work

Hello all,

Some of you may have got the impression that we are just holidaying about out here, so I thought i'd explain what work we are doing (sorry, no photos!).

Andy:

• helping out the Executive Director with writing funding proposals for various projects (currently working on one to AusAID to support refuse collection and composting)
• assessing ongoing programmes against their stated aims and outcomes, and feeding back to funders
• developing an environmental policy for AYISE
• updating the website "creatively"
• writing up annual report(s)
• representing AYISE at meetings on an ad hoc basis, when required
• Develop a tree nursery initiative and participate in the coordination of environmental work camps
• Help in developing AYISE’s HIV and AIDS as well as Gender Policies
• Handover (with any required training) all responsibilities for ongoing work before leaving
• Ensure AYISE systems of work are appropriate in both a local and international setting

Rachel has a bit of a double role:

The role of Volunteer Coordinator involves coordinating the work of all international volunteers and the local volunteers involved in international placements and workcamps, including coordinating the World Heritage Volunteers project. The specifics of this role include:

· Communication with volunteers and partner organisations, including:

i. Lead on communication with all potential volunteers prior to workcamps/placements and ensure effective communication with prospective international volunteers on the conditions and situation of each specific camp.

ii. Regular communication with all local and international partners interested in workcamps

· Organisation of practical arrangements before and after workcamps, including:

i. Identification of work outlines for each camp and/or placement

ii. Together with the programme Officer for Workcamps assess all the workcamp sites and prepare the communities and the local volunteers that will be involved on each camp.

iii. Assisting in sourcing the material needs of each workcamp
iv. Training of host homes on the expectations of international volunteers
v. Ensure most needs of international volunteers are addressed including conflict resolution
vi. Carry out evaluations of all the workcamps.

The role of Policies advisor includes:

· Help in developing AYISE’s HIV and AIDS as well as Gender Policies
· Ensure equal opportunity considerations in all the camps
· Handover (with any required training) all responsibilities for ongoing work before leaving

Assisting staff responsible for gender programmes with their work when required.

So that's what we're doing! At the moment Rachel is trying to organise volunteers for, and a visit to one of the sites of the first volunteer placements, which is a couple of primary school construction projects near Majete (down in the Shire valley, about an hour from Blantyre).

Back to work now!

Love to all.

Getting sweaty in Majete...

spot the elephant...

zebra and impala

the falls, with Rach and N

A swarm of hippos

more elephants

Adansonia Digitatus (Baobab tree) with Adamsonia Digitatus infront

First, I’d like to write a word for our sponsors:

Mr R M Ward Social Enterprises unlimited (and associates N&H incorporated) were the very kind sponsors of our weekend of luxury, details below. We are incredibly grateful to them for their unlimited kindness, and would like to thank them for the best weekend yet in Malawi (and introducing us to a great coffee shop!).

Additional sponsors who helped us to get here include all of our lovely lovely friends and family in the UK and abroad, as well as the South Down Trust, and Fisher and Donaldson - Bakers and Confections of Excellence.

Now for the update:

We met up with R and his colleagues at a coffee shop in the suburbs of Blantyre, and had our first fresh coffees since arriving in Malawi…mmm…yummy! It was so good to just sit and catch up with R, relaxing on a Saturday morning in the shade of the trees outside Mandala House (the oldest building in Blantyre – possibly Malawi). The level of excitement was increased further when R produced not just the requested Saturday Guardian newspaper (which we are savouring still) but also wonderful chocolate based gifts and notes of support and encouragement from the Edinburgh gang. THANKS!

When the coffee was all drunk (N had paid for it before we had a chance, very kind!) we headed into town in search of a place to change dollars into MK and various other errands including purchase of maps. The Department of Maps was closed, but apparently it was also completely out of all stock, so we didn’t miss out, and should go to a book store instead. The bank wouldn’t change our $10 notes, only denominations of $50 or larger…which would have required a wheelbarrow for all the MK notes! We popped into a small Forex (foreign exchange) place instead, just as it closed, and got a much better rate – so all good indeed!

After such hard bargaining we decided we were in need of food, so went to a place D had recommended. The food was largely good, although the chambo was a bit on the underdone side, and the portions were very generous. R refused to let us pay, which was really kind of him.
After that, a trip around town looking for map shops etc and a wee excursion to the (by this point very hot) Blantyre market. All of which required a bit of a sit down, so we headed to R’s accommodation, and sat with our feet in the pool and drank a lovely MG&T (Malawi Gin & Tonic). Again, R claimed ‘your money’s no good here…’ drat...

Tired and content we headed home to sit and read the paper by the light of our head torches, as there was a power cut again. Very nice way to chill out at the end of a hot, sweaty day.

