CYECE Dedza
Monday 11 June 2018
Exchanging knowledge and wisdom at the VSL women’s group.
Week 1
Our first week was very rewarding but challenging. The mornings were spent with the women's groups and the afternoon were spent delivering presentations/workshops in primary and secondary schools.
Our aim in the morning was to share sustainable business ideas with local business women. in order to enable them to make more profitable and long-lasting businesses.
We were able to do this so effectively due to the fast rapport that was built between both us the ICS volunteers and the individuals in the women's groups. Thus we were able to share a plethora of ideas from making plantain crisps to using candle wax in polish. It was also great to see the women sharing ideas with one another to improve the sustainability of each other's businesses.
Following from the sessions we as the I CS volunteers came up with new and innovative ideas to go to the women in the women's groups.
We aim to produce practical models and representations of the ideas that we came up with in the session. We are going to make a book with instructions on how to make all of the various Products.
Although the overall or session in the women's group went well we did find a number of issues to address. Some of which included the language barrier, which hindered the fluidness of the session, and the ICS volunteers didn't feel like they could participate fully because they weren't sure what was being said.
To address this issue we, as a group decided that each ICV volunteer would sit next to an ICS volunteer in order to translate what was being said throughout the sessions. So all volunteers could contribute to the session.
Following on from this in the afternoons we went to primary and secondary schools to teach them about important issues such as self awareness, sexual health, drugs and substance misuse and bullying.
Each of the sessions were planned to be one hour long and the aim was to inform, educate and entertain the children so they were fully receptive to the information that was being given to them.
I thought it was really outstanding that we all delivered our presentations so confidently, taking into account the fact that none of us had had prior experience of public speaking. The issues were more evident at the start of the week because we were all new to the process, however I saw a drastic change and improvement to all of our deliveries by the end of the first week.
Some of the issues in the first week were coming up with enough material to fill a one hour presentation. Another issue was keeping the students engaged and interactive throughout the session.
The last issue was there was not enough translations between ICV volunteer and ICS volunteer, so both could not work together as a cohesive unit. Which made the session stilted at times.
That said, by the end of the week these issues were less evident due to the volunteers becoming more comfortable and confident public speakers. The volunteer is felt much better after the first session due to the constructive criticism or advice that was given to improve their performance is to make the sessions more engaging for the students.
All in all it was a great week it allowed us to develop a range of transferable skill such as problem solving and team working. Although there were issue we were all in agreement of constructive ways to overcome and resolve them.
Thursday 29 March 2018
As above, so below: Dissertation, Mandela fever and conspiring to wage nonviolence
By Asher Gammon
I have a chapter to bring to a close between now and my graduation. A final task which lies ahead. Just talking of it summons apprehension. Dissertation. The sounds of the word is slightly sinister. Dissertation. As if a snake would be best suit to say it. Dissertation. Satire aside however; I am also looking forward to spending time reading and writing about; human rights, food security and social justice movements. In the corners of peaceful, antiquated British libraries. Dissertation. In charming British parks with the most hospitable British climate. Dissertation. Drinking tea on smooth running, commuter trains through that nice picture of Britain.
I must confess that I, a young man, considered of half Euro descent, who ecently I have been falling up a path of informal research, and my praxis is gradually solidifyingstruggles to express himself in the proper English tongue, studies the legacies of colonialism, wrongful wars (all wars) and has generally been uninterested in British culture; is both shocked and healed to realise that he sincerely longs for that quaint Little Britain and his tranquil Yorkshire, from his temporary home in the Warm Heart of Africa.
Recently I have been falling up a path of informal research, and my praxis is gradually solidifying within (if solidifying is that which this praxis thing does?). However, recently listening to an audio recording of ‘A Long Walk to Freedom’ (Mandela’s autobiography), I prefer the term “political awakening” rather than praxis. I should confess I am in the midst of a sort of Mandela complex and have caught the Mandela fever, as have many other young people before me. His autobiography has given me to a new role model and inspiration, for Mandela is a person who never let bureaucracy put him on hold, and chose pacifism over violence. Mandela!
Whilst I’m thinking about how cultural identities inform praxis, I am also thinking how awakening politically can further enhance cultural identity. For instance, I have begun conducting informal research about the perspectives and understandings of empowerment, simultaneously I am being charged by the power of other people and my own identity is transformed.
