Praying our ancient minibus didn't break down as it crawled through the mountains...

Malawian sunsets are a beautiful thing. Shades of red and pink and orange dominate the sky and cast their light as far as the eye can see, from Dedza Mountain to the border with Mozambique. However despite the added beauty, sunsets in Malawi mean the same as the sunsets back in England. The shops close, people go home, the colours give way to darkness and we say goodbye to another day. At the time of typing this I have seen twenty-eight Malawian sunsets.

Approaching the Airfield where i'm staying as the sun sets on Dedza
Photo: Jason Lunn

I have become settled in Dedza and found a home for myself in this small, dusty, rural town - different as it is from the world I spent the first twenty-three years of my life living in. I won't waste my time describing the town - to anyone familiar with Malawi it will not need describing and to anyone unfamiliar, my description simply would not do it justice. All I can tell you is to come and experience it for yourself. My inadequate description giving you a snippet of the last week or so is as follows…

At the Kwhatu Lodge you could be almost anywhere
Photo: Jason Lunn

The last week has been a hectic one. After what seemed a relatively slow start we were out in the communities in force - meeting teachers, organising events and delivering sexual health lessons to teenagers, all the while praying our ancient minibus didn't break down as it crawled through the mountains.

Delivering sessions to teenagers addressing SRH myths, rights and gender equality.
Photo: Jason Lunn

Dan delivering a session at Kalilombe Primary School
Photo: Jason Lunn

Following our productive week, we were rewarded with the long-awaited project trip to the old colonial capital city of Zomba, in Southern Malawi, to reunite with our co-workers from Zomba and Salima. The trip was a resounding success. After driving for over three hours to get to there and seeing Hippos in the Shire River, we could say hello, sweat, and have lunch before our drive back to Dedza. Although brief, the visit allowed us to leave with a good impression of the city and a good idea of the work that the other teams were carrying out in their respective projects. I also had the good fortune of eating Chambo for the first time; a fish native to Lake Malawi with a smokey flavour that is a must-have for your dinner plate or your aquarium, depending on your preference! 

A theatre performance addressing drug and alcohol abuse, organised by YONECO/ICS, Zomba.
Photo: Jason Lunn

Brave from the Dedza team pretending to play some kind of instrument in Zomba
Photo: Jason Lunn

After a mixture of work and time to relax, we arrived fresh on Monday morning for a meeting with our partner organisation, CYECE, to outline the activities planned for the upcoming week. Twenty cigarettes, a portion of goat, chips and a cold soft-drink took a dent of 90p out of my pocket at lunch time and was adequate preparation for the afternoon to come. At around 1.30 PM we were greeted by the Ntcheu team who had elected to come to Dedza for their project trip. The fun thing about Ntcheu is that it's very similar to Dedza, only slightly larger and a lot more intense. As such the Ntcheu team smartly avoided having to see anything new and exciting, so we quickly put them to work. We walked to the nearby village of Takomana where we met the Chief before surveying local families. One of the lessons I've learned being here is that Malawians are very patient and as such we were openly received by everyone. Our mission was to find information about the families with children of school-going age; whether these children were in school, and if they weren't, why this was the case and what are the challenges they face getting their children to school. I cannot speak for the entire team but for the houses I interviewed all of the children were in education despite a plethora of major issues, which says a great deal of the resilience of the people.

The Dedza and Ntcheu teams begin their 10 minute (10 Malawian minutes is around 45 minutes) journey to Takomana
Photo: Jason Lunn

Since primary education was made available for free, the number of students enrolling has increased dramatically and as such, the government of Malawi have found it very difficult to provide staff and resources to meet the growing demand. This means that students often sit on the floor, with no equipment and in class sizes of up to 100 students. According to UNESCO, 11% of primary school-aged children do not attend. Some parents told us children have to walk great distances to get to school which is more difficult during the rainy season.

