Christian came to visit my second to last week in Malawi, and we spent the week traveling. It was a very different experience for me to spend a week as a tourist, a traveler, as opposed to someone who lives and works in one place. I'm glad I got to experience both.
The hardest part of traveling in Malawi is the "how" of traveling. Since we don't "drive british" (or on the left side of the road) we decided not to rent a car. (and even when things got hairy and we looked into renting a car, it was very expensive, even for U.S. standards). So we took public transport, at least on the way there. While public transport is really getting in there with the local people and seeing what their day to day life is like, and it's fun and you come away with great stories, it's also very dangerous for a variety of reasons. It's dangerous because the buses are driven till they literally fall apart (many of them have doors held on by bungee cords and the like), they are stuffed chock full of people, who are usually accompanied by their children, bags of groceries, clothes, things to sell, chickens, etc. and the drivers are pretty fast and reckless.
So, yes, it's a very colorful, "African" experience, and truth be told, I love those memories...the beautiful scenery flying by, the wind blowing the hot stale air. (I'm sure the fact that I basically passed out every time I got on one helped to ignore the danger...in the U.S. I also fall asleep easily in moving vehicles, but for some reason it was amplified in Malawi and I couldn't help but be lulled into slumber.) But then there is the side of me that just hopes nothing happens and I don't regret getting on the bus. It's all about finding your comfort level with such things in Africa. On the one hand, you think people do this everyday. But they don't necessarily have a choice. And I don't need to put myself in harm's way if I have other options. It's really about weighing how dangerous something actually is.
I am happy to say that I now remember the anxiety I was feeling about traveling to and about Malawi--because since I am remembering it, it is something that has left me. I definitely went through this odd phase before I left for Malawi where I was very anxious and scared about things, and it really annoyed me. I worried that it was because I was getting "older". But I will tell you that everything to hear and read about Africa in America definitely contributed.
It was such an interesting experience to see Malawi through the eyes I have now, and compare that with the eyes I had when I went to Mali three years ago. When J and I attended the West African dance class and then saw the trip to Mali, Africa was a new idea. The opportunity appeared, and it seemed right, and exciting. I didn't even know that Mali was a country till I heard about the trip.
In Mali I became smitten with Africa, and learned everything I could over the next three years, including the names of all 54 African nations. So this time around I had heard plenty about the poor road conditions, the number of people that die, and the diseases. So to be honest, I was feeling a little on the paranoid side when I left, which was not normal for me. What this does speak to is the saying that "Ignorance is bliss" but also that "Knowledge is power" and that there is a delicate balance to strike between the two--which is more like a dance, as it moves, flows and evolves.
So what I've been trying to say is that I found that balance for myself in Malawi.In Mali I was too naive and before leaving for Malawi I was too paranoid. I noticed a little anger with myself this time around for finding fun in dangerous situations in Mali. For instance, I rode around on Madou's motorbike with no helmet, something I would never do in the States. Truth be told, we never went on the highway and probably never went above 30 just riding around town. Still. But I have changed my ways and will not ride om a bike without a helmet no matter what country I am in. In fact, I probably could have done so in Malawi but did not. I was happy to see that more people seemed on board with wearing helmets there. Luckily being back in Africa I was able to relax and use my knowledge (and a few trips to the hospital to make sure I didn't have malaria helped. In fact, I still ask to be tested for malaria every time I go to the doctor even here, and it's definitely a sensible thing to consider after traveling to particular areas).
And so I say all this for you who are intrigued with traveling to Africa, or other places, but feel held back by all you hear. I also like to keep in mind that there are dangers anywhere, and while I worried about some things in Malawi I would never worry about here, there are also dangers to consider in parts of the U.S. that are not a concern in Malawi. There are many dangers to be taken seriously in Africa, and I lived responsibly according to those, but I was also free to enjoy myself, to live and learn and experience within those parameters. So I hope that is what you can find also, in your adventures, whether they take you to the next town over or across the world.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Back in the U S of A
I am back now and I hit the ground running with the normal whirlwind tour a visit to Chicago is, maybe even more so with two weddings and the associated activities. I held up pretty well, though I never took a breather and nearly fell over after I reached California and got off the plane and started learning to drive stick shift! :) Life is definitely slowing down now, but it was great to have that "booster" of family and friends in Chicago. So, America wasn't too much of a shock, probably because I had been to Africa before and already had the eye opening experience of returning back to the land of over-abundance (in a material sense).
So what moments have struck me? Sitting at the dinner table my first night back, in Chicago with my family, I was full and thought to give my leftovers to someone outside (Sam and I always gave our leftovers to our guard, who stayed outside the house) but in our middle class neighborhood, there would be no one on the street to give my food to.
I also had this "space" moment since being in L.A...I was going to a school for work, and I was the only person outside in this expanse of streets, houses, cars and a school...in Blantyre, there would be lots of people in that space. And, of course, I am in California, which is one of the most purposely spaced places in the country.
I think I remembered to appreciate my first automatic hot shower (just turning the knob, rather than having to boil water first) and I also noticed my first night sleeping without a mosquito net...although sleeping under the mosquito net was kind of like a nice cocoon, it was just a lot of work getting in and out of bed.
I definitely went on a funny food thing, like wanting everything and anything at once, like Janine and Dan having to watch me eat a milkshake, cheese sticks and half of a burrito at a diner after Danie & Kirby's wedding...:) And the night that I had two dinners! One with my family in South Bend, and another out with Timothy that night. (For the sake of not looking like a glutton, I didn't eat much at the first meal :)
Ah, speaking of gluttony, and America, or rather consumerism ... Consumerism is something I did not miss. I was so happy with whatever I had in Malawi. There weren't coffee shops on every corner beckoning me to spend four dollars on a drink. And then if I "give in" to it, I feel guilty. Luckily I'm at a place where I am happy with my body, so at least it's not double guilt, just guilt for spending money.
Maybe the money thing does relate to how as Americans, we are alone more often. As I mentioned above, there were always people around in Malawi. Even outside the city in the villages... well, I'm sure if I was a Malawian who lived in the bush, I could find myself alone. But for me, I was always with other co-workers firstly, and secondly, white people are not a common occurrence in rural areas, so I know wherever I am, people will appear.
The fact that there are always people around was one of the things I discovered and enjoyed about Africa when I was in Mali. I like that if I want to be alone, I can be, but if I want to be with people, even if we are doing our own thing and it's just about company, there is always that opportunity. It just feels much more natural, much more real life, than the contrived feeling of empty streets and sidewalks in California.
Here in L.A. as a newly single person with only so many friends here, I'm alone a lot, so I'll do things like go to or rent a movie, or yoga class, or a coffee shop...all things that cost money! Hence, the connection... sometimes it seems like in America, if we want to be around other people, we have to do something that costs money.
(Ok, exceptions being parks and the beach, which I choose to embrace this weekend, since it is HOT in L.A...and for all those people who asked where my tan was since I was in Africa but it was winter :)...I'm stealing the last bits of summer rays I can).
So what moments have struck me? Sitting at the dinner table my first night back, in Chicago with my family, I was full and thought to give my leftovers to someone outside (Sam and I always gave our leftovers to our guard, who stayed outside the house) but in our middle class neighborhood, there would be no one on the street to give my food to.
I also had this "space" moment since being in L.A...I was going to a school for work, and I was the only person outside in this expanse of streets, houses, cars and a school...in Blantyre, there would be lots of people in that space. And, of course, I am in California, which is one of the most purposely spaced places in the country.
I think I remembered to appreciate my first automatic hot shower (just turning the knob, rather than having to boil water first) and I also noticed my first night sleeping without a mosquito net...although sleeping under the mosquito net was kind of like a nice cocoon, it was just a lot of work getting in and out of bed.
I definitely went on a funny food thing, like wanting everything and anything at once, like Janine and Dan having to watch me eat a milkshake, cheese sticks and half of a burrito at a diner after Danie & Kirby's wedding...:) And the night that I had two dinners! One with my family in South Bend, and another out with Timothy that night. (For the sake of not looking like a glutton, I didn't eat much at the first meal :)
Ah, speaking of gluttony, and America, or rather consumerism ... Consumerism is something I did not miss. I was so happy with whatever I had in Malawi. There weren't coffee shops on every corner beckoning me to spend four dollars on a drink. And then if I "give in" to it, I feel guilty. Luckily I'm at a place where I am happy with my body, so at least it's not double guilt, just guilt for spending money.
