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...