Happy Easter!

Hello everyone from a very beautiful day in Mzuzu!

I hope everyone is enjoying the Easter break.  Since I last wrote its been a busy time but then again, when is it not!  I spent a few hours at our school one day and took a few pictures - its not often these days I have time for such luxury but it was just great to spend time chatting with the children in the playground.

As I was walking home from town one day I came across these three kids having a lot of fun with a wheelbarrow!  These wheelbarrows are what people use to carry any type of luggage - for example if you come off the bus with your suitcase you would hire a guy to carry your suitcase home on this!!

Nicolas and I were continuing our training with the trainers and the last zone was Karonga. We picked up Eliza and George on the way and decided to stop at Kandewe traditional basket bridge which runs over the South Rukuru river.  It is made of bamboo and is something like a basic version of carrick-a-rede!  When we stopped we were escorted by Mr Nyasulu who you can see here and he gave us a really good history of the bridge.  Then he showed us inside the ancestral prayer alter which was fun but perhaps quite scary for some!

The South Rukuru river is one of the major rivers in the north and due to the heavy rains it was flowing very fast and heavily with brown muddy water.  The bridge is quite unstable and I only ventured onto the first part but Nicolas went half way across and a couple of small kids just ran across!!  If you think what might be in the water if you fell in perhaps its a good incentive to run fast!!

In Karonga we did the monitoring exercise with 4 trainers who visited two different centres.  I was really impressed with Karonga - Lucy is doing a great job and it was such an encouragement to see.  Here you can see the children washing their hands using a local handwashing bottle (because there is no tap or well nearby).

The second centre we went to was a challenge to get to due to the extremely heavy rains in Karonga but we made it, and it was really worth it to see the children playing with their caregivers.  Here you can see Nicolas having fun with them too!

I had been hoping for a beautiful lake picture but the weather did not favour us and so I got a few dull pictures of the fishermen coming home from fishing and the women running out with their basins to put the fish into!

On the way home the weather brightened up and I took this of a lakeside village.

No sooner was I home from Karonga than I was informed I had to be in Blantyre for a workshop to validate some materials being produced for ECD with Save the Children.  So I had a long drive ahead and stopped off along the lakeshore only to find more fishermen bringing in their catch in their green mosquito nets all sewed together!  It was quite an operation and I watched them for some time.

At the workshop I met some old ECD colleagues and met some new.  We had two facilitators from Save the Children in USA and it was good to spend time with them too.  On the second day we went to a village outside Blantyre to test the materials with the local community.  Here you can see me and a few colleagues as we were dancing being welcomed by the  villagers!

I love this picture.  The village ladies had come in their usual attire many with bare feet and yet this lovely child was all dressed up with his new shoes on!  He was playing with one of our empty water bottles, probably his only toy!

Sometimes in my blog I mention Fidelis who is like my 'adopted' son!  His real home is just outside Blantyre and because he is on holidays from College he was at home last week.  I had the opportunity to go to his village and meet his family which was so special.  Here I am with his sister and what we would say were his cousins!  We had a lot of fun with the family!

On Good Friday it was back up the lakeshore road to Mzuzu - we left at 7am and arrived about 5.30pm having stopped off at Nkhotakota for lunch.  While we were having lunch we were being watched closely by a troop of Vervet monkeys.........

In  Malawi, Easter is a very special time in Christian circles.  I remember in Zomba every year we walked the way of the cross where someone carried a cross and all denominations followed behind and we stopped at various intervals and read portions from the Bible and sand hymns and prayed.  Well, as we drove home on Friday we passed 4 such processions. On one occasion I was on a dirt road and the cross was in front with many people singing behind.  We had to stop for quite a while while people knelt down and the scriptures were read. Unfortunately just as I thought of taking a picture of the cross people stood up.  I would have loved to take pictures of all the processions but I did not think it was appropriate!

However, I have borrowed this picture from my good friend the Anglican Bishop here in the north.  He is on Likoma Island for Easter (he invited me to go too but due to the workshop I was unable to make it, and when I heard that the boat broke down in the middle of the lake I was quite glad!!  

Here you can see the Bishop himself carrying the cross on Likoma...

And finally for this blog (you will be giving a sigh of relief)....it was really windy a few days last week after the heavy rains and I found a nest lying in the garden.  When I looked closely there was a single egg in it.  I am not sure what type of bird the nest belonged to as there are so many in my garden.  However, I thought it very appropriate for the Easter blog when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, with our Easter eggs.    When I went to look at the nest later in the day, the egg was gone!!

Wishing you all a blessed Easter Sunday as we celebrate the risen Christ!

Diane

frustrations..........