To be even more explicit about the transformation; as my Mandela Complex develops, I mean praxis, I have found myself identifying as first and foremost an activist, secondarily a volunteer here. Whilst my placement here will end one day, and I shall be released back to the antiquated and imaginary rose gardens of Little Britain, the activist part of me will remain. That is if, my activism is earthed by ethical reasoning, then it will always be retained in my consciousness; I am an activist, and a happy one.
This does not to subtract from how much I value and respect my placement here. For I sincerely believe that civil societies need individuals who are first and foremost activists and are also students or workers secondarily. Whilst I have previously described myself as a student activist, I foresee this placement will leave me an activist student. This is more than just semantics, or semantics are more than we think, for it changes my very nature to even to write of this.
When I report back indirectly to DFiD (and other stakeholders directly) about the placement; I’ll have the opportunity to tell them how my placement, has transformed me into an empowered activist student, as opposed to the student activist I once was. I'll have to explain about how this is a very different thing indeed, and if anyone has doubts I'll start talking about Nelson Mandela, then everyone will applaud.
How I prioritise my identity, will be in the best interest of the donors if their best interest is that of the oppressed or marginalised (but I shall not call them poor) communities we are empowering and also defending. Furthermore, it is in the best interest for all if activists are both nonviolent and compassionate throughout their action and research.
Coincidentally, 'activist' is a title I would have previously denied myself because of a lack of theoretical understanding of social causes, and a concern about what impression it would have on potential future employers and peers (like DFiD).
At the same time, I have not been absence from activism and at times, I have been found very close to the heart of some campaigns. I just couldn't stay away. True however, I felt out of place in such central positions, since I was unconscious of the extent of ethical grounds and praxis behind movements; I would be unconfident in an argument trying to defend the causes if challenged. Although since I've started studying again, I have begun to understand in more depth those ethical grounds. However I still had to come here to Malawi; to know first-hand what it is that informs the ethics of social activists? (For those of you who get me; I will now be able to grow into a spiral of investigation; what comes first the ethics or the oppression?).
Now, I feel ready to pick up where I left off and start waging nonviolence, this time more consciously. Any institution, group or corporation which defends or writes the global constitution which enshrines a global apartheid for all; I will challenge with words at least, nonviolent action where necessary, and summon the feeling of empathy from within them in which they will metaphorically choke, which can emerge from even the most myopic, lead hardened hearts! That'll be a last resort.
Tuesday 20 March 2018
Becoming a big sister for the first time
A number of weeks have passed since we jumped on a flight from Heathrow to Lilongwe, and how so many things have changed. Now separated from the Salima team, we find ourselves slowly integrating into the Malawian culture. Something that’s so close but so far apart from the western ways we are used to. For me, trying to fit into my host home has been a personal struggle, one that others don’t exactly understand.
My host family consists of a single working woman named Hazel and her adopted 4-month-old daughter Zoyolo. The baby was abandoned by her mother at 3 days old in the hospital, Hazel could never have a child of her own so took Zoyolo in as her own. Since she works in Lilongwe Monday to Friday, she has 3 house maids that are relatives who cook, clean and help out.
My host sister on her 4 month birthday |
My daily life consists of having my breakfast prepared for me every morning, when I return from work there is a cup of tea waiting and then dinner is served with one place mat for me. The first struggle is how comfortable this way of living is compared to our friends in Salima as well as half of Malawians, living under the poverty line.
How can I live like this when the children I’m going to visit share beds with their siblings and barely eat enough to sustain them till morning?
Overtime I’ve come to realise is this just the way that development works but if we all learn to live with it, then nothing changes. My host mother is very clued into the development system as she currently works for an NGO planting trees in Malawi to help agriculture. She’s trying to make a difference to a very misunderstood country, as Malawi is often portrayed as one of the poorest countries. Despite this, they have a never-ending amount of motivation and hope as well as passion to change their country.
Miso Isabel, our neighbour, helping with the washing |
The culture shock takes time to really settle in but once you look at the differences between Malawi and the UK, it’s really quite strange. Whilst they are way more welcoming than many people in the UK, the addition of white skin in their community is difficult to comprehend. We know this from the song the kids sing at the house next door as we walk past, “azungu-bye” which literally translates to “white people bye”. However, it’s become a nice welcome home every lunch time, you can’t be mad at children for being intrigued by the colour of my skin.