The next morning we met R, N& H and were whisked off in their big hired truck to go to Majete wildlife reserve (hence the photos above). We saw elephants near and far, they even strolled past while we were eating lunch. We drove around a small corner of the reserve and saw hippos, kudu, impala, warthogs, lots of butterflies, and some incredibly rough roads! Majete is down on the banks of the Shire, and contains the major waterfalls (Murchison Cataracts) that prevented any vessels from making an unbroken trip up the Shire from where it meets the swollen Zambezi near the sea, straight up to lake Malawi. (incidentally, for any paddlers out there they looked paddleableish, probably grade 5 or 5+) Lunch at the lodge, with elephants and warthogs going about their lives close by was a wonderful experience. A really fantastic trip, which again R, N &H would not let us contribute towards financially, which was incredibly kind of them - thanks so much for a lovely day!

Food, glorious food!

Hello all,

As you will all be very aware, food is an absolutely key part of Rach and my lives, so how have we managed out here...?

Not too badly I think. Breakfasts started off with cornflakes, but these were a bit rubbish and pretty expensive, and muesli doesn't exist out here, so we have since switched to bread and honey and fruit (it's green tangerine season at the moment - sorry no photos - so we have about a tonne of them to eat , yum!). Honey is fairly expensive, but we have found it brightens any meal so it's a wee treat to ourselves.

Lunches at the moment are fantastic! Avocado, tomato and marmite sandwiches. Delicious! With more tangerines and bananas for pudding. Not the ubiquitous cheese which was the staple of our UK lives, but a great alternative while the avocado season lasts. Marmite too is fairly expensive, but again is a great source of flavourful yumminess. We believe the avocado season may be closing soon though, so we'll have to think about our alternatives. To keep our dairy levels up in the absence of cheese, we have a wee glass of milk at breakfast.

Tea is pretty varied. We were provided with some mince and chicken pieces in the freezer when we arrived, and we've had some dishes involving those meats, plus sausages from a supermarket (meat seems to be similar prices to the UK, so pretty expensive for here). We bought dried fish (tiny little ones in a bag) last night and added them to a tomato and veg sauce - it was quite delicious, so that may well happen again. We bought some 'curry' powder from the indian spice shop in Blantyre but it is all smell and no taste unfortunately - however we have some of the Malawian staple Peri-Peri hot sauce, and chilis in the garden, so we can make things as hot as we can handle. And for pudding, more fruit and honey - yum!

Fresh coffee is really expensive out here (around 5 - 8 pounds per bag) so my tastebuds are adjusting to instant again - it's not as bad as I'd feared, although I do still crave a big steaming cup of black gold occasionally.

Still haven't seen any of the fabled rat-on-a-stick yet...

The Bangwe Youth Centre

AYISE, with the help of AusAID (Thanks, mate!) built the Bangwe Youth Centre a few years ago (I’m not quite sure when, but I think maybe 2006). The centre (BAYOC) is staffed by young volunteers who are members of AYISE, who give up their time to enable the centre to provide a safe space for the youth of Bangwe to form healthy relationships and take place in sports, computer training, and other constructive past times. There are not enough facilities like this in the area, so BAYOC caters for a very large number of young people. So much so, that when the 'kids corner' was created for younger children the roundabouts broke due to overuse in the first few weeks. Despite this the centre is still a popular hang out for kids young and older.

BAYOC provides a free space, away from the prying eyes of adults, in which young couples can spend time together, without just hanging out on the streets (and the associated temptations/pressures of drink, drugs and unprotected sex). So to some it may seem like it's just a building and a few sports pitches, but it is actually a key tool in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS and in addressing poverty and unemployment by providing vastly discounted IT courses, and also positive mentoring from young men and women (mainly in their early - mid 20s I would say) who have managed to create a good life for themselves in the Bangwe area.

Cape McClear

This weekend just past (weekend of 1st May) was the Labour Day weekend in Malawi, and so Monday was a bank holiday. D (see previous post about Mulanje Medical camp) kindly offered to take us up to Cape McClear at the southern end of Lake Malawi. She was going to stay nearby with her family. Her family are building a home up there and have really strong links to the community of the area. The drive up was long and hot, and I had to drive for some parts as D’s youngest son (aged about 2 and a half) demanded motherly attention – but when we got to the beautiful lake shore we could see what all the fuss is about!

The area is stunning! We saw loads of Fish Eagles, all sorts of fish and a couple of Baboons. Baobab trees (as featured in Planet Earth a few years ago) are scattered over the savannah-like lands around the lake. The lake is at a lower altitude than verdant Blantyre, and so felt rather warm. The water was a perfect swimming temperature, although we didn’t venture too far due to stories of crocodiles.

By entering the water, or even showering in the accommodation next to the water, you are very likely to contract Bilharzia. Baically little bugs get into the soles of your feet and work their way slowly to your liver, where they can start to cause problems. To address this, simply take the relevant treatment 7 weeks after exposure – so we will be sure to do this!