Dedza and Ntcheu team pictured with Chief Takomana

Following our afternoon, we retired to a local bar and relaxed with some Mozambican Vinhao - a sweet wine that is ubiquitous in Dedza. We caught up with the team and I arrived back at my home to find that the power was on and my phone's internet was running quickly - two great luxuries these days. Living here has not been without its difficulties! But despite the difficulties, the lack of amenities and the ever-present poverty, Malawi is an exciting and friendly place to those willing to embrace it. Full of interesting characters, new experiences and daily realities that are mind-blowing to a humble boy from Outer West London, Malawi and Dedza have won a place in my heart for as long as it keeps ticking.

Written by Dan Lloyd

A closer look at the Dedza team!

On 9th October 2017, a fresh wave of volunteers descended on Lilongwe, Malawi, meeting their new team mates for the next 10 weeks before travelling to their locations in either Dedza, Salima, Ntcheu or Zomba. 

The Dedza team is made up of 12 volunteers including Team Leaders Ernest and Jason who arrived in July. The placement is a partnership between the UK government's International Citizen Service (ICS) programme, human rights organisation International Service based in York, England and the Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (CYECE) based in Malawi.

Dan Lloyd being abducted by aliens as the team attempt one of those 'everyone do a silly jump in the air' photographs..

The focus of the programme is girls' education; the challenges faced by girls and young women which prevent them from accessing or completing their education. The Dedza team will deliver sessions in schools around sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR), so areas such as teenage pregnancy, contraception, HIV/Aids and STIs, early marriage and the importance of education. They will also focus on anti-bullying programmes, peer education sessions and advocacy meetings with community stakeholders and duty bearers.

So let's meet the team!

Daniel Kapitaapa

Daniel Kapitaapa, 23, lives in Lilongwe, Malawi and studied a BSc in Seed Systems at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He said, 'in seed systems, we strive to make sure that the farmers have the guaranteed access to quality seeds at the right time, place and price. This is achieved by employing the organised mechanisms in plant breeding, seed production and seed use continuum. We ultimately look at the whole seed value chain'. He likes reading novels in his free time. He also likes watching football and is a big Arsenal fan! Dan said, 'I am a go-getter sort of a person. I believe that dreams without action are worthless. The difference lies in translating those dreams into tangible actions. And that's the only way the heroes are made'. If you want an intelligent insight into anything, please speak to Dan.

Keri Heffernan

Keri Heffernan is a 25 year old Primary School teacher from Brighton, England. She said, 'I chose to volunteer with International Service because as a teacher, I believe that everyone deserves an equal chance at education. I love my job in England, but I wanted to take some time to help children in a more marginalised country, who may not have such easy access to a free and full education'. In her spare time, Keri really enjoys painting and hopes to capture some of the mountainous Dedza scenes in paint, when she gets back to the UK!

Neil Raw

Neil Raw, 23, from York U.K. studied International Development at University before completing a masters in Applied Human Rights. Since graduating he has volunteered for International Service before deciding to apply for ICS in order to enhance his understanding of development and contribute to making a difference in the field.

Emmanuela Tsirizeni

Emmanuela Tsirizeni (aka Nana, aka Nafe) is the youngest member of the team. She's 18 and recently wrote her MSCE. She is participating in the ICS placement before going to college. When asked why she joined, she said, 'it's because I want to be one of the change makers in my country so I saw this as the best start for my mission'. She likes dancing 'very very much to the point that I don't care what people will say about me' and mostly Afro song's. She described herself as friendly, likes making friends and crazy.... as well as being confident, smart... and short.

Meka Beresford

Meka Beresford, 21, from Brighton England, is a journalist in London. She said, 'I chose the ICS programme because I've been in education non-stop and jumped right into a job after graduation. I wanted a break from the UK and to experience a different culture'. She has a keen interest in human rights and is considering doing a masters in the topic. Meka said, 'I think ICS will help me decide if I wanted to do that!'. In her spare time, she creates playlists - with the largest taking nearly 30 hours to play through once...

Brave Kamanga

Brave Kamanga is 23 and from Mzimba (Enukweni), Malawi.

He recently completed his MSCE and joined the ICS programme to gain confidence, make a change in his life and 'extend my thinking capacity'. He loves football and chatting with friends. He is also our resident DJ...

Dan Lloyd. Yes, hes wrapped in bubble wrap...

