Malawi is such a beautiful country and every day I find myself being slightly more in love with it! On Thursday 15 of October it was Mother’s Day and it’s celebrated here with a national holiday. For Malawians, family is not only who you live with, it’s a support system, a way of life and a personal responsibility. Families are huge in comparison, with everyone being a cousin, aunt, uncle, brother or sister, so you can therefore imagine the hype and celebrations that take place on a holiday like Mother’s Day!
I’m lucky enough to be staying in the north of the country and am therefore just a short journey from the lake, so what better way to spend Mother’s Day than on the sugar like sands of the Sambani Lodge. Upon arrival it was hard to believe I was still on Malawian soil and hadn’t been transported somehow to the Mediterranean. The lake doesn’t look like a lake; the sands are white and the waters crystal clear with waves lapping up to the shore and on a national holiday there are people everywhere! Music was blasting out of huge speakers on the sand and of course there was so much dancing and the smell of BBQ chicken (a Malawian delicacy) wafting about. It was a wonderful atmosphere and a lovely way to spend time with my host mother Mphatso and show her my appreciation for everything that she has already done for me.
Driving through the hills however, it was apparent that not all mothers had the day off. Being a mum is a full time job, which can’t always respect a national holiday. Here a housewife is expected to get up anytime between 4-5am to start the day sweeping. They sweep the dust that builds up outside their homes in order to prevent as much as possible blowing into their house. Then there’s the mopping, every room is mopped twice a day but the initial clean needs to happen before the rest of the family is awake. The washing and collecting of water is also a morning chore. Washing should be hanging on the line early, before it’s too late in the morning, and finally there is the day’s food to prepare. For those homes that aren’t fortunate enough to have running water, this needs to be sourced then boiled for use throughout the day. Breakfast has to be prepared, then lunch and dinner. Following this, she has to carry out any more cleaning and general mothering duties to a large number of children. This is done every morning, of every day, no exceptions. This is their job, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with many women never having a day off, never having a chance to enjoy the lake. This was apparent when driving to Sambani Lodge, as our journey took us mostly along main roads where I could see crowds of women washing, cooking and carrying huge quantities of water on their heads for miles along the road. I have so much respect for these women!
I asked Mphatso to give me a Malawian name as many struggle to say Ellie. She came up with Tumbikani; it means ‘a blessing’.
Written by ICS volunteer Ellie Craven-Todd