The lake was too tempting not to get in, and after just the drive we definitely needed showers, so we were going to get infected anyway – so we thought we might as well make the most of it! We hired a canoe (pretty shoddy for the price, should have bargained harder) for the day on Sunday and paddled around the coast and the nearby islands. For those who know Glenuig in Scotland, it was rather like a beautiful day at the beach! The sun felt really strong, so we covered up fully, which must have made us look quite a sight – see photo!

On the way up we passed many small markets, and police road blocks where (as a white person who obviously has more than the average amount of money because you are in a motor vehicle) you may be asked “what gift you bring me?”…D skillfully got us past this with no agro at all by joking with the policeman and baffling him with an information overload in English, which is most people’s second language here.

The markets we passed were much like the one here in Bangwe, where live chickens are sold in rough cages, among fruit sellers, fish sellers, ‘curios’ sellers (tourist tat) and open drains. In these markets we get thronged by kids practicing their English on us and laughing at our appearance and our attempts at Chichewa. Rather rude if you think about it, but it’s cute at the moment. Occasionally in Bangwe we will be accosted by a young waif asking for money, but very rarely – and they don’t persist after you decline to pay, so it’s not too much hassle. However, at Cape McClear (a much more touristy place) we did feel like we appeared as walking dollar signs, with people young and old trying to swindle money out of us at any given opportunity.

However, and in keeping with the very friendly basic nature of most Malawians, when we didn’t have enough cash to pay for our accommodation (we’d mis calculated the fees, and the value of the dollar – and the nearest cash machine turns out to be about 90 minutes away by bus) they let us off with an I-Owe-You and a promise to come back. We got a (ridiculously over crowded mini bus – 25 people in a 15 seater) out of town early on Monday morning to meet D at her accommodation, and when we got off we borrowed cash from D and gave it to the bus driver to give to the hostel…hopefully it gets to the right place!

Tune in for more updates later!

A&R

Mulanje Medical camp

On Thursday and Friday last week we were whisked off by D (an ex Pat lady who has lived in Malawi for 12 years with her family, and is deeply involved in many charities out here, including AYISE) to help out at the Mulanje Medical camp. The camp provides free medical assistance to the rural areas around the town and mountain of Mulanje. The place was absolutely packed! Crowd control was a real issue due the massive popularity of the programme.

The camp is run every year by a Hindi charity which is based in the UK. They bring out supplies of various pharmaceuticals, as well as doctors, pharmacists and other volunteers who have given up their time and money to help the Malawians who cannot afford, or cannot access medical assistance.

The camp was down a long dusty track, which must have proved problematic for some of the less mobile patients. But come they did, in their thousands! Many walked, but some were lucky / rich enough to ride in on a bike/on the back of a bike taxi.

Rach and I have no medical knowledge really, so Rach was put to work in the kitchens serving the hard working volunteer staff, and then the pharmacy, and I was sent to use my recently acquired Chichewa to help register people for dental services (this proved slightly problematic, as people saw the dentistry registration as a short cut to become fully registered, and consequently get their free lunch and clothing…slightly stressful at times!). I then also helped in the pharmacy, dividing up bottles of paracetemol, handing out clothing, restocking, basic stuff, but necessary to the smooth operation of the camp. The striking thing was how simple some of the medical issues were. Almost every ailment was addressed with multivitamins, iron, and paracetemol – malnutrition is causing major problems for a lot of people.

The Hindi charity (I’m sorry, I cannot remember the name) worked tirelessly all week, we just turned up at the end. Donations to projects of this type make a real difference to the lives of those thousands of people who can get to these annual camps, and deserve our full support.

Our Accomodation

These photos show our accommodation.

We are in a walled compound, with 24 hour company from 1 or 2 friendly security guards who help to reduce any temptation for theft in the community, as well as providing peace of mind to international volunteers, giving lessons in Chichewa, and advising us on current market prices for food – priceless individuals!

We are the only volunteers currently, but when more arrive we will share our living room, kitchen and bathroom facilities (including a shower), but will still have our spacious double bedroom to ourselves, which is luxurious!

The compound is on a dirt road which I’m sure will become treacherously muddy during the wet season (which is just finishing – we had some cool wet weather last week, but this week is looking lovely), but at the moment is just dusty and pot holed.

We can hear reggae from the guard’s wind-up and solar powered radio, the chirping of many birds, crowing of many cockrels, kids playing and sometimes gospel singing from the nearby churches.

In the grounds there are papaya trees and green-oranges trees, as well as chillis growing – we are free to take from these as we please (the fruit isn’t ready yet, but we’ve already used the chillis).

The guards (and most of the Malawian population) cook up nsima for most meals, on an open fire. Nsima is corn (maize) flour, added to boiled water, to produce something that looks a bit like mashed potatoes, and doesn’t taste of much – but is very filling. It is the staple of the country and is eaten with your hands, and if you are lucky enough to have some veg or meat to add to it you have that on the side as a relish.

We are very happy with the accomodation so far, it is far better than we had imagined and is really very luxurious when power and water are both on (most of the time).

So far there are still not too many mozzies - fingers crossed it stays that way...!

A & R