Dan Lloyd, 23, is from London and studied human rights with a minor in media and communications at Kingston University. He chose to do the ICS programme as it is relevant to his degree area and was excited about the chance to live and work in a country with an unimaginably different culture to his own. He has previously worked in Budapest! Dan is the guy who always has something memorable to say.

Ethel Waya

Ethel Waya is 24 years old and a Registered Nurse & Midwife from Dowa, Malawi. She joined the ICS programme as she has a passion to serve people and said, 'the placement is about serving people in the community, so I took the challenge to change my world'. She loves music and singing as well as dancing, although she admits she's not very good!

Aarom Mkindawire

Aaron Mkandawire is 23 and from Rumphi District in the Northern region of Malawi. He was an intern at Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO) before volunteering with ICS. He achieved the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) and also holds an Advanced Diploma in Human Resource Management which he acquired from the Staff Development Institute. He joined ICS as he is passionate about youth development and woman’s empowerment. He said, 'as we are working with girls it means I am automatically empowering women which is an exciting prospect for me as this is the area I feel most passionate about'. He also said he's a big fan of football!                            

Archie Barber

Archie Barber is a 22 year old Film Studies graduate from London. He spent three months as a salesman on the streets of Glasgow, 'peddling gas and lekky' after graduating from Sterling University. He said, 'I joined ICS to have a positive impact on the global community and to experience life outside the western world'. 

And finally, Team Leaders Ernest Kasinja and Jason Lunn

Ernest (left) and Jason

Ernest is 29 and studied a BSc in Education. Prior to joining the programme as the in-country Team Leader, he taught for 9 years! It has always been his passion to empower the marginalised; promoting their rights to education and access to services. He said, 'the ICS programme is a platform to reach out to people in the hard to reach areas and contribute to the development of our country and the world at large'.

Jason Lunn is our UK Team Leader, a Business Studies Teacher from Lincolnshire, UK. He has worked in a number of areas prior to becoming a Teacher, from human resources, product development and marketing to sales, recruitment, logistics and customer service management. He said, 'I'm not sure why but for a very long time I've had this vision of volunteering in Africa and now it has become a reality. I'm 35 so with ICS it was now or never! It is an eye opening experience in so many ways'. He recently learned to ski in the Austrian and French Alps and hopes to do more after he completes the placement.

Look out for our video interviews with the team coming soon!

Hitting the Dedza ground running!

‘Azungu! Azungu!’ that’s how we were greeted by the children at Chimkombera Primary School, our first point to conduct our first field activity. ‘Azungu’ refers to a local term meaning ‘white man’. The children were very excited to see us, especially the UK volunteers. This greeting has set the vibe in our subsequent activities, so much so that we were surprised it wasn't said at Molima Family Home, an orphanage we visited in our first week on International Citizen Service (ICS) placement.
 

The International Service / ICS team in Dedza, Malawi.
Photo: Jason Lunn

The first two weeks of our placement have been more than awesome. We have travelled across Dedza, meeting various people in different locations and finding out how they are striving to make a better life for themselves and for those they look after.

Visiting a VSL group to identify the challenges they face.
Photo: Meka Beresford

In Dedza, we work with the Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (CYECE) which targets young girls in education. We are trying to push the girls that have dropped out to go back to school, as well as empowering girls to make positive life choices that allow them to complete their education and achieve the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE). This also involves changing attitudes and focussing on harmful cultural practices that prevent young people from succeeding.

Children carrying bricks as we discuss income generating opportunities with a VSL group.
Photo: Meka Beresford

We had a very productive first week, visiting seven Village Savings and Loans (VSL) groups in different locations around the Dedza district, from Bembeke to Golomoti. VSL groups pool their money together, allowing each member to borrow at low interest. The loans can then be invested in businesses, farming or other income generating activities. The big day for the VSL groups comes at the end of the year, where the total amount of money is shared out amongst the members who can use it to pay for their child’s education, up-scale their business or build/extend a house. The groups have brought about huge change in their communities, allowing members such as Flola Kachepatsonga from Tigwirizane to provide for her children and pay their school fees. Chifundo, another successful female member of Tisungane VSL, bought land, built a house and is running a ‘chitenje’ business in which she buys the traditional wrap worn by women from Tanzania and sells them in Dedza. These two ventures mean that their children can stay in education and the family are no longer struggling financially.

