Blog entry Nkhata Bay
Nkhata Bay
So it was Val’s birthday on the 19th of June and we went to Nkhata Bay to celebrate. It was unbelievable. It was a little paradise village with grass roof huts. Quite a change from our day to day in Mzuzu. Our huts were on the shore of beautiful lake Malawi. You can see Tanzania and Mozambique in the distance and silhouettes of fishing canoes, basically hollow tree trunks, going back and forth. A great night was had the first night in Mayoka village. The lodge is mostly used by backpackers and volunteers. The next day some of us went on a boat trip. We saw sea-eagles, went cliff jumping and had a game of volleyball. The boat trip didn’t agree too well with some of us! Jamie had a great weekend and managed to get the e-mail addresses of no less than three different women. Sure fair play to him sure. We watched the sun rise over the lake on Sunday morning. A site to behold.
Vwaza Marsh
To continue our weekend trips we made a visit to Vwaza march, a nature reserve north of Mzuzu. Even John decided to come along on the trip. On the journey down John told us about the tutsi flies whose bites can cause a potentially fatal condition called sleeping sickness. Just after we arrived one of the feckers bit Jack
We stayed in huts, once again, on the shore of a local hang out for some of the hippos. We had a long meal and an interesting debate started up, covering everything from gay adoption to nature vs nurture to Fr John’s interpretation of God. James, Jack and Rosanne stayed out on a hippo watch. Of all the animals in Africa, hippos kill the most humans. The hippos let out a few grunts and eventually we ran away in fear of coming between a hippo, whose weight has been a topic of hot debate ever since, and the water. We concluded that the night sky was the clearest and brightest with more stars than any of us had ever seen. The next day we arose early in the morning and went on a walking tour, with a guide, who had a gun! The walk was grand. We were very excited about breakfast though. We did see many Mpala and a load of hippos. The main goal of the trip was to see a few elephants. Before we left the park we decided to go for a drive in one last effort to see an elephant.
Success! As we were driving back out of the park John suddenly, dramatically brought the car to a halt. Up ahead we could see the large grey behind of none other than an African elephant. After she (we presume) crossed the dirt track road she was followed by a calf and then (we presume) a big bull elephant. We began t a approach and heard the elephants give out a cry as they disappeared into the thick bush. We drove to the watering hole, alas we saw no more elephants. We drove home content with our weekend, although Jack tragically lost his camera. Everybody was affected by that loss.
The next day we sat in on a meeting of the board of directors of Ungweru. Twas a good experience or all of us and was quite interesting. We got a good luck of the functioning of the organisation.
Luwawa Lodge
Luwawa Lodge in Viphya National Park was our destination this weekend. We were only there for one night but we managed to get a lot in. After lunch on Saturday we went for a four hour hike to the top of a hill. The showers there were the best we’ve come across in Malawi – it’s the small things that can make a weekend! We had farmhouse chicken and mash for dinner, followed by chocolate cake and custard…couldn’t have asked for anything more. Jack played a few songs on the guitar while we sat around the fire before going to bed.
Up at seven o’clock the next morning, we left the lodge on bikes shortly after eight. The road to the waterfall was fairly flat to begin with, but it wasn’t long before we reached some nasty hills. The map of the route was a bit dodgy but a teacher travelling to a primary school in a nearby village showed us the way. When we arrived Jamie tested the water, but decided it was too cold to swim in.
We didn’t delay in getting back on the bikes for our return journey as we our lift home was waiting for us back at the lodge. We hadn’t gone a hundred yards though when Jack pulled up with a flat tyre…disaster! Some would say that taking some shaky-looking rental bikes on a four hour cycle over dirt tracks without any repair kit was a stupid thing to do…and they’d probably be right. Anyway, we decided to split up, Jamie and I going ahead to the lodge, with Rosanne and Jack following on foot. Nearly two hours later, after a lot of puffing and panting, Jamie and I arrived back. George, the lodge owner, grudgingly agreed to go out and collect the others. Not long afterwards, we were packed up and back on the road to Mzuzu – knackered, but happy.
We would like to also tell James to stop plagiarising our blog for his own personal gain. If he thinks it’s funny it’s not and we all think it’s very petty of him.
