RETIRED nurse Maria Brennan from Pewsey fears for the future of her homeland in Malawi unless the rest of the world wakes up to the crisis she found on her last trip back.

She wants members of Parliament like Devizes MP Michael Ancram to go on fact finding missions to the African state to see how the former land of milk and honey is fast becoming a land of misery and starvation.

Mrs Brennan who has lived in England since 1957 apart from a two year spell back in Malawi wants the churches to send out delegations to discover for themselves how the country is dying.

On a recent visit back to Malawi for the sad mission of burying her elderly mother, Mrs Brennan said she was appalled to see how the country is suffering under its president Dr Bakili Muzuzi.

She said that since he became leader in 1994, the country's manufacturing industries had been broken up, agricultural land allowed to go wild and trees felled on a wholesale basis with no replanting.

Mrs Brennan said she was concerned that while the world was aware of atrocities in other parts of Africa like Rwanda and Zimbabwe it appeared to be unaware that Malawi was sliding into similar despair.

Mrs Brennan, 69, said the world should wake up to Malawi's plight.

"Charities in England say Make Poverty History," said Mrs Brennan.

"They should be saying make dishonesty history because that is what is bringing Malawi to its knees. There is a lot of dishonesty and corruption from the top to the bottom."

AIDS and HIV are rampaging through Malawi as with other African states, the retired nurse said.

"Malawi is desperate for the outside world to take notice of what is happening before it is too late.

"More than ever Malawi needs missionaries, not to teach religion but to advise the country how to irrigate its crops, re-plant trees and make it prosperous again."