malawi

After a 16 hour journey, two plane rides, and a short stop in Ethiopia, we finally touched down in Malawi. We were all very tired but the energy in the team was high.  Travelling through the country we were greeted by lush bright green vegetation, rivers, streams and vibrant red soils, small villages scattered throughout the countryside, women with babies wrapped on their backs

After a week we’ve now settled into Mzimba, appreciating the amazing scenery and visiting the markets and shops, putting our Chitumbuka to use and talking to the locals around town. We’ve befriended a group of children (which seems to be growing in numbers) who are often waiting outside our house when we come back, ready to play “What’s the time Mr Wolf?” or sing “Head, shoulders, k

The week began with lessons in culture and language, so we are now able to greet each other, introduce ourselves and ask for food at the market! We’ve also got a basic understanding of village life - which we were able to experience first-hand on Wednesday during our visit to the village of chief Kalolo (who owns 3000 villages in total).

As we flew over Ethiopia, our stop over, the seatbelt light came on prompting everyone we would be landing soon. The plane began its gradual descent and we were greeted by the warm, inviting sunrise over Ethiopia, which stretched lines of vibrant blues, greens and deep orange across the horizon. For a moment everyone sat and stared out of the window, as we were welcomed to Africa.

Progressio development worker Innocent Bidong Ogaba explains how his project with partner organisation Environment Africa has led to real improvements in farmers’ livelihoods (photo shows Innocent, right, with Mr Laston, chairman of the Nemoja group which produces Moringa powder)

  For the majority of our stay in Liwonde, we (Beckie, Sammy and Aimee) have been working at the CBCC at Kwatukumbuchire. CBCC stands for Community Based Child Care – essentially a nursery at the centre from 8-11am Monday to Friday. All the parents are members of Kwatukumbuchire and run the Village Savings & Loans scheme on Wednesdays. The parents pay 200 Malawian kwach

During the past two weeks, Danny and I have been teaching at the Adult Education Initiative (AEI). Although we have been the teachers, it has been a definite learning curve, opening our eyes to the education system in Malawi and the role programmes like the AEI play in filling gaps. Teresa Duwesi is a student in Standard 3. She’s 34, a mother of three and works as a farmer. A

  We have been giving presentations to youth groups over the past three weeks on HIV prevention, transmission and stigma. Our first was at Simathero Youth Club, Vhsitola village. We were accompanied by Youth Impact, an organisation in Liwonde which carries out human rights, environmental and HIV/AIDS projects led by young people for young people. The team are really friendly

The Village Savings and Loans Group – Kwatukumbuchire’s community bank – exists to empower people financially to take charge of their lives. Members are able to buy shares priced at 100 Malawian kwacha (MK) for 1 and borrow money which has to be repaid at 20% interest. After 6 months, the money is distributed amongst the members in proportion to the amount of shares bought. Those who have

Training has ended and we are in Liwonde ready to start working! Arriving on Saturday 15th October was a relief after a 6 hour long bumpy drive - the town is rich in wildlife (the Shire River, which runs through Liwonde, being the home to many hippos and crocodiles) but it is much hotter than Lilongwe with temperatures hitting 30C and over daily. Our accommodation is near the market – just a