Volunteering Work
The volunteer work is going well. Our projects are all finished or in their final stages of completion.
Val and Deirdre finished their work in Temwanani, managing to paint all the classrooms and paint some learning aides on the walls. The kids were very excited when they arrived in on Monday morning. New stools also got the kids’ pulses going.
Jack and James have been working tirelessly on their web-design course and many a lesson plan has been created. The students were each given a project. Real clients were provided for each student fro whom they were required to build a website. There were some initial hiccups with the clients. Some of them didn’t seem interested in getting a website for free for some reason but everything seems to have been smoothed out. Their projects are due on Wednesday and each student will give an in class presentation of their completed project.
Jamie and James have been working on the computer lab. Updating all the machines, ridding them of viruses and networking the whole lab. They’ve been in their till all hours, missing meals and the whole lot.
Rosanne had been working solo since Cormac left, quite frankly he was holding her back so its been a positive he deserted us for Cape Clear. At the moment Rosanne is working on all current requests by members of the community for assistance. A daunting task due to the quantity of requests and the lack of a filing system ended up being an eye opener. The Work the different self help groups are doing is an inspiration. Rosanne is working on an application form as part of implementing a new system for requesting assistance from Ungweru.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
13/06
We delivered an inspiring speech to the youth of Luwinga Secondary School to rapturous applause. Jamie spoke about his education, Ivy (a member of Ungweru youth) on issues facing Malawian girls, James on dedication, Cormac and Rosanne on community development, Brave on HIV/AIDS and Precious on positive thinking. It was daunting when we entered the school hall to face 300 jeering students but it went well in the end. Work started on Temwanani orphan day-centre, we got the first coat of white paint on and we've big plans. John dragged us out to the local backpackers bar in the evening. McNeil, one of the Ungweru computer teachers, and his girlfriend came along. We went home but John continued to Hotel Mzuzu, the local nightclub. It was an interesting experience to say the least! He wandered in at some ungodly hour after fitting 10 people in a taxi home!
14/06
Up early to continue painting Temwanani. It's hard work and most of the paint is on our clothes. Local kids gave us a helping hand. Malawi beat Egypt in football, all the locals were celebrating! A successful day over all and on top of everything the sun is back again.
15/06
We travelled into the Bush with John for his Sunday mass. It was a tiny village nearly two hours into the countryside on a dirt track. This was the real Malawi!! The locals were incredibly hospitable and kind. They were honoured that we had come to visit their village. A priest says mass in there just 2 or 3 times a year. They gave us traditional food and tea before and after the mass. The mass itself was full of life, singing and dancing. We have alot to learn from their attitude. Despite the poverty the endure they're warmth and happiness is infectious. A local principal told us that there was 4 teachers to 600 students in his school!! We had a full pick-up truck on the trip back to Mzuzu as some locals hitched a ride. We witnessed some amazing views of the Malawi countryside. On the way home John showed us a school building that was built for just 5000euro thanks to a donation from Louth County Council, 3 classrooms for such a small amount of money.
We delivered an inspiring speech to the youth of Luwinga Secondary School to rapturous applause. Jamie spoke about his education, Ivy (a member of Ungweru youth) on issues facing Malawian girls, James on dedication, Cormac and Rosanne on community development, Brave on HIV/AIDS and Precious on positive thinking. It was daunting when we entered the school hall to face 300 jeering students but it went well in the end. Work started on Temwanani orphan day-centre, we got the first coat of white paint on and we've big plans. John dragged us out to the local backpackers bar in the evening. McNeil, one of the Ungweru computer teachers, and his girlfriend came along. We went home but John continued to Hotel Mzuzu, the local nightclub. It was an interesting experience to say the least! He wandered in at some ungodly hour after fitting 10 people in a taxi home!
14/06
Up early to continue painting Temwanani. It's hard work and most of the paint is on our clothes. Local kids gave us a helping hand. Malawi beat Egypt in football, all the locals were celebrating! A successful day over all and on top of everything the sun is back again.
