malawi are members of a Christian church. Many attend church services and celebrate religious festivals dutifully, but they often lack a personal connection to their faith or an understanding of the church year.

Those who grow up in poverty and lack education have little chance of breaking out of this cycle. Children often attend school for four to six years. Fertility and offspring are a kind of 'status symbol'. That is why many girls become mothers at an early age. The young fathers are often overwhelmed and leave the family. Then the young mother lives with her siblings in her parents' house, because she lacks the financial means to support herself.

It is mainly people with this background who attend Karin's courses, a twelve-month school of life and at the same time an agricultural apprenticeship. At the same time, they are made aware of their own lives and actions and of nature. To do this, Karin and her team also go to the surrounding villages. She calls it outreach and village work. They go there to reach out to the poor and show them that they are valuable and lovable. Some of them eventually come to live and learn on the farm in the community.

Recognizing themselves as loved by God

Karin introduces the young people to a personal God, one who is interested in the life and fate of each person. Together they read the Bible, practice different prayer techniques, plant gardens, tend to plants and learn how to prepare the soil. In all of this, Karin conveys four ways of relating: to oneself, to God, to one's neighbor, and to nature as an equal part of divine creation. She invites young people between the ages of 18 and 25 to understand themselves in this world with their life stories, and to experience themselves as people who are cared for, loved and gifted by God.

Creating gardens and healing

It also awakens an understanding of personal responsibility and self-care. Each participant learns how to plant their own small vegetable garden right from the start, and how to successfully grow their own food with just a few resources. Karin also helps with preparation and processing. Corn, soy, peanuts, pigeon peas, sweet potatoes and millet are also grown to feed the team and beyond. Medicinal herbs are also cultivated. The young people learn about the special healing powers of these plants and how they can process them into teas, powders and soaps.

For some people, the Balaka Farm is also a place to heal from personal traumas. These are often young women who have experienced violence in their families at an early age. Life in the community enables them to find inner peace and slowly flourish in a safe place, both mentally and physically.

In the end – but also already in the middle of it – many buds and blossoms become visible in the lives of individuals. Most of them return to their families and home villages after successfully completing the program. They inspire their families and acquaintances with creative thoughts and many good ideas. Thus, they carry what they have learned out into the world like seeds, and one day something new will grow in the hearts of other people.

This is what makes Karin Schwarz's work so important and inspiring to others. She and her team have a lasting impact on Malawian society with the valuable knowledge they pass on, making it clear that everything comes from God, from the source of growth and development.

By Julia-Kathrin Raddek

This article first appeared in the EBMI-MAGAZINE 2/2023