Kevin and Spencer

Friday, July 15, 2011

(Kevin) Finding Neno


Last weekend, I visited the parents of my neighbor (Peter) in the mountains of Neno district. We hoped on a minibus at 7am in Liwonde, and started our journey. 2 hours later, we arrived at our stop, where we waited for a truck, an SUV, or anything that would take us the last 2 hours of the trip. This wait lasted 6 hours. Finally, we hoped on the back of an Irish potato truck, and drove 2 hours to Neno trading centre. From there, we walked 2 hours, through the dark, with Peter’s baby daughter, a pail of goods, and two backpacks. 

As I’m sure you can see from our 12 hour journey for such a short distance – transportation in Neno is not good. We finally arrived at the house at 7pm, and I realized the pay off of the journey. The property is located on the top of mountain, and consists of 6 living houses, 3 cooking houses, and caral for pigs and goats, and many acres of land. I can truthfully say that this is the most beautiful place that I’ve been to in Malawi. If I had the opportunity to spend years here, I would jump on it. 

The family was very welcoming – and the weekend was spent laughing, sharing stories, taking walks, and eating great food. With the exception of cane sugar and tea (both from Malawi), everything eaten at the house is grown on the property. Over the course of my two days there, I ate maize, lemons, hot peppers, oranges, beans, chicken, sugar cane, tomatoes, and cassava. Absolutely delicious. 

I also spent one morning learning about charcoal production. Trees are cut down, buried in sand, burned, and bagged up for sale in villages and cities across Malawi. Charcoal (along with wood burning) are the main sources of fuel for cooking here. While it can provide heat and bring in revenue, it has it’s drawbacks. As my friend Gift describes, cutting down trees for charcoal “multiplies poverty”. During rainy season, a lack of trees can compromise water quality and increase the risk of flooding. What other option is there? Everyone needs to eat.
On Sunday, we packed our bags, said our goodbyes, and walked 1.5 hours to the trading center to catch some sort of transportation. We waited, and waited, and waited… and waited. Nothing came. So we turned around, and walked 1.5 hours back to the house. 

As I woke up Monday, I took in the beauty of my surroundings as I watched the sunrise over the mountains. This would be my last day in Neno. Again, we said our goodbyes, walked 1.5 hours to the trading center, and an additional 2.5 hours to the city. It was here that we finally caught a ride in the back of an ambulance with 15 other people. After a 30 minute ride down a mountain road, we headed back to Liwonde on a minibus with ease.

Peter’s parents and their neighbors have amazing land, and the crop yields are plentiful, but because of poor roads and transportation systems they have heavy difficulties turning a profit on what they grow. It reminds me of something an extension worker preached to me a few weeks ago – the idea that Malawians get “used to poverty”. What does this phrase mean? In this case, do people get used to poor transportation? How adaptive can you be until transportation becomes too overwhelming and begins threatening challenges? 


Be well, much love. 

Kevin

1 comment:

  1. Wow! That journey sounds treacherous and neno sounds so beautiful! It would take a thousand years to explore all of the beautiful nooks and crannies of Malawi. I'm glad to hear you're taking time to make strong connections with your friends and their families. Keep it up Kevin and thanks for the photo!

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