15/06
We travelled into the Bush with John for his Sunday mass. It was a tiny village nearly two hours into the countryside on a dirt track. This was the real Malawi!! The locals were incredibly hospitable and kind. They were honoured that we had come to visit their village. A priest says mass in there just 2 or 3 times a year. They gave us traditional food and tea before and after the mass. The mass itself was full of life, singing and dancing. We have alot to learn from their attitude. Despite the poverty the endure they're warmth and happiness is infectious. A local principal told us that there was 4 teachers to 600 students in his school!! We had a full pick-up truck on the trip back to Mzuzu as some locals hitched a ride. We witnessed some amazing views of the Malawi countryside. On the way home John showed us a school building that was built for just 5000euro thanks to a donation from Louth County Council, 3 classrooms for such a small amount of money.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
We’ve been trying to upload some of our photos and videos but unfortunately the internet here just isn’t up to it.
06/06/08
Another day and another step in the right direction. Not yet used to the early starts so slept through our alarm! Val and Deirdre dragged themselves out of bed and were at the Temwanani centre for 8. This gave us a chance to understand the daily routine at the child day care centre and get a better idea of the lessons thought there. The children’s rhymes and games made us laugh: "Brush your teeth, whoo whoo" and "Brush you hair, oooh la la" along with hilarious actions of course. The teacher in nursery 2 was teaching the older kids basic shapes: circle, square, rectangle, and triangle. We are planning on painting the days of the week, seasons, numbers, alphabet and shapes on the walls to brighten up the rooms! Jack, James and Jamie are arriving tomorrow night so we've three more hungry mouths to feed. Val and Deirdre went to town with Lucia (a girl from the Ungweru youth club) to do some more shopping. They arrived home exhausted and laden down with kidney beans, peas, potatoes, pineapple, tea leaves, rice and more.
07/06/08
We experienced our first African wedding this morning. It was very different from Ireland!! The bridesmaids and grooms men dance towards each other in the aisles. The singing was fantastic and there was lots of yodeling (a kind of African war cry)! Tonight James, Jamie and Jack arrived safely and we'd a good night catching up. The lads came bearing gifts including a bottle of whiskey for John which he was more than happy to accept!
08/06/08
Sunday morning found us in mass bright and early! Again there was lots of singing and dancing which we are beginning to get used to now. The girls even joined in with the dancing (rather badly however)! Afterwards John introduced us to the congregation and explained the work we'll be doing. The rest of the day involved visiting the market where we were mistaken for John’s kids, all 7 of us!! Later on that evening, the Ungweru youth group threw a welcome party for us and it was the perfect opportunity to get to know people our own age. Despite such different cultures, the night was a complete success. The girls cooked a Malawian meal and then performed a fashion show with traditional dress. There was comedy and drama to keep us entertained. The night ended with a disco...as we built bridges between the two cultures, Rosanne quickly broke them down in a dance off with Brave (youth group director)! Our Irish dancing stole the show but they really put us Irish to shame with the dancing and singing!
09/06/08
Cormac and Rosanne visited three local secondary schools with John Paul, the new director of Ungweru. The principles were happy to help out and the schools seemed similar to back home. One big difference we noted is the pictures of the president of Malawi (Bingu) on the walls of all offices. Not sure if that would catch on back home... St.Augustines drama group, starring Martin, put on a play for us and a group of locals after lunch. It was a comedy on the subject of AIDS and how it affects the community. Cormac and James went on a trip to town with Brave. We visited the Mzuzu museum which displayed tribal artifacts from throughout Malawi's history. Afterwards we sat in on a meeting Brave had with Karl, a representative of Solar Aid from Belgium. He is doing some great work training youths in the area to design, build and market solar panels to power lights and radios. On the way home we called to the pub (a shed) and sampled some Chibuku. It can only be described as a flat, porridge type beer. We'll be sticking to the more conventional Kuche Kuche beer from now on!
10/06/08
Cormac and Jack played basketball with some of the locals....turns out white men can jump!! Val and Deirdre had a meeting with the committee of the community involved with Temwanani orphanage. One of the aims was to develop a suitable system in which decisions are made between the teachers, committee and Ungweru. We also used this meeting as an opportunity to suggest more practical use of the building (i.e resource room as third classroom). Overall it was a success and only took three hours!! We were told that this is oretty good by the standards here!!