The walk home every day after work |
Five weeks in and it’s getting easier to live this way after I expressed my concerns to my host mother. She replied very quickly by saying that by me living here, I am making a difference to each of them. Each of the maids is being paid extra to cater for me every day, which means they can save more money to buy a house of their own. I am also teaching Vitu some more English, so he can excel at school and get a good job in the future. Lastly, as Hazel reminds me constantly, I have given Zoyolo the sister she needs and not to mention the sister I have always wanted. I came to Malawi to experience culture and to make a difference but I’ll be leaving with a second family.
Follow @cyece.dedza on Instagram for more updates!
Wednesday 14 March 2018
Team S.H.E
Selina, Loyce, Becca and Asher |
Asher, Sam, Maxi and Scarlette facilitating an anti-bullying session |
Thursday 8 March 2018
International Women's Day 2018: what does it mean to be a woman in Malawi?
Monday 27 November 2017
From ruins to riches: transforming a burnt down school with Inspire Malawi
Our team artist, Keri, drawing and painting pictures from a Malawian textbook on a classroom wall. Photo: Meka Beresford |
International Servics keeps sustainability at the heart of its projects and recognises the importance of adapting to the needs of the communities it works in. In Dedza, the team have been working on designing sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) and anti-bullying sessions after the last cohort identified the issues local children faced through a baseline survey. We have been delivering these sessions in schools and Molima Family Home to equip young children with knowledge about their human rights and empowering them to complete their education.
Despite some initial delays in starting our planned activities, we identified and researched other opportunities to help in the community to fill our time. That's where Inspire Malawi enters. Similarly to International Service, the 2010 registered charity listens to the needs of the communities it works in and places great emphasis on sustainability to ensure that it's work can continue long after the charity has left. Founded by Michelle Rowe, Inspire Malawi strives to build schools in areas where children cannot access state schools without having to walk great distances and in a survey we carried out in our local community recently, we identified that this is common. The previous team in Dedza had also identified that a major reason why children drop out of school in the area surveyed was due to a 'lack of interest' - almost 20% in fact. You only have to see the inside of some Malawian schools to understand why and the teachers here have a daily struggle of trying to engage scores of children in an environment that is not very engaging at all. At Banda Hill, Inspire Malawi are working hard to change that.
Michelle Rowe, Inspire Malawi Photo: Meka Beresford |
We joined Michelle and her team to help paint the inside of Banda Hill, a school located in Dedza that reached out to Inspire Malawi after the wooden classrooms they built in 2014 were burnt down by vandals. Locals had built and registered the school as local children had to walk for over an hour to reach the closest school.
A student looks on whilst Jason, Dan and Archie discuss painting strategy... Photo: Meka Beresford |
Banda Hill Primary School Classroom Photo: Meka Beresford |
Since that first visit, Michelle has worked with various donors and fundraised to completely transform the school which now stands as two proud blocks. Inside the classes Michelle has plastered the walls with educational images from textbooks that teach about various topics from agriculture to the digestive system.
A classroom is certainly more engaging once the Inspire Malawi team and locals work their magic. Photo: Meka Beresford |
The 34-year-old isn't just in the business of building classrooms! She has worked with Banda Hill to bring better sanitary facilities to help girls stay in school during menstruation, built a "tippy tap" to promote hand washing and combat illness, and developed a perma-culture garden - one of her proudest ventures yet.
"Food security here is a big problem and Malawians grow a lot of maize but maize is not endemic to Malawi and they struggle," Michelle said. "So diversifying their food source and also creating better, more modern growing techniques that work with the environment was important."
The crops that are grown in the garden are managed by the students as part of their curriculum agriculture lessons. Whatever is grown is then sold by the children to teach entrepreneur skills. This money is subsequently used to buy books, pens, pencils and chalk.
The gardens are a new direction for the charity, but have proved more than successful as Michelle explained that she has seen similar methods being adopted by the families of students.
She said: "It makes me very happy, as I walk around this area I see that people have recreated these ideas. Little by little we're having an impact." She moved to Malawi permanently in 2016 to work at an International school in Lilongwe and hopes that the second class block we helped to paint will be open by January. However, she still has plans to continue working with Banda Hill to build a library and house hundreds of donated books that the school has received because of Inspire Malawi.
"We work hand in hand with the community and this community have been very motivated. I think it's an exciting environment to be in," she said.
Photo: Meka Beresford |
Michelle explained that since starting work at Banda Hill the number of students has increased and for her, that's what drives her work - to make sure every child has a good education.
"The enrolment has actually risen since we've built these classrooms which is good. The teachers are more inspired to work harder. I think in Malawi unless you have a good education it doesn't lead to much," she added.