Maybe the money thing does relate to how as Americans, we are alone more often. As I mentioned above, there were always people around in Malawi. Even outside the city in the villages... well, I'm sure if I was a Malawian who lived in the bush, I could find myself alone. But for me, I was always with other co-workers firstly, and secondly, white people are not a common occurrence in rural areas, so I know wherever I am, people will appear.
The fact that there are always people around was one of the things I discovered and enjoyed about Africa when I was in Mali. I like that if I want to be alone, I can be, but if I want to be with people, even if we are doing our own thing and it's just about company, there is always that opportunity. It just feels much more natural, much more real life, than the contrived feeling of empty streets and sidewalks in California.
Here in L.A. as a newly single person with only so many friends here, I'm alone a lot, so I'll do things like go to or rent a movie, or yoga class, or a coffee shop...all things that cost money! Hence, the connection... sometimes it seems like in America, if we want to be around other people, we have to do something that costs money.
(Ok, exceptions being parks and the beach, which I choose to embrace this weekend, since it is HOT in L.A...and for all those people who asked where my tan was since I was in Africa but it was winter :)...I'm stealing the last bits of summer rays I can).
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Preventing Mother to Child Transmission
Despite being largely preventable, mother-to-child transmission of HIV accounts for 30 percent of all new infections in Malawi and is the second major mode of transmission after unprotected sex. Every year, an estimated 30,000 babies are born HIV positive.
Relatively simple interventions to lower the risk of infection are available to only a small number of women and lag far behind the country's antiretroviral (ARV) treatment programme, which now reaches 70,000 HIV-infected people, or about 40 percent of those who need them.
In 2005, 5,054 women received Nevirapine, an ARV drug that can lower the chances of a mother infecting her baby by up to 40 percent. This was almost twice the number who received the drug in 2004 but, according to UNAIDS, the total number of pregnant women in Malawi who accessed prevention of mother-to-child treatment (PMTCT) services was still only 3 percent.
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This issue has grabbed my passion as transmission from mother to child is preventable.
In "developed" nations such as the U.S., hardly any children contract HIV during pregnancy, labor & delivery or breastfeeding.
Our organization is working with this issue. Our Hope health centers provide PMTCT services to HIV positive mothers and distributes nevirapine. There are obstacles to the treatment besides just receiving the drugs. As I am sure I have mentioned earlier, there is still stigma about even getting tested for HIV. Even when a mother has been tested, she may be hesitant to receive PMTCT services because she fears discrimination from others if she is noticed.
Another challenge is that the majority of women give birth at home/in their village and not at a health center. While this isn't necessarily a problem, since women are sent home with the drug to take during labor and give to their child within the first 72 hours of birth, it has been found that they are less likely to take the medication in this situation. It is hoped that teaching Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs)about HIV & AIDS and the importance of taking nevirapine will help.
The positive is that we can reduce the chance of transmission to nearly zero with drugs and education.
Relatively simple interventions to lower the risk of infection are available to only a small number of women and lag far behind the country's antiretroviral (ARV) treatment programme, which now reaches 70,000 HIV-infected people, or about 40 percent of those who need them.
In 2005, 5,054 women received Nevirapine, an ARV drug that can lower the chances of a mother infecting her baby by up to 40 percent. This was almost twice the number who received the drug in 2004 but, according to UNAIDS, the total number of pregnant women in Malawi who accessed prevention of mother-to-child treatment (PMTCT) services was still only 3 percent.
************************************************************************************
This issue has grabbed my passion as transmission from mother to child is preventable.
In "developed" nations such as the U.S., hardly any children contract HIV during pregnancy, labor & delivery or breastfeeding.
Our organization is working with this issue. Our Hope health centers provide PMTCT services to HIV positive mothers and distributes nevirapine. There are obstacles to the treatment besides just receiving the drugs. As I am sure I have mentioned earlier, there is still stigma about even getting tested for HIV. Even when a mother has been tested, she may be hesitant to receive PMTCT services because she fears discrimination from others if she is noticed.
Another challenge is that the majority of women give birth at home/in their village and not at a health center. While this isn't necessarily a problem, since women are sent home with the drug to take during labor and give to their child within the first 72 hours of birth, it has been found that they are less likely to take the medication in this situation. It is hoped that teaching Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs)about HIV & AIDS and the importance of taking nevirapine will help.
The positive is that we can reduce the chance of transmission to nearly zero with drugs and education.
HIV and AIDS funding, past and present
Here is some information about HIV & AIDS funding from the U.S. from www.avert.org... I think it provides some telling information about the current government...
Spending per person living with HIV in the United States exceeds that in the Latin America and Caribbean region by a factor of 35, and is 1,000 times higher than in Africa.3
One of the main providers of global funding in the fight against AIDS is the United States government. In his State of the Union address in January 2003, President Bush promised the world the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a commitment to significantly increase US spending on HIV around the world. Planned to run for five years, the plan was intended to direct $15 billion to places where it was most needed. PEPFAR became an umbrella for all the existing work being done by the United States, and for all the HIV-related funding that was already going out through the Agency for International Development (USAID) and other government agencies. While this is a huge sum, it pales in comparison to the amounts spent on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and only $10 billion of this total was new money, $1 billion of which is provided to the Global Fund (see below); $5 billion was money that had been previously allocated, meaning that it would have to come from existing programmes.
PEPFAR funding is disbursed in accordance with the political views of the United States Government – meaning that 33% of the prevention funds are directed towards giving abstinence-only prevention messages. It has been suggested that the choice of countries that PEPFAR focuses on is politically motivated.
PEPFAR also refuses to fund projects and organisations that do not explicitly oppose prostitution, and allows faith-based organisations to refuse to provide information about proven methods of protection against HIV/AIDS (condoms) or to refuse to make referrals to clinics or organisations that offer critical prevention services and information.
The President's plan has a goal of having 2 million people on antiretroviral AIDS medicines (ARVs) by 2008, preventing seven million new infections, and caring for 10 million people infected with HIV or children who have been orphaned by AIDS.
PEPFAR is reluctant to direct AIDS funding to any government that the USA sees as connected to terrorism – although some countries that are so labelled would benefit from HIV-specific donations.
Severely affected countries tend to spend as much of their national budget as they are able on helping their own citizens.
Debt relief is certainly still a major factor in determining the efforts that poor countries are able to put into the fight against AIDS in future years. (Debt relief is a complicated issue...there are many perspectives on various sides of the issue).
More information can be found about PEPFAR including its methods, main beneficiaries and successes in our page on the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief.
The good news is...I received the following email from my senator: Thank you for contacting me regarding the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. I am very pleased that with my support, Congress has passed this comprehensive, life-saving legislation, which was signed into law by the President on July 30, 2008.
This measure reauthorizes the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), providing $48 billion over five years for HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and prevention worldwide. It sets spending for tuberculosis at $4 billion, and malaria at $5 billion, and authorizes $2 billion for fiscal year 2009 for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. The bill also specifies that 10 percent of funding be designated for orphans and vulnerable children, increases focus on women and girls, and addresses gender-based violence. Furthermore, it repeals the travel ban for individuals who have been diagnosed HIV positive and instead puts this decision in the hands of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Finally, it removes the one-third spending requirement on abstinence prevention efforts, which has proven to be ineffective.
Spending per person living with HIV in the United States exceeds that in the Latin America and Caribbean region by a factor of 35, and is 1,000 times higher than in Africa.3
One of the main providers of global funding in the fight against AIDS is the United States government. In his State of the Union address in January 2003, President Bush promised the world the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a commitment to significantly increase US spending on HIV around the world. Planned to run for five years, the plan was intended to direct $15 billion to places where it was most needed. PEPFAR became an umbrella for all the existing work being done by the United States, and for all the HIV-related funding that was already going out through the Agency for International Development (USAID) and other government agencies. While this is a huge sum, it pales in comparison to the amounts spent on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and only $10 billion of this total was new money, $1 billion of which is provided to the Global Fund (see below); $5 billion was money that had been previously allocated, meaning that it would have to come from existing programmes.
PEPFAR funding is disbursed in accordance with the political views of the United States Government – meaning that 33% of the prevention funds are directed towards giving abstinence-only prevention messages. It has been suggested that the choice of countries that PEPFAR focuses on is politically motivated.
PEPFAR also refuses to fund projects and organisations that do not explicitly oppose prostitution, and allows faith-based organisations to refuse to provide information about proven methods of protection against HIV/AIDS (condoms) or to refuse to make referrals to clinics or organisations that offer critical prevention services and information.