11/06/08
Seems we've brought the Irish weather with us, it's been miserable the last two days!! Reports are that it's splitting the stones at home too, typical! Val and Deirdre visited Temwanani again in the morning, the hiking boots came out in the rain! Jack, James and Jamie had a meeting in Mzuni (Mzuzu University!) with two guys who were previously involved in the Ungweru computer centre, to take some direction on the work they're going to do in the computer centre. Some local kids called, they were up a tree outside the house shouting “muzungu” (white man). Cormac was allowed out to play football with them for a while. We sampled some wine form a box, a first! Val and Deirdre got the go ahead for ordering the paint so its full steam ahead for painting the Temwanani centre this weekend.
06/06/08
Another day and another step in the right direction. Not yet used to the early starts so slept through our alarm! Val and Deirdre dragged themselves out of bed and were at the Temwanani centre for 8. This gave us a chance to understand the daily routine at the child day care centre and get a better idea of the lessons thought there. The children’s rhymes and games made us laugh: "Brush your teeth, whoo whoo" and "Brush you hair, oooh la la" along with hilarious actions of course. The teacher in nursery 2 was teaching the older kids basic shapes: circle, square, rectangle, and triangle. We are planning on painting the days of the week, seasons, numbers, alphabet and shapes on the walls to brighten up the rooms! Jack, James and Jamie are arriving tomorrow night so we've three more hungry mouths to feed. Val and Deirdre went to town with Lucia (a girl from the Ungweru youth club) to do some more shopping. They arrived home exhausted and laden down with kidney beans, peas, potatoes, pineapple, tea leaves, rice and more.
07/06/08
We experienced our first African wedding this morning. It was very different from Ireland!! The bridesmaids and grooms men dance towards each other in the aisles. The singing was fantastic and there was lots of yodeling (a kind of African war cry)! Tonight James, Jamie and Jack arrived safely and we'd a good night catching up. The lads came bearing gifts including a bottle of whiskey for John which he was more than happy to accept!
08/06/08
Sunday morning found us in mass bright and early! Again there was lots of singing and dancing which we are beginning to get used to now. The girls even joined in with the dancing (rather badly however)! Afterwards John introduced us to the congregation and explained the work we'll be doing. The rest of the day involved visiting the market where we were mistaken for John’s kids, all 7 of us!! Later on that evening, the Ungweru youth group threw a welcome party for us and it was the perfect opportunity to get to know people our own age. Despite such different cultures, the night was a complete success. The girls cooked a Malawian meal and then performed a fashion show with traditional dress. There was comedy and drama to keep us entertained. The night ended with a disco...as we built bridges between the two cultures, Rosanne quickly broke them down in a dance off with Brave (youth group director)! Our Irish dancing stole the show but they really put us Irish to shame with the dancing and singing!
09/06/08
Cormac and Rosanne visited three local secondary schools with John Paul, the new director of Ungweru. The principles were happy to help out and the schools seemed similar to back home. One big difference we noted is the pictures of the president of Malawi (Bingu) on the walls of all offices. Not sure if that would catch on back home... St.Augustines drama group, starring Martin, put on a play for us and a group of locals after lunch. It was a comedy on the subject of AIDS and how it affects the community. Cormac and James went on a trip to town with Brave. We visited the Mzuzu museum which displayed tribal artifacts from throughout Malawi's history. Afterwards we sat in on a meeting Brave had with Karl, a representative of Solar Aid from Belgium. He is doing some great work training youths in the area to design, build and market solar panels to power lights and radios. On the way home we called to the pub (a shed) and sampled some Chibuku. It can only be described as a flat, porridge type beer. We'll be sticking to the more conventional Kuche Kuche beer from now on!
10/06/08
Cormac and Jack played basketball with some of the locals....turns out white men can jump!! Val and Deirdre had a meeting with the committee of the community involved with Temwanani orphanage. One of the aims was to develop a suitable system in which decisions are made between the teachers, committee and Ungweru. We also used this meeting as an opportunity to suggest more practical use of the building (i.e resource room as third classroom). Overall it was a success and only took three hours!! We were told that this is oretty good by the standards here!!