We were taken to a small holding operated by a VSL group growing Irish potatoes, maize, pumpkins and fruits.
Photo: Jason Lunn

It was a wonderful experience interacting with those in the communities and seeing how they are trying to improve their livelihoods by engaging in different income generating activities. We also visited a paper recycling business in Dedza and some of the team were able to get involved! This is another example of an economic opportunity that uses locally sourced materials to generate income. We had two and a half days of training with half of the team learning about peer education programmes in schools whilst the other half learned about business skills and nutrition. We had Sexual Reproductive and Health Rights (SRHR) training with Josef from Dedza Hospital and helped with painting at the Banda Hill Primary School with Inspire Malawi (look out for more on that in future blogs!). We have also started to learn more about international development through 'Guided Learning' sessions.

Emanuella takes part in paper recycling at Dedza Handmade Art Gallery.
Photo: Jason Lunn

Working with Inspire Malawi, Keri draws and paints pictures to make learning more engaging at Banda Hill Primary School, Mzengeleza village. Photo: Jason Lunn

As everyone knows, you must work hard to play hard. The first week was not just about visiting the people in the villages. We also started our Jenga, finger bowling and 'chicken hat' tournaments in the office! Oh, and we climbed Dedza mountain to its peak! We could see the whole view of Dedza town from the mountain. It was simply amazing. However, it was worrying to see how people are slowly destroying the amazing landscape by setting fires, creating smoked patches on the beautiful mountain surface as well as the impact of the huge amount of logging that takes place.

After reaching the peak of Dedza mountain, I looked out at the vast landscape of the Dedza district and Mozambique!
Photo: Jason Lunn

Our journey so far ended at Molima Family Home, the fruit of two visionary men that met by chance on a bus after one of them was robbed! They spoke of building a life changing paradise for the orphaned children in Dedza. From that encounter, the late Isaac Phiri and Geoff Phillips built an orphanage to help children. As it stands today, it supports 27 children and their extended families. We visited this wonderful place, spending the afternoon playing games with the children. We will host several sessions at Molima to help the kids in different aspects of their life through social, health and education sessions.

Breaking the ice with a few energisers at Molima Family Home - this one was led by the children!
Photo: Jason Lunn

I can’t wait for what the next eight weeks have in store for us!

Written by Daniel Kapitaapa

It’s not all plasma TVs and surround sound in the warm heart of Africa!

Coming to the end of my ICS placement I want to make clear the expectations vs reality of volunteering in a developing country. I (foolishly) expected to arrive in Dedza, be dropped off at my host home that was made of mud with a thatched roof, and not see a TV until ten weeks later when I arrived back in the UK! Not that having a television is a measure of wealth, but the TV in my host home is actually better than the TV in my family home (one of our team members arrived at a home with a plasma TV and full surround sound, accompanied by bare concrete walls, in a non-Scandinavian fashion way). My walls are made of brick and cement and the roof isn't thatched! In fact, my host home is much more comfortable than my flat share in London. There is power – provided there isn't a black out, which occurs very often. I came to Malawi moderately prepared for black outs as I assumed I would be living in the middle of nowhere in said-mud-hut, with two torches and a portable charger (which has turned out to be a godsend). Malawi in general is subject to regular black outs due to a lack of resources to power the country. So, if you do volunteer in Malawi do expect to see mud huts, but they are mostly native to the isolated regions and villages.

A family who live next to the office prepare food in the garden of their brick-built home!

