ICS blog

When some large chain restaurants or even family members can’t always accommodate certain dietary requirements, I was a bit apprehensive about how I would cope in Zimbabwe. Maybe you are a vegetarian, vegan, lactose intolerant or maybe you’re just a fussy eater (that’s ok!).

I am volunteering in Gweru, in the centre of Zimbabwe. Where I am living is urban so things may vary if you stay in a rural setting. I am a vegetarian but I will try to provide information for vegans, gluten or dairy intolerances also. 

Mzuzu is the third largest city in terms of population in Malawi and is located in the northern region. The city has very cold weather, especially this month of June. Being a city it is a hub of many economic activities. Many young people come to this city either to study, work or even for business. As such, the city has more people compared to all other districts surrounding it. Even though the city is third in terms of population size, Mzuzu city has a high rate of HIV infection if you compare to the national prevalence rate, which is estimated at 10.6 per cent.

Mzimba is a small town within a large district of the same name, which confusingly also houses Mzuzu city. Despite a small Muslim population, seen by the mosque and the two shops with Asian proprietors, the vast majority is devout Christian, with many different denominations represented. For example, my host family is Catholic, but there are also many Seventh-Day Adventists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, to name but a few. Local families do their main socialising at church - indeed it is how my host mum knows her friends.

Much like our own mothers at home, the women in El Bramadero have much to contend with on a daily basis. We often fail to recognise the numerous tasks that our mothers accomplish with much consideration for their family and little for themselves. Doña Epifania, the host mother of Isabel and I, is a perfect example for such behaviour.

Team excursions are an important aspect of the ICS programme, they help us work better together to achieve our project goals, which is why every two weeks we go on a team excursion. It is also a time for the national volunteers to show the UK volunteers around their town. The stage had been set for our team bonding day and everything was rolling for our Sunday excursion. We had to meet in town at 1pm. Before the excursion Trish, our UK Team Leader, bought all the necessary ingredients that are needed for a barbecue, otherwise known as a ‘braai’ by the national volunteers.

A couple of weeks ago, the father of Alan Kumwenda (one of SPRODETA’s founders) passed away. Following Malawian tradition, the SPRODETA team therefore did not come into the office, and our fieldwork was cancelled. Two days after the father’s death, we were invited to the funeral, taking place in the village of Kavizombo at Alan’s sister’s house. We pulled up in the SPRODETA van around 10 o’clock, with the house and surroundings already teeming with people.

Dropped off - in the deep end,

Our escort gone clean round the bend.

I turn and face this brand new place,

Edging forward at the slowest pace.

For they’re at the door and huddled together,

Wanting to see the brand new face

Of the newest addition to their family.

I introduce….. they smile,

Dictionary translations take a while.

I was far out, beyond the reef. 

Without any of my technology,

And the iPhone must stay on flight mode,

So I’ll talk to these people in their humble abode

The current projects in Honduras are focused on school development, one school in Villa de San Antonio and the second in more rural San Benito (my school). We are the first cycle of three. In London, we were told that being part of the initial cycle may feel like a slow progression, and that we may not see the impact we are having but the groundwork we are doing is vital for the following cycles. As the weeks roll on, it is obvious to all us volunteers how true this statement is.

Nicaragua is home to outstanding natural beauty and an incredible array of wildlife indigenous to this area and protected in national reserves. Unfortunately, it is also known as one of the most impoverished countries in the Western Hemisphere. In an apparent attempt to abolish their financial troubles, the Nicaraguan Government has signed a contract with Chinese telecommunications billionaire, Wang Jing, to build an oceanic canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic (similar to the Panama Canal), but also cutting through Lake Nicaragua.

With only four weeks left of Team Chikaya’s placement, the team parting ways, Lilongwe airport and future endeavours lie on the horizon. Yet the progress our team has made, both in self-learning and community development, has been great over the past few weeks. We had our mid-phase review where we learned that we all had commitment for community development and wanted to do more outreach to support women and people living with disability. We also restructured the office so everyone can sit together, which has increased communication and teamwork around delivering the project.