11/06/08
Seems we've brought the Irish weather with us, it's been miserable the last two days!! Reports are that it's splitting the stones at home too, typical! Val and Deirdre visited Temwanani again in the morning, the hiking boots came out in the rain! Jack, James and Jamie had a meeting in Mzuni (Mzuzu University!) with two guys who were previously involved in the Ungweru computer centre, to take some direction on the work they're going to do in the computer centre. Some local kids called, they were up a tree outside the house shouting “muzungu” (white man). Cormac was allowed out to play football with them for a while. We sampled some wine form a box, a first! Val and Deirdre got the go ahead for ordering the paint so its full steam ahead for painting the Temwanani centre this weekend.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
01/06/08
At last what we've all been waiting for. Arrived at half one in Lillongwe Airport in Malawi. Excitement all around when we were all reunited in the airport and even our exhaustion from the travelling couldn't dampen our spirits. 6 hours (and two sugar canes) later we finally arrived in Mzuzu with the help of our lovely taxi man Eoin. Sun set at half 5 so we couldn't see the city Mzuzu in all its glory. Fr John Ryan and American business man, James Judge, welcomed us warmly in our new home. James was kind enough to fill us in on all the news with Ungweru and give us tips on mozzies, local beer and some cultural differences. After a delicious meal, we all took an early
night.
02/06/08
We began by waking up feeling anxious and excited to begin our first days work in this strange new environment. Up and out at eleven, for us Irish It was scorching but for the Malawians It was wooly hats all round (its the cold season here at the moment). We met with the newly appointed director of Ungweru, John Paul (The Pope), who was to be our guide. Spent the morning getting accustomed to the area, John Paul brought us to St Augustines diocese where we saw the primary school, met the hilarious Francis Shawa (Fr Groundnut), the local PP (parish priest), and got our first glass bottle of coke in 'Peoples'. Its impossible to portray the extent of the poverty here but hopefully the pictures will help. Although it can be overwhelming, the spirit of these people shines through. The children run after us with big smiles and the people always stop to talk and shake our hands. We've never felt so welcomed. Its strange being a minority here, we're a novelty to the locals who always want to chat (and vica versa). Martin is king of the kitchen but we're not yet familiar with the food. Rosanne and Deirdre arrived in at lunch starving and thought the dogs dinner consisting of a bull's head was our dinner!!! After a gorgeous lunch we had an amazing afternoon. Having visited Ungweru and had the tour, we were able to be a part of a rare ceremony whereby the Home Based Care Group were handing out blankets to beneficiaries in the area. They give out what they can to those who need it most whenever they can. We were told afterwards that this is usually a huge celebration with signing and dancing but maybe our presence initially might have given a more subdued atmosphere. This group is made up of two men and twenty women volunteers, who help and support orphans and the needy including those affected by HIV/AIDS in the surrounding area. This group of women are very poor themselves but are totally motivated in helping those even worse off. We were all pretty blown away by their dedication. They sent Cormac back to the house to get his camera: twenty minutes later there was still no sign of him, having circled the area twice!! The locals had a good laugh at the lost white cyclist!! Laughs all round when he eventually turned up red faced! Martin was good enough to teach us some chiTumbuka so we'll be fluent before long. Cormac's Concise English-chiTumbuka Dictionary will be available in all good book shops soon.
03/06/08
Our first real African day, up and out early! John-Paul brought us up to Temwanani, the Child Day Care Centre for orphans in the area. We were speechless when about 100 kids ran out to greet us,delighted to see us and touching our skin. Here we were introduced to the teachers and headmistress who as volunteers, do not get paid for the amazing work they do. We had to drag ourselves away from the gorgeous children. The orphans come here daily form 7.30 to 11 mainly to get one good meal of porridge and to have some 'lessons'. We were given a tour of the impessive new building which is a testiment to Small Change's dedication. After this we headed for the big open air Mzuzu market, an experience in itself. We made a few rookie mistakes in our haggling, we think the shopkeepers saw 'muzungu' (whities!) coming and immediately doubled the prices. Cormac is never allowed to shop for us again! We had to help John-Paul buy trousers for his engagement this weekend, but he eventually abandoned us as we were no help at all, this was no Patricks Street experience! We got a minibus in to the centre which was interesting experience. It was like a rollercoaster ride with fifteen strangers on top of each other, the door was hanging on its hinges. I never thought I'd be wishing for CIE standard service! Obviously late, we discussed the projects in line for us with Fr John over lunch. After lunch we went to Mzuni (Mzuzu University) where a student, Cecilia, showed us around the campus. It's a huge green campus that spans for a half a kilometer, including the student village where the majority of students live. Fr John was delivering his usual Tuesday night sermon in a lecture hall on the campus which we attended. The singing and enthusiasm was AMAZING and really put our Irish sermons to shame! We were astounded by the choir and hymes, the harmonies! Fr John put us on the spot and called us up to greet the crowd, it was pretty embarrassing. Val and Cormac said a few inspiring words!