My second big expectation (also very much down to the west-centric viewpoint we have of Africa) was to see children everywhere, malnourished and in rags. Sadly, I would be lying to say you will not see this. Most children I have met have been dressed in ripped clothes, worn by generations of children before them. Clothing is not necessarily a symbol of poverty here - most clothes come from donation banks from Europe and the states, and often the clothes are bought with the holes. The other day my 9 year-old twin host sisters were trying on new clothes, and I have never seen children so excited to have 'new' clothes that were so ripped apart! Rips and tears are not synonymous with poverty here, when rips and tears are standard. Most children I have seen are, most likely, living in a state of poverty incomparable to poverty in the UK. They will work on house chores from a very young age (there are 9 year olds better at cooking, cleaning and washing than I am at 20), and some will be forced to drop out of school to help support their families (a practice we have been researching and focusing on). In one survey, it transpired that across 14 schools, 367 children had dropped out in 2016/17, over a quarter of them left to work, mainly in farming but also 2 students (both aged 17) in prostitution. Around 20% of children also left due to either early pregnancy or early marriage.

Being taught how to dance by Malawian children at an Open Day raising awareness of early marriages.

Here, they know two sentences in English: 'hello how are you!' and 'give me my money'. I'm unsure how many of the younger ones know the Chichewa translation of what they are asking, but I am sure at some point when they ask an 'Unzungu' (white person) for money, they are given it, so they ask every Unzungu they see. The way this differs from my expectation was that I implicitly assumed that these children would be unhappy, because they are poor, but these children have a lot more freedom than most people who grow up in the UK. Sadly, their poverty will systematically impact them as they grow up, but at this time in their lives the children I have met are so unaware of the issues that might face them that they truly enjoy the simplicity of Malawian life. so - poverty is not always the comic relief imagery of rib cage skinny children, it is often much more discrete. 

A typical meal of Nsima, salad and fish!

My third misconception is extremely self-centred, but I think it's important to think about. I assumed that I would lose loads of weight because 'people in Africa are starving'. We have this assumption that starving and malnourished means unnecessarily thin. This, I think, is the biggest misconception people had about my placement in Malawi. In fact, my host family and most Malawians take great pride in their food, and I've eaten so much Nsima it's probably best I've reached the end of my placement; my stomach might just explode maize plant! A few weeks ago my host mother looked at me with great pride on her face and muttered something in Chichewa. I was expecting something sweet and encouraging, when my counterpart explained that she had said I have 'gained quite a bit of weight'. She meant well, I think. A week later my neighbour reiterated my host mum's words, to then be explained to by her husband (who has family in the UK) that people in the UK are weird, ‘they think it's good not to eat’! This sentence was really enlightening for me. With a west-centric view of the world, and wallet to go with it, food no longer seems a necessity - we spend time and money making it a luxury. I don't eat food because it is high in calories to fuel my day; I eat food that tastes good and sustains me. I care about being slim because I have the privilege to be able to see food in a way that allows me to be slim. And so I think this misconception was one of the most enlightening on my own viewpoints.

Team cultural trip to Kungoni museum at Mua Mission

I have spent time and energy worrying about coming back to the UK with a slightly larger waistband, but in retrospect my time here and the work we have done has been so much more valuable than any weight gain. And I am so privileged to come to a country where people are suffering as they cannot access enough food, and be fed the amount I have been. Also, malnourishment isn't all skinny children with bloated stomachs, it is a lack of a balanced diet. I have been lucky to enjoy Malawian food and it has been interesting to spend so long having a diet completely different to mine at home. I have tried everything I have been given (apart from one occasion when dinner was served as three semi-fried mice). I have also learnt that if you are to eat meat, you should make use of all of the animal. Malawians are very good at making use of what they have, and it is not unusual to be served a fried chicken head or feet, offal (goats intestines), or even, as one volunteer was given, goats jaw fully equipped with teeth! 

After climbing Dedza Mountain on our last day, we look out over Dedza, proud of what we have achieved.

There are certain things I have become so accustomed to here that will be odd to see back in the U.K. I will miss the wraps an unexplainable amount; they're versatile, vibrant, practical and comfortable. 

Me (third from left) in my Chitenje with team Dusty Dedza.

It will be odd not seeing bike taxis (Kabaza), mice on sticks, Nigerian TV programmes and 9 year-olds being way better than I will ever be at cooking! Although I approached this experience with skewed ideals, I am so glad to have been able to have the chance to work at altering my mindset to be adaptable.

So I say goodbye to my team and look forward to travelling home after what has been a challenging, inspiring, eye-opening and life-changing journey.

