Fuel Shortage

In the past month the country of Malawi has faced a severe fuel shortage.  As you can image the lack of fuel (both diesel and petrol) is having huge ramifications for the country’s economy.  Among its many effects, it is halting the public transportation system, preventing agriculture and food transport and reducing labor and productivity.  For a country that is facing many difficult things, this only adds to the hardship of life in Malawi. 
The reason for the fuel shortage is due to the shortage of foreign exchange capital to buy fuel imported through neighboring countries.   According to a newspaper article, issues such as Malawi’s logistical problems, inadequate foreign exchange currency and limited stock holding capacity all play a role in getting fuel to the country.  Overall, it is a huge mess.
 

The shortage of fuel has impacted our lives as we now only drive into town for critical trips.  We also carpool and do more walking than driving.  If the electricity goes out, the generator on campus (which runs on diesel) is now limited to meal preparation hours only.  Last week we spent the week in search of petrol for our car.  We hired a student to take our car and wait in line for petrol but with no success.   The first day he waited in line for 5 hours and the second day he waited for almost 7 hours.  Bruce went out at 1 am one morning in search of petrol because someone gave him a tip that if you go out at that hour you avoid waiting in lines, but he also came back with no fuel.  On our third try we DID get fuel.   Bruce went back to the Muslim man that we bought our car from.  Bruce has developed a friendship with him and he had a private stash of 50 gallons of petrol.  So, for the equivalent of $80 USD for three quarters of a tank of gas we were able to fill up.  Due to the scarcity of fuel, cars line up for close to half a mile at gas stations waiting for hours or even over night for petrol or diesel to be delivered and pumped at gas stations.  Among the cars, are also hundreds of “jerry cans” (picture a large, yellow, plastic Clorox bottle) which often get filled before waiting cars because it’s easier to give a bribe to gas attendants when there is a mob of people standing there holding plastic cartons.  What you don’t see is the hidden 50 gallon drum that they’re filling one jug at a time in order to sell on the black market. 

Please be in prayer for the country of Malawi and its government as it deals with resolving the fuel shortage problem.