The President's plan has a goal of having 2 million people on antiretroviral AIDS medicines (ARVs) by 2008, preventing seven million new infections, and caring for 10 million people infected with HIV or children who have been orphaned by AIDS.
PEPFAR is reluctant to direct AIDS funding to any government that the USA sees as connected to terrorism – although some countries that are so labelled would benefit from HIV-specific donations.
Severely affected countries tend to spend as much of their national budget as they are able on helping their own citizens.
Debt relief is certainly still a major factor in determining the efforts that poor countries are able to put into the fight against AIDS in future years. (Debt relief is a complicated issue...there are many perspectives on various sides of the issue).
More information can be found about PEPFAR including its methods, main beneficiaries and successes in our page on the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief.
The good news is...I received the following email from my senator: Thank you for contacting me regarding the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. I am very pleased that with my support, Congress has passed this comprehensive, life-saving legislation, which was signed into law by the President on July 30, 2008.
This measure reauthorizes the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), providing $48 billion over five years for HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and prevention worldwide. It sets spending for tuberculosis at $4 billion, and malaria at $5 billion, and authorizes $2 billion for fiscal year 2009 for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. The bill also specifies that 10 percent of funding be designated for orphans and vulnerable children, increases focus on women and girls, and addresses gender-based violence. Furthermore, it repeals the travel ban for individuals who have been diagnosed HIV positive and instead puts this decision in the hands of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Finally, it removes the one-third spending requirement on abstinence prevention efforts, which has proven to be ineffective.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Lack of sleep induced mush and some truth
I'm eating lunch and this piece of meat I just ate tasted like cat food smells. It's not too appetizing of an association. I am at the office but not really working because I stayed up all night to help Enock & Lisbeth, our country director, finish a USAID proposal for HIV/AIDS prevention. It was great. If we receive the funding, we will reach an additional 2 million people. (And if we don't, someone else will get the money for their project).I love the things I've been able to experience and contribute to in my job here. It kills me that I finally have a job I love and it is only for three months. It is a tease. But it reminds me of a good Buddhist principle...nothing is permanent. Anyway, I am hopeful that my experience here will help me get another job in Africa in the not too distance future (and a comparable job in the U.S. in the meantime).
Besides loving my job, I love it here. Today in the car on the way back to town from Chilangoma watching the beautiful scenery go by(we stayed at the Teacher Training College last night to work on the proposal there), I fell in love with Malawi. (It also helps that after three days of gray and cold, the sun is shining. I think living in California has ruined me forever. I now have the expectation that the sun should shine.)
It has definitely been a slow growing love, as some things are...not like the instant rapture I felt for Mali. But I find that as I grow personally and perhaps get older (a combination of experience and time) my emotions have found more of a middle ground, which I am grateful for.
I'm going to get a $13 massage for my aching shoulders...
Besides loving my job, I love it here. Today in the car on the way back to town from Chilangoma watching the beautiful scenery go by(we stayed at the Teacher Training College last night to work on the proposal there), I fell in love with Malawi. (It also helps that after three days of gray and cold, the sun is shining. I think living in California has ruined me forever. I now have the expectation that the sun should shine.)
It has definitely been a slow growing love, as some things are...not like the instant rapture I felt for Mali. But I find that as I grow personally and perhaps get older (a combination of experience and time) my emotions have found more of a middle ground, which I am grateful for.
I'm going to get a $13 massage for my aching shoulders...
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The most unhappy country in the world
I keep meaning to write that I take back my earlier support of Tsvangirai's decision to pull out of the Zimbabwean race for president. The violence continued and Zimbabwe is no closer to having Mugabe out of office.
There was a big article in the paper in Malawi about how Zimbabwe is the most unhappy country in the world. There are actually lots of articles and opinion pieces in the papers about Zimbabwe every day.
I was talking with some co-workers when everything was going down in Zimbabwe, and they told me that Mugabe had thought of conceding when Tsvangirai won the original election, but his advisors resisted because they would all be thrown in jail. I guess that's what happens in Africa: when leaders who have abused their power step down from office, they are arrested for the crimes they committed.
So...they asked me if Bush would be arrested when he stepped down! I was surprised by the question, not because there isn't reason for it, but just because it's not what we do in America, and I tried to explain that as best I could. What I also found telling is that a majority of people around the world know about the offenses of the Bush administration. It is taken as fact these days that we invaded Iraq under false pretenses. They also knew a lot about the shortfallings of the govt. in and around 9/11, things that have been debated with high tension in the U.S., although that discussion seems to have lost what little wind it did have.
There was a big article in the paper in Malawi about how Zimbabwe is the most unhappy country in the world. There are actually lots of articles and opinion pieces in the papers about Zimbabwe every day.
I was talking with some co-workers when everything was going down in Zimbabwe, and they told me that Mugabe had thought of conceding when Tsvangirai won the original election, but his advisors resisted because they would all be thrown in jail. I guess that's what happens in Africa: when leaders who have abused their power step down from office, they are arrested for the crimes they committed.
So...they asked me if Bush would be arrested when he stepped down! I was surprised by the question, not because there isn't reason for it, but just because it's not what we do in America, and I tried to explain that as best I could. What I also found telling is that a majority of people around the world know about the offenses of the Bush administration. It is taken as fact these days that we invaded Iraq under false pretenses. They also knew a lot about the shortfallings of the govt. in and around 9/11, things that have been debated with high tension in the U.S., although that discussion seems to have lost what little wind it did have.
Woman is...
John Lennon wrote a song called Woman is the n-word of the world. This sentiment is most definitely true in Africa. This is actually one area where I feel lucky to be an American. Women in America, (at least I can speak for middle class women) have it much better than women in most places in the world. There are so many things here that I feel like I would never put up with if I was a Malawian woman. But then again, that's because I was raised in a different country, a different culture, and tolerance levels differ.
However, the good news is this is no longer a silent issue. There are women's rights groups, laws that help women and social programs dealing with gender. In the partnership office, I come across a lot of organizations that want to fund programs for women or programs that have to do with gender relations.
Let me tell you how this issue impacts the spread of HIV/AIDS. Women are three times more likely to contract HIV/AIDS, both because of biological and cultural factors. Heterosexual sex is the number one mode of transmission here, and women often cannot negotiate safe sex. A man will not wear a condom or will not accept no. Many men also have affairs, which put their wives and families at risk.
We attended a community education meeting which was an outreach activity of one of our Hope centers. First off, most of the participants were women. (Right, so even though they are less able to protect themselves than men, twice as many women get tested in our health centers, even with the threat of violence from their husbands.)
A teaching drama was performed in which women went for VCT services (Voluntary Counseling and Testing). The women each gave a different scenario that is common here. One was afraid her husband would find out she had gone for testing, as he forbid her to do so. Another came because even though she is faithful, her husband is not. Another was found positive even though she believed her husband to be faithful..she vowed to bring him in for testing! (These are the pictures in my last slideshow).
It really hit home that more men need to be mobilized. Of course, there are good, great men that go for testing with their wives, or work at our health centers. But they need to become the norm rather than the exception.
However, the good news is this is no longer a silent issue. There are women's rights groups, laws that help women and social programs dealing with gender. In the partnership office, I come across a lot of organizations that want to fund programs for women or programs that have to do with gender relations.
Let me tell you how this issue impacts the spread of HIV/AIDS. Women are three times more likely to contract HIV/AIDS, both because of biological and cultural factors. Heterosexual sex is the number one mode of transmission here, and women often cannot negotiate safe sex. A man will not wear a condom or will not accept no. Many men also have affairs, which put their wives and families at risk.
We attended a community education meeting which was an outreach activity of one of our Hope centers. First off, most of the participants were women. (Right, so even though they are less able to protect themselves than men, twice as many women get tested in our health centers, even with the threat of violence from their husbands.)
A teaching drama was performed in which women went for VCT services (Voluntary Counseling and Testing). The women each gave a different scenario that is common here. One was afraid her husband would find out she had gone for testing, as he forbid her to do so. Another came because even though she is faithful, her husband is not. Another was found positive even though she believed her husband to be faithful..she vowed to bring him in for testing! (These are the pictures in my last slideshow).
It really hit home that more men need to be mobilized. Of course, there are good, great men that go for testing with their wives, or work at our health centers. But they need to become the norm rather than the exception.
Hurry up and Wait
Martha's sister Doreen offered to pick us up for church this morning for the English mass (they are Catholic): 7:30am. We agreed. She was supposed to be at our house at 7, and around twenty after I started to worry. Then Sam reminded me that she probably meant Malawian time. He was right. She came around 7:40. We got to church during the homily. At the end of the mass, the priest was reprimanding people for arriving late.