Team Dusty Dedza say their final goodbye.

By Sophie Bjorholm-Lewis

Homesick to a Dedza Kick

This time two weeks ago I was so home sick that I requested to leave Dedza. I didn’t feel like I was moving forward. My ankle was swollen after falling off the porch at my host home and twisting it within the first week! The UK Team Leader, Jason, looked up my symptoms on the NHS web site and sent me the R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) advice it recommended. After two weeks, my ankle was still swelling randomly but mostly in the evening so we headed to Dedza hospital for a check-up. The hospital had so many different departments, and finding the correct one was difficult. I was given my health passport, a small booklet where medical information is recorded and we waited for around an hour to see someone. Whilst waiting, it was upsetting to see Malawians with very ill children, some who couldn’t even walk by themselves, waiting patiently to be seen. The Doctor asked me about my symptoms and prescribed some medication. Jason suggested that I check with my own GP that it was okay to take them. I did and he recommended that not only do I not take them, but I also have an x-ray to exclude the possibility that my ankle was fractured. He also recommended R.I.C.E. The hospital in Dedza had one x-ray machine, which was broken, so I had to travel 75km to Ntcheu Hospital with my Malawian Team Leader, Ernest. Luckily my ankle was not fractured; however, this whole process left me feeling pretty down.

(from left) Sophie, Jason, Zoe and I spent the day at Dedza Pottery restaurant

After I requested to leave Jason contacted me and suggested that I would kick myself if I were to leave with only three weeks to go, especially after all the time and effort I’d already put into the project. He also reminded me of all the activities we had planned and to look forward to. The following day we met up as a team for dinner and ended up spending the full day at Dedza Pottery Lodge chatting about the different things we had achieved so far. This made me realise what an emotional roller coaster we have been on as a team, and made me rethink my decision to go back to the UK. I also received messages from family and friends saying they were proud of me and I didn’t want to let them down. 

Since Jason’s message we have taken part in activities such as planting trees with a local government organisation in the rural village of Kasumbu. It was interesting to learn about and be a part of the tubing process which happens prior to planting the trees and the community in Kasumbu aim to plant 100,000! Malawi suffers from deforestation as trees are chopped down for fire wood and it was rewarding to take part in an activity that will help local communities to mitigate this. We also took part in a team building event with our project partner, CYECE, as well as our friends from the Salima team. It was also Zoe’s birthday so we had a barbeque to celebrate! After spending so much time with the team and getting to chat about how I was feeling, it made me want to stay and see things to the end.

Entertaining children in the village of Kasumbu after preparing tubes for seed planting

We still have a range of activities to look forward to including a cultural trip to Kungoni Museum, a team picnic and a walk around Dedza mountain. We have recently spent a lot of time preparing for an open day in Bembeke where we watched traditional dancing, poetry and dramas. We delivered SRHR sessions to girls and young women and raised awareness on early child marriages. We identified on the day that across 14 schools, 367 children had dropped out. 67 had left to work on a farm, 42 due to pregnancy and 27 after getting married. There were even some students who left school due to prostitution. 

Traditional dancing at an Open Day in Bembeke

Malawian girl sending a message which translates to 'protect our girls'

These experiences have made me reflect on some of the activities we experienced at the start of the programme. A few weeks ago we were collecting data at a school in the rural area of Bembeke. Most of the locals did not speak English and this restricted the involvement of UK volunteers. Sophie and I decided to meet a group of around 50 children waiting to be interviewed. Despite the language barriers we interacted by drawing animals on the chalkboard and it wasn’t long before they got involved. They also helped us by writing the animal name in Chichewa. We also decided to perform some short dances which they found hilarious! This was among one of the many experiences over the past two weeks that have made me feel less homesick and I am pleased to say that I am now looking forward to my remaining time in Malawi. My time in Dedza has definitely had its ups and downs but I’m glad I have chosen to persevere and will learn from all of my experiences. I now feel like we are moving forward with the project and can’t wait to see what the weeks ahead will bring (my ankle is much better too, by the way!).

Delivering SRHR and anti-bullying sessions at Molima Family Home orphanage

Written by Louisa Harling