Hello everyone,

The title of today's blog does not reflect the week but today - I have been trying to post this all morning and uploading the photographs has taken only about 3 hours - I am told patience is a virtue........

I begin this week with a picture of a ghecko outside my back door last week in the evening - I just thought it was a nice picture.  I never realised how badly the door was painted until I saw this photo!!

I have had another busy week - we started last Monday with some of our trainers coming to Mzuzu for a training exercise in Monitoring and Evaluation (similar to the one I did in Chitipa a few weeks ago).  We chose 4 private Early Childhood Centres within the city and asked them if they would allow us to do our training exercise.  We all got quite a shock with some of the conditions that these 'private' ECD centres allow the children to be in.  This centre is outside as you can see, which is not very practical in the rainy season.  We found children sitting at desks with nothing to do.....

The same centre a couple of days later when we visited spontaneously and found them inside this tiny room because it was raining!  

This  was another private centre where we found many children from 10 months up to 5 years.  I was shocked here because there were 15 children under 2 years being cared for by one person .........how??  

The sad thing for me and for some of our other trainers is that we have trained the caregivers in these centres.  One of the centres refused to have us as the children (under 6) were in the middle of their exams!!!  The mind boggles!  Anyway, as I told the trainers it is a learning exercise for all of us - in what not to do!!

On a different note altogether, as those of you are in the UK are probably aware this is the bicentenary year of Dr David Livingstone's birth.  Because Malawi has a great link with Scotland and indeed because Dr Livingstone is accredited for bringing the gospel to this country, we had a church celebration on Sunday.  It was not too long - the service lasted only 4 hours!!  We had representatives from the Synod of Zambia, and the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Malawi.  (this was great as they are both former students of Zomba Theological College and I had not seen the Rev Chipeta from Zambia since 1998!)

Here you can see one of the choirs - I just happened to press the button when they raised their hands!!

Helen Scott, a missionary with here from the Church of Scotland represented the moderator of COS and read a letter from him to our church.

Rev Mateya Nkhoma (acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Livingstonia) gave us the history of Dr David Livingstone's journey through Africa.  I am sure many of you know him as he is a previous General Secretary and visited the UK many times.

The Guest of Honour was Rev W Kawale (a past General Secretary of Nkhoma Synod who now lectures at Mzuzu university).  He gave a very moving account of how we have to accredit Christianity, commerce and civilization to Dr David Livingstone.

The minister preaching was Rev Samuel Kalopa Mhone who is stationed in Lilongwe Presbytery (another former Zomba student).  A very powerful preacher!!

Afterwards there was a reception for invited guests and here you can see Rev Mhone relaxing with Rev Binnie Mwakasungula (who many folk in Ireland know also!)

So, I went to church at 8am and was home by 1.30pm......

Then as usual on Sunday afternoon I walk with two friends Jodi and Rochelle.  We take various routes around the city, and sometimes we find the paths a bit dicey!  However on Sunday afternoon it was dry and quite dull so we had no problems.  I took this as I was walking over one of the bridges!

And just as I was coming in the gate home the sun was setting in front of me - beautiful colours!

On Monday, I set off with Nicolas to Mzimba to meet another group of ToT's to do another M&E excercise with them.  Again we went to three private centres within Mzimba, and I don't know about you but I would not send my child to this centre!!  The amazing thing was that the caregiver knew me - I trained her in 2008!!  (but did she understand I wonder??)

The second centre we went to was in a church and as you can see below it was really a classroom setup with a blackboard and chairs - for 3 year olds................ (makes me want to cry!!)

The third centre was much better (it should be as one of my trainers is a caregiver there).  We found these children in a 'car' driving to Mzuzu and having a lot of fun!!

After the exercise, we were going to have a meeting in a hall, and on the way back I just had to take a picture of this shop sign 'Trust Nobody'!!  

So we had our meeting with the trainers to evaluate and discuss different training that is coming up in April.  During the meeting there was a severe thunderstorm - and of course my car alarm went off so I got soaked going to switch it off!

Today is a Synod holiday as it is David Livingstone's day - it has given me a chance to catch up with emails and the blog, although I had a meeting with two colleagues this morning too!  So not really a rest day but I am thankful for it.

I will finish this time with a picture of the sunflowers - they are all over the place at the minute and I think they are such a happy flower - always want to make me smile!! 

I trust this will be a healthy and happy week for you!  

Blessings,

Diane

Hello everyone,

Its been another busy week coupled with a bout of sickness.  When I was in Chitipa last week I ate some food in a local restaurant and that night I was quite ill.  However, I felt okay the next day, but this week I did not feel well at all and eventually succumbed to visiting the doctor yesterday, so have been prescribed with some medicine and feel a bit better today!  Have had a lazy day so far (well, I did the washing this morning by hand as usual and went to the market, and made lunch and cleaned the house.......)!!

