While most centenarians are celebrated for their longevity, 111-year-old Wadi Kandemanje of Mpama Village, Traditional Authority Malemia, in Zomba District lives a life marked by loneliness and an ongoing struggle for survival.
Born in 1914, Kandemanje lives alone. Though his age tells a remarkable story of endurance, his reality is heartbreaking. Frail and unable to walk, he depends on the occasional kindness of relatives to get by — often going without food and necessities.
At an age when he should be resting with dignity and love, Kandemanje faces each day with uncertainty and stress, unsure where his next meal will come from.
But this week, his quiet suffering was met with a moment of comfort. James Kajawo, Director of the Zomba-based One for All Organisation, visited him with his team, bringing a glimmer of hope in the form of a bag of flour, a bale of soya pieces, cooking oil, and soap.
Speaking with compassion, Kajawo urged others to remember and care for the elderly. “The elderly deserve happiness and dignity. We must not forget them. Let us come together and care for them in their final years,” he said.
While the gesture was small compared to Kandemanje’s daily needs, it was deeply meaningful — a reminder that even the loneliest lives still matter.
This is not the first time that James Kajawo and his team from One for All Organisation have extended their support to the elderly man. In both April and May, they visited him with various essential items, including cooking oil, maize flour, a tray of eggs, sugar, a bellow of soya pieces, and clothes, demonstrating their continued commitment to his well-being.