"This service in in English, so we should do it English style: punctual." (Ahh, I fit in so well in Africa. :) Pretty soon Sam and I are going to learn that if someone says they are coming at 7am, that's what time we are going to get up and start getting ready.
This is quintessential Africa to me: Hurry up and wait. It happened in Mali a lot as well. We would be rushing to get somewhere, to get the whole group out the door, but when we got where we were going it was never ready, never on time. So you rush to wait. Then you rush and wait some more. It feels like a funny little game. Of course I've gotten frustrated with it, but it's a good lesson in patience and acceptance...(One day I asked Sam if he feels like he waits a lot here. He said, remember what the book said? (My Lonely Planet Southern Africa) bring your flexibility).
It's also comical to me that I walk fast here!! I know various friends and family members are not believing this, because I'm always lagging behind, trying to catch up.But in Malawi people saunter. This is the normal way of walking. Even when they are late they saunter! And I'm walking even faster. Tebogo will often call me back, and I'll be wondering why I'm walking ahead of them. She'll remind me that I'm in Malawi and to walk like a Malawian. I tell her my fast is slow in America! She can't believe it!
It's interesting though, because when I slow down to walk with them and not be rude, I find myself taking a breath and relaxing a bit.
Back to church...the women sat on one side and the men on the other! I don't know why. The music was just gorgeous, A Capella singing. There are often times I will hear music coming out a church and it's so beautiful. The pews were wooden, not polished, and the kneelers not padded. It made me think of our level of comfort in the U.S.
Afterwards Doreen had us over for breakfast with her family: real breakfast! I was rejoicing. Eggs, TOASTED bread and porridge with ground nuts (peanuts), tea with boiled milk...Her family is as sweet as ever...her Dad told us that their home is our home. We can come whenever we want.
It was interesting because even though they are an apparently well to do family for Malawian standards--in my opinion--both parents are college educated and have very good jobs--the mother and the daughters still do the work around the house. The mother made breakfast, set the table, cleared the table and once we took care of the dishes she was on to making lunch! The whole time while the Dad sat on the couch watching TV and entertaining us...
The least I was allowed to do was dry the dishes. Doreen handed me a rag and asked if I knew how to do it. Of course I replied! She asked if we have a house boy or servants at our house. (They have a house boy.) I was quite shocked and tried to explain the class system in the U.S. She seemed surprised to hear that I do housework myself.
Why would I classify their family as well-to-do? Of course the house boy, the fact that they have cars and a nice television, and that all their children go to college.
"This service in in English, so we should do it English style: punctual." (Ahh, I fit in so well in Africa. :) Pretty soon Sam and I are going to learn that if someone says they are coming at 7am, that's what time we are going to get up and start getting ready.
This is quintessential Africa to me: Hurry up and wait. It happened in Mali a lot as well. We would be rushing to get somewhere, to get the whole group out the door, but when we got where we were going it was never ready, never on time. So you rush to wait. Then you rush and wait some more. It feels like a funny little game. Of course I've gotten frustrated with it, but it's a good lesson in patience and acceptance...(One day I asked Sam if he feels like he waits a lot here. He said, remember what the book said? (My Lonely Planet Southern Africa) bring your flexibility).
It's also comical to me that I walk fast here!! I know various friends and family members are not believing this, because I'm always lagging behind, trying to catch up.But in Malawi people saunter. This is the normal way of walking. Even when they are late they saunter! And I'm walking even faster. Tebogo will often call me back, and I'll be wondering why I'm walking ahead of them. She'll remind me that I'm in Malawi and to walk like a Malawian. I tell her my fast is slow in America! She can't believe it!
It's interesting though, because when I slow down to walk with them and not be rude, I find myself taking a breath and relaxing a bit.
Back to church...the women sat on one side and the men on the other! I don't know why. The music was just gorgeous, A Capella singing. There are often times I will hear music coming out a church and it's so beautiful. The pews were wooden, not polished, and the kneelers not padded. It made me think of our level of comfort in the U.S.
Afterwards Doreen had us over for breakfast with her family: real breakfast! I was rejoicing. Eggs, TOASTED bread and porridge with ground nuts (peanuts), tea with boiled milk...Her family is as sweet as ever...her Dad told us that their home is our home. We can come whenever we want.
It was interesting because even though they are an apparently well to do family for Malawian standards--in my opinion--both parents are college educated and have very good jobs--the mother and the daughters still do the work around the house. The mother made breakfast, set the table, cleared the table and once we took care of the dishes she was on to making lunch! The whole time while the Dad sat on the couch watching TV and entertaining us...
The least I was allowed to do was dry the dishes. Doreen handed me a rag and asked if I knew how to do it. Of course I replied! She asked if we have a house boy or servants at our house. (They have a house boy.) I was quite shocked and tried to explain the class system in the U.S. She seemed surprised to hear that I do housework myself.
Why would I classify their family as well-to-do? Of course the house boy, the fact that they have cars and a nice television, and that all their children go to college.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Gas prices affect us all
I want to get back to writing about the programs a little bit.
When we were in Lilongwe, we had the opportunity to visit Farmer's Club. This project is extremely important for a couple of reasons. First of all, 80% of the Malawian population make their living through agriculture. The Farmer's Clubs organize farmers into groups where they learn farming methods which are better for the environment(so that the field will remain usable year after year) and produce a better yield. The extension workers also emphasize diversification of crops, which allows for a more secure income. Farmers in the clubs share their resources and knowledge. They also raise animals, improve irrigation and storing methods and much, much more.
The other reason agriculture is significant is the limited source of oil in the world. When the Soviet Union broke down and North Korea lost their source of oil, 1 million people died of hunger. Cuba, however, foresaw the problem and reorganized their society to have local agriculture. We need to do this in the U.S. and all over the world, since a lot of our food comes to us on trucks fueled by oil.
In this way, Africa has an advantage over the majority of the world: their agriculture does not depend on oil, but rather physical labor. We need to keep these local farms going in Africa, and projects like Farmers Club are making them better.
Speaking of oil (which I know everyone is sick of hearing about) I couldn't believe when I saw on the news that Bush still wants to hack up Alaska. I truly hope and pray he does not get the opportunity before he leaves office, and that the next president will not follow in his footsteps. It blows my mind that people are still searching for a limited resource, rather than focusing on cultivating renewable energy like solar, wind and some forms of ethanol like sugar cane. (In Brazil they have been using sugar cane to fuel their cars for over 20 years).
I say some forms of ethanol because the use of corn for fuel has been part of the global food crisis. I myself was uneducated and proud when I bought hangers from Walmart (of all places I thought!) made of corn. However, I felt pretty sheepish when I learned of the implications of using corn for things other than food.
Back to oil...even in a country like Malawi, where 90% of the people do not own cars, rising gas prices are felt by everyone. The price of the minibus increased by 20 kwacha, which is maybe somewhere around 15 U.S. cents. This is not a big deal for me, but I make much more than most Malawians. For people living on the equivalent of one or two American dollars a day, 15 cents is a big deal.
When we were in Lilongwe, we had the opportunity to visit Farmer's Club. This project is extremely important for a couple of reasons. First of all, 80% of the Malawian population make their living through agriculture. The Farmer's Clubs organize farmers into groups where they learn farming methods which are better for the environment(so that the field will remain usable year after year) and produce a better yield. The extension workers also emphasize diversification of crops, which allows for a more secure income. Farmers in the clubs share their resources and knowledge. They also raise animals, improve irrigation and storing methods and much, much more.
The other reason agriculture is significant is the limited source of oil in the world. When the Soviet Union broke down and North Korea lost their source of oil, 1 million people died of hunger. Cuba, however, foresaw the problem and reorganized their society to have local agriculture. We need to do this in the U.S. and all over the world, since a lot of our food comes to us on trucks fueled by oil.
In this way, Africa has an advantage over the majority of the world: their agriculture does not depend on oil, but rather physical labor. We need to keep these local farms going in Africa, and projects like Farmers Club are making them better.
Speaking of oil (which I know everyone is sick of hearing about) I couldn't believe when I saw on the news that Bush still wants to hack up Alaska. I truly hope and pray he does not get the opportunity before he leaves office, and that the next president will not follow in his footsteps. It blows my mind that people are still searching for a limited resource, rather than focusing on cultivating renewable energy like solar, wind and some forms of ethanol like sugar cane. (In Brazil they have been using sugar cane to fuel their cars for over 20 years).