I was coming in Mzuzu one day last week and at the minute the Cassia trees are in full bloom everywhere so the city looks beautiful, so I took this photo.  Doesn't really do the trees justice but I couldn't be playing with the camera and driving so I just had one shot at it. The sky looks pretty impressive too I think!!

As I said, its been another busy week and Nicolas and myself went to Rumphi to meet our trainer, George to arrange training that we are planning in April together with another organisation called Matunkha.  We met in the church and can you imagine it even has stained glass windows!!  Not many of our churches here have any windows never mind stained glass!!

The Early Childhood Centre in Rumphi is held in the church hall, but it was having cement put on the floor so the children were all at the front of the church. This is the scene that greeted us as we went into the church.  As you can imagine I was not very pleased as children were just sitting on a mat doing nothing, and there were very few play materials around!!  However, this is typical of what we find in so many centres, even after caregivers have been trained.  This is possibly due to caregivers never having seen a well run ECD centre and have no idea what it is they are meant to do, or as is sometimes the case, its because the caregivers are lazy!!

While we waited for George to come (he was keeping African time!), Nicolas sang some songs with the children.......

When George arrived we had a good discussion with our traditional bottles of coke as you can see here!  After our meeting we travelled to Enukweni on the way back to Mzuzu to meet Freeman, another trainer from Henga Presbytery but as his meeting was on the roadside I did not take a photograph!

I visited Ekwendeni this week where one of our trainers was involved in training caregivers with another organisation.  I went to supervise and was shocked at what I saw - this photo is of a play area for young children.  I was not happy with the trainers and I don't think they will do it again!  

The participants usually make dolls - well these were the dolls and again I was not happy with the facilitators - green dolls or green dolls with white heads!!  Not acceptable I am afraid!!

On another note entirely.  I was at home for lunch one day and it was raining heavily and as I was eating my sandwich and looking out at the rain, I spied this leaf with water hanging on it.  Thought it made quite a good photo!!

Due to the rainfall we have had the plants are all growing at a tremendous rate, and so the fruit in the garden is doing well. The oranges are beginning to change colour, but I doubt if they will  be there long enough to ripen properly as people tend to pick them before they are ready!

Although this picture is quite dark, you can see that the pawpaw (or papaya) tree is laden with fruit but because it is so high usually many of the fruit are damaged when they hit the ground!

When I went out this morning I found a visitor taking guavas off the tree.  This is a common occurrence in Malawi - nothing ever belongs to you, it belongs to the community which can be a bit of a problem sometimes!!  It was my neighbour and I teased him that he would have to pay K10 for every guava.

This is the guava tree and I took this photo a few days ago and when I looked at it I was surprised to see the pink colour in the middle - so I decided to go again and take a close up picture....

This is t he close up - unfortunately it is not quite in focus and I have no idea what had eaten this but it is amazing!! 

The rains are a blessing as people always tell me, but the fruits of the rains are sometimes not a blessing.  This is the fence of my vegetable garden and the things you can see are enormous snails who have decided to camp there.  There are many of them all over the fence!!  Perhaps good to eat........

And just to finish off today, a beautiful flower I found in the garden this morning.  It is really tiny and this is my favourite photo of this blog!!

This coming week is also a busy one, in fact until the end of April it is non stop!  We have some trainers coming to Mzuzu on Monday for a meeting on Tuesday, so lots to organise.  From the end of March right through to the end of April we have about 10 or 11 different workshops going on in different parts of the north, and it is my job to co-ordinate them all and make sure everything goes smoothly!  No easy task - I think I will take a holiday in May!!

I had a shock this week.  In 2011 I posted a blog about opening a new Early Childhood Centre in Nkhata Bay which had been funded by two European girls.  They were still in Malawi and building another centre in the Nkhata Bay area but for the community.  On Tuesday last week, one of the girls was travelling to Nkhata Bay on a lorry with cement for the new project which she had just bought.  The road is narrow and very steep with lots of bad bends.  Unfortunatley the lorry may have been speeding or brakes failed, we will never know, but Tine and another person were killed instantly as the lorry with the cement in it over turned after hitting another truck.  Such a shock for everyone especially her friend Rjimke who was working alongside her.  

Many times I talk about praying for safety on the roads here.  Roads are narrow and drivers speed, some have no licenses or brakes in the cars.  As we were coming home from Rumphi we also passed a truck which had gone off the road and two people were taken to the local hospital.

Continue praying for our safety!  Thank you for all your comments last week.  Much appreciated.

Wishing you all a good week wherever you are!

Blessings,

Diane