ICS Malawi

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.

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.

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.

Before I went to Malawi with Progressio my main concern was where I would be staying. I was very apprehensive ahead of meeting my family in Malawi especially as I was one of the youngest members of our team and had never been away from home for such a long length of time. When I arrived in the country the first few days were spent in accommodation shared with the rest of the team, whilst we were having our in country training.

As we approach the half waypoint, it seems like a good time to reflect on the past six weeks or so. It has been all, challenging, exhilarating and at times exhausting, though through all this the learning has been non-stop. My previous apprehensions of whether to commit to the ICS journey has ceased.
 

Nkhata Bay is a district in the northern part of Malawi, which is along the shores of the famous Lake Malawi. The district is very mountainous and is covered with green vegetation, making it look beautiful. This is due to a number of factors such as the fertile soil but mostly due to the district receiving lots of rain throughout the year. Cassava, maize and tobacco are the most popular crops that are grown, and maize is the staple food (Nsima).

A few weekends ago we set out in the early morning to visit a Malawian potter. We met Micki outside her small brick house surrounded by her pots laid out for our investigation. She had a whole range of items spread on the sandy floor, from traditional beer drinking vessels, to larger flower vases which are liked by local lodges. After a round of compulsory hand shaking and introductions, Micki led us to the shell of her neighbour’s house where she currently works, due to the shade provided by the half structure.

It takes a willing heart to serve. It takes a willing heart to stand up and work for the whole community. This is the story of young men in Chisitu, Mulanje. 

Chidziwitso Youth Organisation (CHIYO) consists of 16 active members, of which many are school-going students. These young men and women have spared their time to work for the benefit of the community, having a vision of developing their area. CHIYO is involved in HIV and AIDS awareness, women and children’s rights, rural development, environment education and conservation, as well as back to school campaigns. 

Hi! I am Kate and I volunteered with ICS Progressio on an HIV and AIDS project alongside a local NGO - Towvirane, in Mzuzu, Malawi, from October to December 2015. 

My aim is to give you a sense of what it was like for me to work with national volunteers and what I learnt from them!