I say some forms of ethanol because the use of corn for fuel has been part of the global food crisis. I myself was uneducated and proud when I bought hangers from Walmart (of all places I thought!) made of corn. However, I felt pretty sheepish when I learned of the implications of using corn for things other than food.
Back to oil...even in a country like Malawi, where 90% of the people do not own cars, rising gas prices are felt by everyone. The price of the minibus increased by 20 kwacha, which is maybe somewhere around 15 U.S. cents. This is not a big deal for me, but I make much more than most Malawians. For people living on the equivalent of one or two American dollars a day, 15 cents is a big deal.
The Malawian Cheese steak
Some of you have asked about food. It's not bad. Unfortunately, my favorite meal, breakfast, is the most lacking. I am sufficiently happy with the coffee and tea(which is actually made here in Malawi. It's one of their main exports, along with tobacco. I am happy to report I don't see a lot of people smoking though).
We are supplied lunch at the office which is great. It is either rice or chips (french fries) with beef or chicken and vegetables. A staple here is called snima, which is made from maize (corn) and has the consistency similar to that of cream of wheat. The taste is very bland but they always eat it with sauce, which they call relish.
We make our own dinner. Sam has blossomed into a wonderful cook, and I keep threatening to tell his wife and he keeps threatening me back. Being Indian, he makes a lot of Indian dishes which I love (but generally burn my mouth, though he tries to accommodate my bland Irish/Polish taste buds). Since there is a sizable Indian population here, ingredients are readily available.
Every day on my way home, I pass fresh fruits & vegetables: eggplant(my favorite!), tomatoes, onions, carrots, lettuce, green beans, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. They are apples, oranges and avocados, sometimes mangoes. There is also okra and cassava, which I don't know how to make.
Needless to say, we make a lot of eggplant. Sam decided we should open a restaurant called the eggplant since we have made so many different varieties of it. His favorite was a rendition on the Philly cheese steak he saw on Emeril. (This is much better than his latest idea that we fund a war to take out Mugabe.)
We also buy pasta, eggs,cheese,yogurt,chicken, ground beef and bacon from the grocery store. Sam also gets sausage & lunch meat. He came home one day with this huge grin on his face and held out this deli meat with olives in it (of all things). He thought I would be so happy and made an equally big confused face when I explained that I don't like deli meat. "But, I thought all Americans liked lunch meat!", he exclaimed. Another American myth debunked by yours truly.
We are supplied lunch at the office which is great. It is either rice or chips (french fries) with beef or chicken and vegetables. A staple here is called snima, which is made from maize (corn) and has the consistency similar to that of cream of wheat. The taste is very bland but they always eat it with sauce, which they call relish.
We make our own dinner. Sam has blossomed into a wonderful cook, and I keep threatening to tell his wife and he keeps threatening me back. Being Indian, he makes a lot of Indian dishes which I love (but generally burn my mouth, though he tries to accommodate my bland Irish/Polish taste buds). Since there is a sizable Indian population here, ingredients are readily available.
Every day on my way home, I pass fresh fruits & vegetables: eggplant(my favorite!), tomatoes, onions, carrots, lettuce, green beans, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. They are apples, oranges and avocados, sometimes mangoes. There is also okra and cassava, which I don't know how to make.
Needless to say, we make a lot of eggplant. Sam decided we should open a restaurant called the eggplant since we have made so many different varieties of it. His favorite was a rendition on the Philly cheese steak he saw on Emeril. (This is much better than his latest idea that we fund a war to take out Mugabe.)
We also buy pasta, eggs,cheese,yogurt,chicken, ground beef and bacon from the grocery store. Sam also gets sausage & lunch meat. He came home one day with this huge grin on his face and held out this deli meat with olives in it (of all things). He thought I would be so happy and made an equally big confused face when I explained that I don't like deli meat. "But, I thought all Americans liked lunch meat!", he exclaimed. Another American myth debunked by yours truly.
Recycling Karma
So as most of you know, I'm pretty obsessive about recycling. In fact, I think I've lost more than one boyfriend over it. :)
So being in a place with litter as bad as it is and recycling virtually non-existent, I am getting paid back for all the times I yelled at a boyfriend, housemate, friend, family member, etc. for not recycling! When we first got here, we bought a supply of bottled water. It kills me to throw them out. I had a moment of insanity where I thought about bringing them all home. Then I decided I would rather bring home things from Malawi. (Although they do make good coffee to-go mugs, since those are also lacking here. Although there is take-away food, I'm glad they haven't discovered take-away coffee. That would just take the litter to a whole new level).
There is actually someone that recycles newspapers where Sam works. One day he took Sam's paper off his desk. Sam quickly told him he was going to take that one home. The man said Sam would have to pay him for it because it was his now! Ok, that's an aside, but I just found it funny. (Sam opted to let him keep the paper).
So, my story is that my first week here I was sitting in the backseat of a car. The woman in front of me, a very sweet, older motherly co-worker, threw an empty box of cookies out the car window! I was shocked. It got stuck momentarily and I nearly grabbed it except that I remembered there would be nowhere to recycle it. When it was too late, I thought I could have at least put it in a garbage can, but I'm really glad I didn't grab it. I didn't want to offend people my first week here.
If someone litters like that in the U.S., they are basically considered ignorant. But that is not the case here. There is just not enough public awareness about it. There really needs to be a campaign, as I was told there was in the U.S. in the 60's.
So being in a place with litter as bad as it is and recycling virtually non-existent, I am getting paid back for all the times I yelled at a boyfriend, housemate, friend, family member, etc. for not recycling! When we first got here, we bought a supply of bottled water. It kills me to throw them out. I had a moment of insanity where I thought about bringing them all home. Then I decided I would rather bring home things from Malawi. (Although they do make good coffee to-go mugs, since those are also lacking here. Although there is take-away food, I'm glad they haven't discovered take-away coffee. That would just take the litter to a whole new level).
There is actually someone that recycles newspapers where Sam works. One day he took Sam's paper off his desk. Sam quickly told him he was going to take that one home. The man said Sam would have to pay him for it because it was his now! Ok, that's an aside, but I just found it funny. (Sam opted to let him keep the paper).
So, my story is that my first week here I was sitting in the backseat of a car. The woman in front of me, a very sweet, older motherly co-worker, threw an empty box of cookies out the car window! I was shocked. It got stuck momentarily and I nearly grabbed it except that I remembered there would be nowhere to recycle it. When it was too late, I thought I could have at least put it in a garbage can, but I'm really glad I didn't grab it. I didn't want to offend people my first week here.
If someone litters like that in the U.S., they are basically considered ignorant. But that is not the case here. There is just not enough public awareness about it. There really needs to be a campaign, as I was told there was in the U.S. in the 60's.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Sam & Jessica get a life
Both Friday and Saturday night of this weekend, people called us, picked us up wherever we were in the city, and whisked us off to clubs and parties. It was a lot of fun. I was very happy to dance...
We spent last night at my friend Martha's house. She works for DAPP Farmer's Club in Lilongwe (where I met her) but she grew up in Blantyre and her family still lives there, not far from our house. Last night there was a fundraiser for the Catholic church going on in her backyard. They had a DJ and were playing both African and American songs. I will post pictures soon.
Her family was so kind and wonderful. We met her parents, her two sisters and two of her brothers. They talked with us and made us dinner. Malawi has been dubbed "the warm heart of Africa" because of people like them.
Martha's sister Doreen is traveling to NYC to visit a friend. Sam and I, both only having visited NYC, tried to advise her as best we could. I told her to try sushi. Everyone asked what it was and their ten year old brother Jeff exclaimed "fish!". We turned to him very surprised and I asked where he learned it. "Cartoons." came the reply. We all laughed and his father said he was glad he was actually learning something, that he thought he was just wasting his time!
I am very happy to be meeting more people and getting more of a taste of Malawian life. I was a little worried at first, because I wanted to get to know people beyond a work setting.
More soon...
We spent last night at my friend Martha's house. She works for DAPP Farmer's Club in Lilongwe (where I met her) but she grew up in Blantyre and her family still lives there, not far from our house. Last night there was a fundraiser for the Catholic church going on in her backyard. They had a DJ and were playing both African and American songs. I will post pictures soon.
Her family was so kind and wonderful. We met her parents, her two sisters and two of her brothers. They talked with us and made us dinner. Malawi has been dubbed "the warm heart of Africa" because of people like them.