04/06/08
Yesterday was when the real work started. We got stuck into the projects. Cormac and Rosanne have chosen the school fees assessment. This will involve reviewing the current policy Ungweru uses to pay for students' school fees and recommending improvements. Unfortunately to attend secondary school in Malawi fees are required. Many people are unable to afford these fees which prevents them continuing their education after primary school. At the moment Ungweru helps around 160 students pay their fees, most of which are orphans (a child that has lost one or more parents). The system used for allocating and paying the fees is badly in need of review and refinement. We started off by having a meeting with John Paul and Patrick who explained the current system to us and we decided on a plan of action. Our first mission was to go to the government education office in Mzuzu and discuss the government system of paying for school fees. This provided us with a helpful reference point and the government education officer was very helpful. Although it seems like a good system in theory apparently in reality it is plagued by delays and corruption which acts as a barrier to many would be secondary school students. We bumped into Val and deirdre in the market busy shopping and haggling like true locals. We tried to get a taxi home but weren't cutthroat enough at the makeshift taxi rank, the locals beat us to it every time. We're going to set Rosanne loose on them next time! Val and Deirdre have decided to concentrate on aiding the Child Day Care Centre, Temwanani. Although they have a fantastic building, we feel that guidance is certainly needed in the area of organisation. We met with the teachers and headmistress to establish what resources Temwanani currently has, for example how many plates, soap, toys etc. Its painfully obvious that resources are limited. There aren't enough plates for all the children so at break time one half of the children will be fed first and then the second half.
05/06/08
Today both projects had activities to carry out in the morning. Cormac and Rosanne went to the homes of beneficaries of the school fees payment scheme. We were helped by Macarena and Ivy, who acted as guide and translator. Macarena is a member of the home-based care group who help the needy and those affected by HIV/AIDS, she dedicates four hours everyday to the group, visiting the sick and administering supplies. This experience proved a real eye-opener. We visited 7 houses in all and were warmly welcomed. We were provided with tiny chairs which we sat on outside while chatting. At most houses we met a woman who was caring for a number of orphans on her own. The poverty we encountered was awful. We were speechless when people told us their horrifying stories. In one case that stands out a woman is currently taking care of 11 kids. Herself and two of her kids are HIV positive. The rest are orphans of her sister and brother that she took in. Only one of the kids is attending secondary school, thanks to Ungweru. She has a job knitting jumpers but will not be able to continue long more as she is getting weaker. If she stops working the family will have no income. Although the home-base care provides what help they can the family still doesn't have enough food. Deirdre and Val visited another local Child Day Care Centre for orphans in order to compare with Temwanani. We were really impressed with the development of this orphanage. It has been in place a lot longer and It is a good model to work off in relation to improving Temwanani. The community involved in this Day Care Centre is very supportive and is hoping to develop some kind of self-sufficient business (Poultry farming, high output gardens) so that they won't be so dependant on donations. This is exactly what needs to be established in the community of Temwanani. We are hoping to promote the community to be more supportive and involved in ensuring the success of Temwanani.
After finishing off another spectacular culinary masterpiece provided by Martin we went to the local youth group's soccer game with Lucia, one of the neighbours. It was great to mix and chat with some of the locals who are our age. We met with Brave, the executive of Ungweru youth and planned some activities with him and the group for the future. Other interesting names which we encountered are Conformist and Gift Singing...
