Pip n Jay has sent a family to Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries. This is their story of what's happening, what's changing, and how we can get involved.

The Bates family has moved from Bristol to live and work in Blantyre (largest city, capital of the country’s southern region).

Jane and Jes are both doctors, and they have two sons, Tom and Peter. Jane works with people with HIV/AIDS (a huge problem in the country: 1 million). It's not an easy job, patients don’t get better, they die young, and this makes life in Blantyre very emotionally draining. Jes is an orthopaedic surgeon. He finds himself working mostly with trauma, accidents and gunshot wounds.

Jane and Jes attend Word Alive Church in Blantyre, where Jes is an elder and Jane helps with childrens’ work.  It is a very outward looking church, seeking top reach out to the community, in practical as well as spiritual ways. It owns a farm, just a few kms out of town, and employs local people to grow maize (staple food) and other crops. This provides food for the community and  the money raised is used to support needy people.