Martha's sister Doreen is traveling to NYC to visit a friend. Sam and I, both only having visited NYC, tried to advise her as best we could. I told her to try sushi. Everyone asked what it was and their ten year old brother Jeff exclaimed "fish!". We turned to him very surprised and I asked where he learned it. "Cartoons." came the reply. We all laughed and his father said he was glad he was actually learning something, that he thought he was just wasting his time!
I am very happy to be meeting more people and getting more of a taste of Malawian life. I was a little worried at first, because I wanted to get to know people beyond a work setting.
More soon...
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Some things don't translate
How is everyone? I haven't been receiving as many emails lately...remember I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I am just in Africa! :0 Just kidding. Hopefully you are all just busy having fun summers. I can't believe yesterday was July 1st already. It sure didn't feel like it...in every region of the U.S. I've lived in July has been the hottest month, but yesterday was one of our colder days here.
There has been lots going on in my little life here. On Monday I participated in a Big Walk (their term for a walk a thon). It was initiated by Ben, an American DI here (Development Instructor) and was a joint effort between TCE and a CBO (Community Based Organization). We raised money to pay for the school fees of orphans. It was a lot of fun. I hadn't participated in a walk a thon since grade school, and it brought back memories of walking around the few blocks behind our school which seemed so long at the time but now seems a very short distance.
I took three buses out to the area where the walk began, and then we walked back to town. We walked 25 kilometers (whatever that means. I think it's completely ridiculous that we are the only country that doesn't use the metric system. I think I will ask Obama to change this when he becomes president. I have some bones to pick with him anyway, which I will save for another time. At any rate, I no longer know how much I weigh, how tall people are, how long it takes to get somewhere, what the temperature is, or how much food I am buying. :) )
It was a nice, sunny walk and the participants sang beautiful songs in Chichewa (the local language here). I unfortunately got a funny sunburn of my hand print on my shoulder (I like to pride myself on not getting sunburns). I think I was distracted from finishing my task by the Malawians laughing at me. I started out the walk with a long sleeve shirt on, and when I took it off, I applied sunscreen to my shoulders and arms. My sunscreen is a spray, so apparently the sight of me spraying myself was hilarious. I started wondering why people were laughing and then saw this woman in front on me imitating me. I asked a guy next to me if were laughing at me. He said, yes, we want some of your perfume. I tried to explain that it was for the sun, but I don't think they were looking for an explanation, just amusement.
It's almost the time that my stagecoach turns into a pumpkin, so I will sign off and hope to write again soon...
There has been lots going on in my little life here. On Monday I participated in a Big Walk (their term for a walk a thon). It was initiated by Ben, an American DI here (Development Instructor) and was a joint effort between TCE and a CBO (Community Based Organization). We raised money to pay for the school fees of orphans. It was a lot of fun. I hadn't participated in a walk a thon since grade school, and it brought back memories of walking around the few blocks behind our school which seemed so long at the time but now seems a very short distance.
I took three buses out to the area where the walk began, and then we walked back to town. We walked 25 kilometers (whatever that means. I think it's completely ridiculous that we are the only country that doesn't use the metric system. I think I will ask Obama to change this when he becomes president. I have some bones to pick with him anyway, which I will save for another time. At any rate, I no longer know how much I weigh, how tall people are, how long it takes to get somewhere, what the temperature is, or how much food I am buying. :) )
It was a nice, sunny walk and the participants sang beautiful songs in Chichewa (the local language here). I unfortunately got a funny sunburn of my hand print on my shoulder (I like to pride myself on not getting sunburns). I think I was distracted from finishing my task by the Malawians laughing at me. I started out the walk with a long sleeve shirt on, and when I took it off, I applied sunscreen to my shoulders and arms. My sunscreen is a spray, so apparently the sight of me spraying myself was hilarious. I started wondering why people were laughing and then saw this woman in front on me imitating me. I asked a guy next to me if were laughing at me. He said, yes, we want some of your perfume. I tried to explain that it was for the sun, but I don't think they were looking for an explanation, just amusement.
It's almost the time that my stagecoach turns into a pumpkin, so I will sign off and hope to write again soon...
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Housewifery, the Gaza Strip & Zim
If you are wondering why I am on a bloggin’ spree, it’s because I’m staying at a house that has wireless Internet. So these are blogs I would have been posting over the last three weeks. You can take your time and read them as such.
I’m in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, for work. I’ve had a great time. We came by car on Wednesday and we are staying at a co-worker's house. He has a nice, big house as he is often housing passer bys. Thursday & Friday Enock & I had partnership meetings with Save the Children US, FAO (Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN), JICA, the Japanese govt. org in Malawi and CIDA, the Canadian govt. org here. Very exciting.
Today, Sunday, Tebogo & Joanes arrived. Tomorrow & Tuesday we will be visiting projects here. Tonight I insisted on helping with dinner. I made peanut sauce with eggplant, carrots and tomatoes. Afterwards, Joanes told me he has tasted my food and I will make a good housewife! Ha. And that my husband will not run away from the house. So, eat that anyone that thinks I’m not “domestic” enough. :)
Joanes is from Cameroon. He does have some traditional ideas about men and women, as many African men do. Tebogo & I keep him in check though. :)
I’m feeling hopeful & encouraged about what is happening in Israel today. They have signed a peace treaty with Hamas & there has been a cease-fire for the past four days. Today they are allowing food & medicine across the border into the Gaza Strip, which has been closed for the past 12 months!
As for Zimbabwe. There are a good number of Zimbabweans here in Malawi. I met one that is for Mugabe, but most want him out. I initially felt disappointed when I heard that Morgan Tsvangirai (pronounced Tang-ger-ray) pulled out of the presidential race today, but I respect his reasons. Too many people were getting killed or injured by Mugabe army members/supporters. Tsvangirai said that he won, but his presidency will just be delayed. (He won the March 29th election but not by an absolute majority). He also said that Mugabe has declared war for June 27th (the day the run off election was to take place) and he will not take part in that war. It’s great to hear someone choosing to not take part in violence.
So the Zimbabweans will continue to suffer with all the problems they have under Mugabe, but at least the violence is abated for now. Tsvangirai is saying that genocide could occur in Zim, and the U.N. should intervene before it does. People tell me they want Bush to come and remove Mugabe. I tell them he never will because Zim doesn’t have anything the U.S. can use. Tebo suggested he do it to prove the people who say that wrong. I told her even if he wanted to do that, there are no troops left. They are all in Iraq & Afghanistan.
I’m in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, for work. I’ve had a great time. We came by car on Wednesday and we are staying at a co-worker's house. He has a nice, big house as he is often housing passer bys. Thursday & Friday Enock & I had partnership meetings with Save the Children US, FAO (Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN), JICA, the Japanese govt. org in Malawi and CIDA, the Canadian govt. org here. Very exciting.
Today, Sunday, Tebogo & Joanes arrived. Tomorrow & Tuesday we will be visiting projects here. Tonight I insisted on helping with dinner. I made peanut sauce with eggplant, carrots and tomatoes. Afterwards, Joanes told me he has tasted my food and I will make a good housewife! Ha. And that my husband will not run away from the house. So, eat that anyone that thinks I’m not “domestic” enough. :)
Joanes is from Cameroon. He does have some traditional ideas about men and women, as many African men do. Tebogo & I keep him in check though. :)
I’m feeling hopeful & encouraged about what is happening in Israel today. They have signed a peace treaty with Hamas & there has been a cease-fire for the past four days. Today they are allowing food & medicine across the border into the Gaza Strip, which has been closed for the past 12 months!
As for Zimbabwe. There are a good number of Zimbabweans here in Malawi. I met one that is for Mugabe, but most want him out. I initially felt disappointed when I heard that Morgan Tsvangirai (pronounced Tang-ger-ray) pulled out of the presidential race today, but I respect his reasons. Too many people were getting killed or injured by Mugabe army members/supporters. Tsvangirai said that he won, but his presidency will just be delayed. (He won the March 29th election but not by an absolute majority). He also said that Mugabe has declared war for June 27th (the day the run off election was to take place) and he will not take part in that war. It’s great to hear someone choosing to not take part in violence.
So the Zimbabweans will continue to suffer with all the problems they have under Mugabe, but at least the violence is abated for now. Tsvangirai is saying that genocide could occur in Zim, and the U.N. should intervene before it does. People tell me they want Bush to come and remove Mugabe. I tell them he never will because Zim doesn’t have anything the U.S. can use. Tebo suggested he do it to prove the people who say that wrong. I told her even if he wanted to do that, there are no troops left. They are all in Iraq & Afghanistan.