At last what we've all been waiting for. Arrived at half one in Lillongwe Airport in Malawi. Excitement all around when we were all reunited in the airport and even our exhaustion from the travelling couldn't dampen our spirits. 6 hours (and two sugar canes) later we finally arrived in Mzuzu with the help of our lovely taxi man Eoin. Sun set at half 5 so we couldn't see the city Mzuzu in all its glory. Fr John Ryan and American business man, James Judge, welcomed us warmly in our new home. James was kind enough to fill us in on all the news with Ungweru and give us tips on mozzies, local beer and some cultural differences. After a delicious meal, we all took an early
night.
02/06/08
We began by waking up feeling anxious and excited to begin our first days work in this strange new environment. Up and out at eleven, for us Irish It was scorching but for the Malawians It was wooly hats all round (its the cold season here at the moment). We met with the newly appointed director of Ungweru, John Paul (The Pope), who was to be our guide. Spent the morning getting accustomed to the area, John Paul brought us to St Augustines diocese where we saw the primary school, met the hilarious Francis Shawa (Fr Groundnut), the local PP (parish priest), and got our first glass bottle of coke in 'Peoples'. Its impossible to portray the extent of the poverty here but hopefully the pictures will help. Although it can be overwhelming, the spirit of these people shines through. The children run after us with big smiles and the people always stop to talk and shake our hands. We've never felt so welcomed. Its strange being a minority here, we're a novelty to the locals who always want to chat (and vica versa). Martin is king of the kitchen but we're not yet familiar with the food. Rosanne and Deirdre arrived in at lunch starving and thought the dogs dinner consisting of a bull's head was our dinner!!! After a gorgeous lunch we had an amazing afternoon. Having visited Ungweru and had the tour, we were able to be a part of a rare ceremony whereby the Home Based Care Group were handing out blankets to beneficiaries in the area. They give out what they can to those who need it most whenever they can. We were told afterwards that this is usually a huge celebration with signing and dancing but maybe our presence initially might have given a more subdued atmosphere. This group is made up of two men and twenty women volunteers, who help and support orphans and the needy including those affected by HIV/AIDS in the surrounding area. This group of women are very poor themselves but are totally motivated in helping those even worse off. We were all pretty blown away by their dedication. They sent Cormac back to the house to get his camera: twenty minutes later there was still no sign of him, having circled the area twice!! The locals had a good laugh at the lost white cyclist!! Laughs all round when he eventually turned up red faced! Martin was good enough to teach us some chiTumbuka so we'll be fluent before long. Cormac's Concise English-chiTumbuka Dictionary will be available in all good book shops soon.
03/06/08
Our first real African day, up and out early! John-Paul brought us up to Temwanani, the Child Day Care Centre for orphans in the area. We were speechless when about 100 kids ran out to greet us,delighted to see us and touching our skin. Here we were introduced to the teachers and headmistress who as volunteers, do not get paid for the amazing work they do. We had to drag ourselves away from the gorgeous children. The orphans come here daily form 7.30 to 11 mainly to get one good meal of porridge and to have some 'lessons'. We were given a tour of the impessive new building which is a testiment to Small Change's dedication. After this we headed for the big open air Mzuzu market, an experience in itself. We made a few rookie mistakes in our haggling, we think the shopkeepers saw 'muzungu' (whities!) coming and immediately doubled the prices. Cormac is never allowed to shop for us again! We had to help John-Paul buy trousers for his engagement this weekend, but he eventually abandoned us as we were no help at all, this was no Patricks Street experience! We got a minibus in to the centre which was interesting experience. It was like a rollercoaster ride with fifteen strangers on top of each other, the door was hanging on its hinges. I never thought I'd be wishing for CIE standard service! Obviously late, we discussed the projects in line for us with Fr John over lunch. After lunch we went to Mzuni (Mzuzu University) where a student, Cecilia, showed us around the campus. It's a huge green campus that spans for a half a kilometer, including the student village where the majority of students live. Fr John was delivering his usual Tuesday night sermon in a lecture hall on the campus which we attended. The singing and enthusiasm was AMAZING and really put our Irish sermons to shame! We were astounded by the choir and hymes, the harmonies! Fr John put us on the spot and called us up to greet the crowd, it was pretty embarrassing. Val and Cormac said a few inspiring words!
