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MALAWI 2007 by Jilly Clarke
The journey was incredible. Although tired after our 24 hour journey, the following five-hours didn’t seem to matter. Women, men and children walked along the side of roads, mostly bare-footed, some cycled but most amazing of all, were the women carried huge items on their heads, while carrying one, and sometimes two, babies on their backs. Village followed village, each with its own church. Terracotta earth and bricks mix in with the golden grasses, and in the distance, the purple hues of the hills blend into the blue sky. It is truly magnificent.
Night falls quickly in Malawi and by the time the Team reached the lodge it was pitch black. Torches out to empty the lorry, we dragged our luggage into a dimly lit dormitory. This was the start of our adventure! Mosquito nets down, coils lit and ‘mozzie’ sprayed onto any revealed skin. This became an evening routine that could not be broken.
Sunrise came at 5.30am and the Team were up at 6. Breakfast at 7 and work at 8. Our first job was in a huge school in the town of Dwangwa. Similar to an inner-city school, it had six classrooms, each of which needed repair. White-washing walls, adding bitchamastic, painting the chalk-boards and decorating the plain walls with learning-aids, the Team worked solid to improve the conditions that the children had to learn in. One floor was full of holes and two others cracked and dangerous. These were completely re-laid by the team. So important, when you think there will be over 100 children sitting on them, twice a day! The school was so big, they had to teach the children in two shifts. The only chairs on site were broken, yellow garden chairs, which were kept for the dignitaries…people like us.
The children met us everyday and quickly learned out names. Their smiles and determination to work alongside us brought home what a privileged life we have. Small children passed bricks along a line and crushed others to make rubble. Most around the ages of 5 or 6, many bare-footed and some with babies tied onto their backs. No fear, no hesitation. Just wanting to help and be a friend. They watched in amazement as we washed out buckets and cleaned brushes. They weren’t allowed near the ‘town’ tap, but when no one was looking, little hands would catch the drips and slide them over their lips. There were no toys as we know but a flip-flop wrapped in a cloth became a doll, a couple of bottle tops gave a child something to hold and the odd bicycle wheel pushed along with a stick created some fun. There clothes were just that, items to cover them up. Pink pyjama bottoms with a smart waistcoat were worn by a small boy; butterflies and flowers…who cares, such patterns were worn by all.
Malawians love football. There are football pitches everywhere you look. Not lush and green but hard, dusty, lumpy and often on a slope! They love football shirts and will wear anyone of them. Doesn’t matter what team, or what season for that matter, they are worn with pride. Their footballs are made out of blown-up condoms…what else are they used for? No wonder AIDS is so rife. The ‘balloons’ are then covered in string, wrapped in pieces of polythene and then tied together with string. There are no football boots, just bare feet that run along the hard earth but with what power they can kick!
Footballs and netballs were bought with the money people had donated, and once the work had been completed at each school, a presentation was given to the Head teacher and the students, which included five of each ball, a second-hand football kit and a set of netball vests and skirts. The screams of delight at the sight of such things sent a shockwave through our bodies, and watching them jumping up and down, while hugging each other reduced us all to tears. How can we be so materialistic when such simple things cause so much delight to these children?
We worked in three schools altogether, one of which had 1200 students and 9 teachers. One class had 196 students, the teacher didn’t know what had happened to another two, they had not been in school for quite a few weeks. We also visited another school in Mpongozipeta (which means ‘mother-in-law go home’), up in the hills. This school will be given a classroom block next year and all the classrooms will be refurbished by M.E.L. The school is about 6km into the bush, which cannot be got to only by a very steep walk. The children met us and led us up to their village. Once there, they danced and sang into the night. We, exhausted by the climb and the heat, sat in the shade for quite some time! The day ended with a beautiful full-moon, which made the whole thing magical. Yet behind all this magic is the realisation of poverty and disease. To get water to their homes the people have to walk the 6km and more, if they live higher. The buckets are always carried on their heads, and their food, sema, grown close to their home, is their daily diet. One woman had collapsed while we were there and our driver was able to take her to a clinic in the nearby town. She had Malaria, the biggest killer in Africa.
We saw two funerals, although there was evidence of them daily. The women dressed in colourful chichengees, sang beautifully, thanking God for everything they have. We were often blessed by the people, who shuck our hands and thanked us for our help but I felt blessed by talking to them and learning from them, such happy people and yet, dealt such a raw deal. All your kind donations of mobile phones, cameras, football boots and shirts have all been used to support families and schools. One family in Liluzi has three children, all of which are albino. The children will not live long. Other families can have four or more extra children. They are orphans, taken in by the brother of the dead parents. This is common.
This year the Teams raised over £23,000, which paid for the building of new classroom blocks and teachers houses, as well as the decorating and learning aids. A basic two classroom block with a store and office costs £3,300 and a standard teacher’s house £2,200, although the prices of cement rocked by 60% just after we left, so these prices could be much higher next year. Education for primary school children is free but once at secondary school, the cost for educating each child is £17.00. As one of our student’s said, that’s the cost of my bar bill for the week. This cost has to be found by the family, and quite often it is not. Some teachers are also desperate to do a degree; this is £1,500 per year for a two year course.
The whole experience was certainly humbling. I shall be back there next year. |
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The bucket is full of rubble! |
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Jilly Dancing at Mpongozipeta |
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Eating Sema, this family lives in a classroom |
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No idea of play |
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A condom becomes a football. |
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Amazed faces and screams of delight...all we gave them were a few footballs! |