I am Legend
My days are great, filled with work and co-workers. Nights are quieter. We were told not to leave our house at night. Seeing how it is dark by 6pm, this seemed to be a limiting restriction. Sam and I fill our nights with making dinner, talking about history, politics, & culture and playing cards. (Sam is an Indian who moved to the U.S with his wife a few years ago. He works for Planet Aid in Washington, D.C. We had only met a few times before the flight to South Africa, but we’ve proved to be easy travel partners and good friends. We live together along with Leslie). We soon discovered counterfeit DVDs and added watching those to our nightly activities. We’ve been watching a Denzel Washington collection, which boasts to have 32 movies, but since half of them are advertised as part two of movies that don’t actually have part twos, there are about 18 movies. I never knew there were so many good Denzel Washington movies I hadn’t seen.
It also affords me lots of time for reading & writing in my lovely travel journal and going to bed early, which I need to do now to get up for work on time.
One night sitting at the kitchen table I told Sam that I felt like I was in the movie I am Legend, because I had never been out at night and I wondered what it was like “out there”. Our first weekend we had the opportunity to find out. We went to dinner at a wonderful Indian restaurant with some co-workers with a company car. Truth be told, it’s pretty dead at night but at least my curiosity was quenched. As Sam turned to me and said, “now we don’t have to be I am Legend anymore.”
It also affords me lots of time for reading & writing in my lovely travel journal and going to bed early, which I need to do now to get up for work on time.
One night sitting at the kitchen table I told Sam that I felt like I was in the movie I am Legend, because I had never been out at night and I wondered what it was like “out there”. Our first weekend we had the opportunity to find out. We went to dinner at a wonderful Indian restaurant with some co-workers with a company car. Truth be told, it’s pretty dead at night but at least my curiosity was quenched. As Sam turned to me and said, “now we don’t have to be I am Legend anymore.”
Mom gets a nod
In coming to Africa this time, I tried to pack based on my last experience: things I brought & used, or didn’t, and what I could have used but didn’t bring. The number one thing being chocolate. So I brought a stash…only to find that chocolate is readily available at the grocery stores here. (It’s fun, because it’s the candy bars you find in the UK, which reminds me of Ireland :) I’ve yet to visit the U.K.). The grocery store also had many of the toiletries that I stocked up on for three months…they may be expensive, but I might have paid the price to carry around lighter bags the four days we spent traveling. :)
One thing I learned from my previous trip & did right was to bring nice clothes. Africans always dress up, no matter what they are doing, and it is generally a mysterious marvel to us Westerners how their outfits remain spotless without a washer, dryer, iron or dry cleaner. (These things exist, but many people cannot afford them). I also knew I would be working in the country office everyday, as opposed to being out in the field. So my effort to wear skirts and dress up has been well received. I was also complimented on my behavior and told that my mother must have raised me well, telling me how to act, what to do and what not to do!
So yes, here in Africa I dress better for and arrive earlier to work than I do in the good ol’ U.S. of A. Everyone gets to work early, so I have to keep up. I am there by 8:30 am at least every day. This was ok the first week when my body clock was still on U.S time and I wasn’t sleeping well. But now that I have regained my precious ability to sleep (Thank God!), getting up early is a struggle. Especially because once I get up I have to boil water for my shower. I can’t just step into a warm shower to wake me up. But once I step out of my house and onto the bustling street, I am happy to be awake and a part of life.
One thing I learned from my previous trip & did right was to bring nice clothes. Africans always dress up, no matter what they are doing, and it is generally a mysterious marvel to us Westerners how their outfits remain spotless without a washer, dryer, iron or dry cleaner. (These things exist, but many people cannot afford them). I also knew I would be working in the country office everyday, as opposed to being out in the field. So my effort to wear skirts and dress up has been well received. I was also complimented on my behavior and told that my mother must have raised me well, telling me how to act, what to do and what not to do!
So yes, here in Africa I dress better for and arrive earlier to work than I do in the good ol’ U.S. of A. Everyone gets to work early, so I have to keep up. I am there by 8:30 am at least every day. This was ok the first week when my body clock was still on U.S time and I wasn’t sleeping well. But now that I have regained my precious ability to sleep (Thank God!), getting up early is a struggle. Especially because once I get up I have to boil water for my shower. I can’t just step into a warm shower to wake me up. But once I step out of my house and onto the bustling street, I am happy to be awake and a part of life.
Load Shedding & Politics
Hi again. I have so much to say, but there are technical limitations here. I only have the Internet at work, and I cannot stay after work hours to write, because I need to catch the bus home before it gets dark. (Since it is winter here, it starts to get dark at 5pm). So, I get to the Internet when I can, then the power goes out…and so it goes.
Speaking of electricity going out. (Some of you probably didn’t even know I had electricity, did you?) Well, I do, at all times, except for during load shedding. Load shedding basically means power sharing. There are times where we lose power for a few hours so that another area of the city can have it. The times when this will happen are posted in the newspaper. It happens a few times a week. Why there is not enough power for everyone, as there is in the States, I do not know yet. I’m assuming it has something to do with a lack of finances, or maybe some government bureaucracy, otherwise known as bologna sausage (BS).
We also lose power when someone has neglected to pay the power bill. This happened to us at work the other day, not because our organization hadn’t paid, but because the landlord of the building we are housed in did not pay. This is especially frustrating because not only do we lose the Internet, but after the batteries on our laptops run out, we lose the ability to do anything on the computer.
When this happened, we turned to reading the newspaper and discussing politics (which we do even when we do have power). As Sam says, the Malawians' favorite things to talk about, and in general, are football (soccer to most of you) and politics.
Malawians are very up on current events and read the newspaper daily. Our Grenadian (from the island nation of Grenada, in the Carribean) housemate, Leslie, has a radio and puts on BBC Africa each morning. I listened to this station in Mali as well. It is one of my favorite radio stations.
There is no shortage of news about the United States. Before I even got to work to look it up on the Internet, I heard on the radio on the bus that Barack won the democratic bid. Before this, everyone was asking me who I liked, Hillary or Barack. They have their own opinions as well. One woman I work with told me she didn't like Hillary because then the presidency would be staying in one family! At first I was surprised that they knew and cared so much about what goes on in the U.S. But then I realized, of course they do. The decisions made in the U.S. directly affect the rest of the world.
Here we are all very excited about Barack Obama's victory! The Malawians ask me about John McCain (another four years of Republican policies scare me), if the U.S. is ready for Barack Obama (I hope so), and if I will accept him (Yes, I will).
Speaking of electricity going out. (Some of you probably didn’t even know I had electricity, did you?) Well, I do, at all times, except for during load shedding. Load shedding basically means power sharing. There are times where we lose power for a few hours so that another area of the city can have it. The times when this will happen are posted in the newspaper. It happens a few times a week. Why there is not enough power for everyone, as there is in the States, I do not know yet. I’m assuming it has something to do with a lack of finances, or maybe some government bureaucracy, otherwise known as bologna sausage (BS).
We also lose power when someone has neglected to pay the power bill. This happened to us at work the other day, not because our organization hadn’t paid, but because the landlord of the building we are housed in did not pay. This is especially frustrating because not only do we lose the Internet, but after the batteries on our laptops run out, we lose the ability to do anything on the computer.
When this happened, we turned to reading the newspaper and discussing politics (which we do even when we do have power). As Sam says, the Malawians' favorite things to talk about, and in general, are football (soccer to most of you) and politics.
Malawians are very up on current events and read the newspaper daily. Our Grenadian (from the island nation of Grenada, in the Carribean) housemate, Leslie, has a radio and puts on BBC Africa each morning. I listened to this station in Mali as well. It is one of my favorite radio stations.
There is no shortage of news about the United States. Before I even got to work to look it up on the Internet, I heard on the radio on the bus that Barack won the democratic bid. Before this, everyone was asking me who I liked, Hillary or Barack. They have their own opinions as well. One woman I work with told me she didn't like Hillary because then the presidency would be staying in one family! At first I was surprised that they knew and cared so much about what goes on in the U.S. But then I realized, of course they do. The decisions made in the U.S. directly affect the rest of the world.
Here we are all very excited about Barack Obama's victory! The Malawians ask me about John McCain (another four years of Republican policies scare me), if the U.S. is ready for Barack Obama (I hope so), and if I will accept him (Yes, I will).
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach him to fish, and he eats for life.