04/06/08
Yesterday was when the real work started. We got stuck into the projects. Cormac and Rosanne have chosen the school fees assessment. This will involve reviewing the current policy Ungweru uses to pay for students' school fees and recommending improvements. Unfortunately to attend secondary school in Malawi fees are required. Many people are unable to afford these fees which prevents them continuing their education after primary school. At the moment Ungweru helps around 160 students pay their fees, most of which are orphans (a child that has lost one or more parents). The system used for allocating and paying the fees is badly in need of review and refinement. We started off by having a meeting with John Paul and Patrick who explained the current system to us and we decided on a plan of action. Our first mission was to go to the government education office in Mzuzu and discuss the government system of paying for school fees. This provided us with a helpful reference point and the government education officer was very helpful. Although it seems like a good system in theory apparently in reality it is plagued by delays and corruption which acts as a barrier to many would be secondary school students. We bumped into Val and deirdre in the market busy shopping and haggling like true locals. We tried to get a taxi home but weren't cutthroat enough at the makeshift taxi rank, the locals beat us to it every time. We're going to set Rosanne loose on them next time! Val and Deirdre have decided to concentrate on aiding the Child Day Care Centre, Temwanani. Although they have a fantastic building, we feel that guidance is certainly needed in the area of organisation. We met with the teachers and headmistress to establish what resources Temwanani currently has, for example how many plates, soap, toys etc. Its painfully obvious that resources are limited. There aren't enough plates for all the children so at break time one half of the children will be fed first and then the second half.
05/06/08
Today both projects had activities to carry out in the morning. Cormac and Rosanne went to the homes of beneficaries of the school fees payment scheme. We were helped by Macarena and Ivy, who acted as guide and translator. Macarena is a member of the home-based care group who help the needy and those affected by HIV/AIDS, she dedicates four hours everyday to the group, visiting the sick and administering supplies. This experience proved a real eye-opener. We visited 7 houses in all and were warmly welcomed. We were provided with tiny chairs which we sat on outside while chatting. At most houses we met a woman who was caring for a number of orphans on her own. The poverty we encountered was awful. We were speechless when people told us their horrifying stories. In one case that stands out a woman is currently taking care of 11 kids. Herself and two of her kids are HIV positive. The rest are orphans of her sister and brother that she took in. Only one of the kids is attending secondary school, thanks to Ungweru. She has a job knitting jumpers but will not be able to continue long more as she is getting weaker. If she stops working the family will have no income. Although the home-base care provides what help they can the family still doesn't have enough food. Deirdre and Val visited another local Child Day Care Centre for orphans in order to compare with Temwanani. We were really impressed with the development of this orphanage. It has been in place a lot longer and It is a good model to work off in relation to improving Temwanani. The community involved in this Day Care Centre is very supportive and is hoping to develop some kind of self-sufficient business (Poultry farming, high output gardens) so that they won't be so dependant on donations. This is exactly what needs to be established in the community of Temwanani. We are hoping to promote the community to be more supportive and involved in ensuring the success of Temwanani.
After finishing off another spectacular culinary masterpiece provided by Martin we went to the local youth group's soccer game with Lucia, one of the neighbours. It was great to mix and chat with some of the locals who are our age. We met with Brave, the executive of Ungweru youth and planned some activities with him and the group for the future. Other interesting names which we encountered are Conformist and Gift Singing...
MALAWI
This blog records our experiences when volunteering with Ungweru in Mzuzu, Malawi. Ungweru, the Chitumbuka word for "light", was established in late 2005. Ungweru is comprised of a computer resource centre with a small library, a reading room, boardroom, office for director, reception area and a small meeting area. St. Augustine's Home-Based Care and Temwanani ( orphanage/child day care centre) are just two groups which Ungweru has been closely associated with helping in the past few years.
We hope you enjoy reading about our time in Malawi.
Cormac, Deirdre, Jack, James, Jamie, Rosanne and Valerie.
We hope you enjoy reading about our time in Malawi.
Cormac, Deirdre, Jack, James, Jamie, Rosanne and Valerie.
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