My first week at work has been full. I am working at the Partnership office, which consists of five people. We have an office within the larger office of the country office. Our organization, DAPP Malawi, has lots going on in Malawi. Our job in the partnership office is to find funds (for instance grants) to support the programs, both internationally and domestically. There are a lot of organizations that we already partner with, so part of the work is keeping good relationships and showing them the work we are doing so they continue to support us. As you may know, grants are given for an allotted amount of time, so there is always the work of reapplying or find new sources when the current ones run out.
To do my job well, I need to learn a lot about each project which is exciting. In our office, we have our project leaders, Augustus & Enock, and then the partnership officers: Joanes, Tebogo, and myself. Luckily for me, Joanes & Tebogo are also new, so we are going to pay extensive visits to each project over the next month.
We have six types of projects. The two that I am responsible for both deal with HIV/AIDS: HOPE and TCE. I am the most interested in these projects so I am delighted it worked out this way. I am even hoping to use my counseling background in some way, perhaps for training.
But before I get ahead of myself...This week we had some special events which included HOPE and TCE. It made my first week pretty exciting.
The events were initiated by a company called Kiwi. They make shoe polish as well as other products. In the U.S. they are called Sara Lee (but they do not make cakes here!) Kiwi/Sara Lee celebrated their 100Th anniversary in 2006, and since they make the most money in Africa, they decided to donate 100,000 shoes to people in Africa. They partnered with Camper shoe company to do this. They had gone to a number of African countries and this week it was our turn. So they hooked up with our organization to find the people they would donate to. So we choose some villages/areas that have orphans and others that are served by HOPE or TCE.
From Thursday to Saturday, we went to five different areas. (It has also been a great way for me to see the areas surrounding Blantyre). Our entourage consisted of: from Spain, a Kiwi employee, a Camper employee and two people from Humana Spain (one of our sister organizations), a Kiwi employee from Tanzania, my boss Enock, other various DAPP employees, TCE Field Officers, DIs (people like myself, here from various countries to work for a short time) working with TCE, District Officials, Chiefs, a Minister of Education and TV and newspaper reporters. In each village, there are were hundreds of people sitting waiting for us. When we came they sang and danced. There were speeches by people from each organization, as well as the chief. At one village, we heard testimonies from two women who are living positively with HIV/AIDS.
I should also explain a little about the projects. I will do HOPE at another time. TCE stands for Total Control of the Epidemic. The southern African countries are the worst hit with HIV/AIDS in the world. In Malawi, 14% of the adult population are HIV positive. Part of the problem is that there is are stigmas against talking about HIV/AIDS, getting tested, etc. So TCE employs field officers to go door to door and have a personal, educational conversation about HIV/AIDS with each person. The whole country is divided up...into districts, then areas....each field officer is responsible for 2,000 people and they have three years to reach every one of them. TCE does other things in the community...creates resource centers, offers testing or organizes mobile testing if they do not a facility, counseling, income generating projects, etc. etc.
That is just a snapshot...I realize this entry is already so long but there is so much to explain! So, it was great to hear the women who gave their testimonies. They said the field officer encouraged them to get tested. Both were positive, but through counseling they realized that life is not over. They learned to live positively and are healthy now. One talked about being on ARVs. They both encouraged everyone to get tested. The chief also talked about how he was the first one in the village to get tested because chiefs must lead by example. He also talked about how they have modified their traditions if they were contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS.
I could say more but...
So the shoes. The shoes were a little sad because we didn't have a lot of children sizes. It was also overwhelming, because the shoes were in a pile on the ground and the villagers were around us, and we were trying to find shoes to fit them. They were called by names, and so the intention was to be orderly, and while it could have been much worse it still felt chaotic. It was also difficult as a lot of villagers do not speak english (or perhaps were too shy to do so? this was suggested to me) so it was hard to figure out what they wanted, if the shoes were too big or too small...though in some instances you can tell of course...
When I think back to when I first got interested in this kind of work, I can see the layers of understanding and knowledge that form over time. When I see others, like the people from Spain who aren't in this line of work, and are in fact for profit, but maybe still feel some compassion for those that are suffering in the world...or guilt... I have to wonder if we do things like this to feel better about ourselves. So we can dust the African ground off our hands and feet and say I did something good today. But we didn't teach them anything, we didn't do anything to undo the systems that have created this mess. So I didn't cry or feel massively touched by the experience. Mostly it was a learning experience to add to my growth, my widening understanding.
I am happy to be working with an organization who understands this. We aren't about handouts, we are about empowering people. For instance, I think the knowledge about HIV/AIDS has empowered people. I'll end here and include some beautiful pictures from the places we visited.
To do my job well, I need to learn a lot about each project which is exciting. In our office, we have our project leaders, Augustus & Enock, and then the partnership officers: Joanes, Tebogo, and myself. Luckily for me, Joanes & Tebogo are also new, so we are going to pay extensive visits to each project over the next month.
We have six types of projects. The two that I am responsible for both deal with HIV/AIDS: HOPE and TCE. I am the most interested in these projects so I am delighted it worked out this way. I am even hoping to use my counseling background in some way, perhaps for training.
But before I get ahead of myself...This week we had some special events which included HOPE and TCE. It made my first week pretty exciting.
The events were initiated by a company called Kiwi. They make shoe polish as well as other products. In the U.S. they are called Sara Lee (but they do not make cakes here!) Kiwi/Sara Lee celebrated their 100Th anniversary in 2006, and since they make the most money in Africa, they decided to donate 100,000 shoes to people in Africa. They partnered with Camper shoe company to do this. They had gone to a number of African countries and this week it was our turn. So they hooked up with our organization to find the people they would donate to. So we choose some villages/areas that have orphans and others that are served by HOPE or TCE.
From Thursday to Saturday, we went to five different areas. (It has also been a great way for me to see the areas surrounding Blantyre). Our entourage consisted of: from Spain, a Kiwi employee, a Camper employee and two people from Humana Spain (one of our sister organizations), a Kiwi employee from Tanzania, my boss Enock, other various DAPP employees, TCE Field Officers, DIs (people like myself, here from various countries to work for a short time) working with TCE, District Officials, Chiefs, a Minister of Education and TV and newspaper reporters. In each village, there are were hundreds of people sitting waiting for us. When we came they sang and danced. There were speeches by people from each organization, as well as the chief. At one village, we heard testimonies from two women who are living positively with HIV/AIDS.
I should also explain a little about the projects. I will do HOPE at another time. TCE stands for Total Control of the Epidemic. The southern African countries are the worst hit with HIV/AIDS in the world. In Malawi, 14% of the adult population are HIV positive. Part of the problem is that there is are stigmas against talking about HIV/AIDS, getting tested, etc. So TCE employs field officers to go door to door and have a personal, educational conversation about HIV/AIDS with each person. The whole country is divided up...into districts, then areas....each field officer is responsible for 2,000 people and they have three years to reach every one of them. TCE does other things in the community...creates resource centers, offers testing or organizes mobile testing if they do not a facility, counseling, income generating projects, etc. etc.
That is just a snapshot...I realize this entry is already so long but there is so much to explain! So, it was great to hear the women who gave their testimonies. They said the field officer encouraged them to get tested. Both were positive, but through counseling they realized that life is not over. They learned to live positively and are healthy now. One talked about being on ARVs. They both encouraged everyone to get tested. The chief also talked about how he was the first one in the village to get tested because chiefs must lead by example. He also talked about how they have modified their traditions if they were contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS.
I could say more but...
So the shoes. The shoes were a little sad because we didn't have a lot of children sizes. It was also overwhelming, because the shoes were in a pile on the ground and the villagers were around us, and we were trying to find shoes to fit them. They were called by names, and so the intention was to be orderly, and while it could have been much worse it still felt chaotic. It was also difficult as a lot of villagers do not speak english (or perhaps were too shy to do so? this was suggested to me) so it was hard to figure out what they wanted, if the shoes were too big or too small...though in some instances you can tell of course...
When I think back to when I first got interested in this kind of work, I can see the layers of understanding and knowledge that form over time. When I see others, like the people from Spain who aren't in this line of work, and are in fact for profit, but maybe still feel some compassion for those that are suffering in the world...or guilt... I have to wonder if we do things like this to feel better about ourselves. So we can dust the African ground off our hands and feet and say I did something good today. But we didn't teach them anything, we didn't do anything to undo the systems that have created this mess. So I didn't cry or feel massively touched by the experience. Mostly it was a learning experience to add to my growth, my widening understanding.
I am happy to be working with an organization who understands this. We aren't about handouts, we are about empowering people. For instance, I think the knowledge about HIV/AIDS has empowered people. I'll end here and include some beautiful pictures from the places we visited.
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