(Kevin) Goodbye Machinga

Three months ago, I arrived in Msamati village in Machinga district. At the time, fish and nsima made my stomach question my intentions, ripping apart sugar cane with my teeth was an impossible task, greeting someone in Chichewa felt unfamiliar, riding in a minibus was intimidating, remembering the names of all of the Traditional Authorities and types of water points made my head hurt, and my host family felt like a group a strangers.

Yesterday was my last day in Msamati, and today will be my last day in Malawi. It would be an understatement to say that this was an amazing, mind expanding, and inspiring experience. To all of those who opened their hearts, lives, and homes to me over the past three months, I send my love and thanks.

Sitting in Peter’s room as my host family prayed for my safe departure, I realize that I’ve grown a lot while being here, and have made connections with wonderful human beings.

I realize now that fish and nsima fill me up like no other food can, eating sugar cane is delicious and easy once you get the hang of it, greeting someone in Chichewa really helps build trust and connections, minibus rides are some of my most favorite adventures, the names of T/As are second nature to me now and seeing water points in the field has helped me conceptualize their designs, and my host family are far from strangers – they’re great friends. I’m going to miss this place.

Be well, and very much love.

Kevin

 

(Kevin) Yao man!

Wow. It’s been an interesting last few weeks! Why?

First, next Thursday will be my last day in my village. The thought of leaving these wonderful people breaks my heart into pieces. 3 months isn’t long enough to embrace all of this – it just isn’t.

Second, the reason that next Thursday will be my last day in Liwone is because of the threat of political protests in Malawi on August 17th. I will still be flying back to Canada on August 27^th. If you haven’t been following the news, you can check out a great post written by fellow JF Robyn (http://heymalawi.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/all-quiet-on-the-mzimba-front/). Our time in Malawi has been cut short about 2 weeks, as we will all head to Zambia to stay away from any potential violence or incidents. This was a smart choice by EWB, but that doesn’t make it easy. For myself, I’m here to help and learn from Malawi with everything I’ve got. To leave this country during one of it’s most challenging times feels stale, and hurts. I’ll be hoping and thinking good thoughts for this country in their hopes to resolve these issues.

And third, I was privileged with the opportunity to attend a Yao initiation ceremony last Saturday. “Yao” refers to the tribe that dominates the northern part of the southern region of Malawi. The Yao people are majorly Muslim, and this was reflected greatly in the ceremony.

We started off at 7:30am. Jackson and George (my friends), and myself biked through the hills of Balaka district, until we reached our destination 15km away. Compared to my trip to the mountains of Neno, this distance was a piece of cake. As we arrived, Jackson’s family greeted us – mother, father, brothers, sisters, and cousins – the list goes on and on.

The initiation ceremony, known as “Chinamwali” in Chewchewa, signifies the coming of age for girls and boys into adulthood. In different variations of the tradition, this can include circumcision, spiritual cleansing, and other practices. As we waited for the event, Jackson and I sat on a beautifully woven reed mat, in true Malawian style. An hour passed before Jackson pulled me aside, telling me that it’s time to begin.

Everyone stood, and a group of 20 young men joined together to lead the group. These men, skilled in traditional Yao singing and dance, walked us towards the village chief’s house for the celebration of these 6 girls and boys.

The energy took everyone high, and the song took everyone even higher. As we walked, women would proclaim their excitement by making a wonderful noise. Make an “O” with your mouth, shake your tongue from side to side, and scream as loud as you can. Well done!

As we arrived at the chief’s house, the two boys and four girls were blessed with his honor. The two boys, dressed in handsome suits and polished shoes, and the girls, dressed in beautiful gowns, remained silent and solemn – their mouths covered with cloth. Why the quiet? Respect. Why the cloth? To hide their mouths if they get too silly, and start to laugh.  

After the children received the chief’s blessing, the Yao dancers escorted us back to Jackson’s house. What’s next in the ceremony? Time for the kids to cash in! As the Master of Ceremonies addressed the group, they invited friends and family to give Kwacha to the children. As the Yao dancers kept energy high, the group celebrated the coming of age of these young Malawians.

Last, but not least, a beautiful feast! This was the first time that I’ve eaten nsima and undeywo (relish) in a communal way. Two dishes of nsima and a dish of goat was shared between myself, 2 elders, and Jackson. It was fantastic, delicious, and very grounding.

As requested by Jackson, I brought my camera along. Before we made our departure back to Liwonde, I took pictures of Jackson and his wonderful family to document this happy day. Fortunately, a Canadian is travelling from Winnipeg to Malawi in October to work on this AfDB project, so I’ll have a chance to send these pictures back to my dear friend.

Riding home with Jackson over the hot African savannah, I could see from the look on Jackson’s face that he was happy. I hope I looked half as happy as he did.

I’ll leave you with a beautiful thought. A few months ago, I sat in a local restaurant, eating a dish of nsima as I watched an interview with a man famous for his research in ancient wisdom around the world. What he said sticks with me to this day:

Ancient wisdom is beautiful, and ancient wisdom is valuable. Yes, we’re different, but that doesn’t make any of us more beautiful or more valuable. Every culture is expressing their own response to the meaning of life, and that is what’s really important.

Be well, and take care.

Kev

Jackson (L) and myself enjoying nsima and Halal goat.

(Kevin) The Complexities of WP Rehabilitation

This AfDB project is responsible for rehabilitating 250 BH in the district of Machinga. This is huge! But it sounds straight forward, right? Select 250 broken boreholes, and fix them.

At first, I thought it would be straight forward too. So why is it turning out to be so complicated? There are a few things that I’ve experienced during this phase of the project.

1) Defining “rehabilitation”

An ideal “rehabilitation” involves repairing concrete structures (base, washing block for clothes, etc.), changing large parts of the pump, and blowing out the borehole to remove sediment. A borehole that needs all three of these things is an A+ candidate.
But what happens when a borehole needs only a new washing block and a few spare parts? Is that considered a rehabilitation? Or how about a borehole that simply needs a few pump rods and nothing else? During my analysis of the 250 boreholes surveyed, it was found that this is the case for about 25% of boreholes.
Why is this a concern? Rehabilitating these boreholes means that other boreholes that are in greater need will not get rehabilitated. This is a reason for concern.

2) Assessing a borehole’s problem accurately with limited capacity and knowledge

The assessments of these boreholes was done by field workers. While these men have had training around these types of boreholes, they are very inexperienced, and many only have a high school education. Also, a conversation today with someone in the district informed me that some of these field workers are in the job because of connections they have with relatives in the government.
I have seen first hand that several of these field workers cannot make a proper assessment of what is wrong with a borehole. I know many of them have good intentions, but this is really a job that should be given to someone with technical expertise.

3) The quality of assessment is based on financial inputs

Field workers conduct their work based on a system of allowances. These are ‘stipends’ given to workers based on the quantity (and not necessarily quality) of work they conduct. What I found through my experience  is that some assessments were completed based on geographic convenience in order to obtain these allowances. What this means is that field workers would select boreholes that were closest to them, in order to get the job finished quickly. This can greatly affect the equitable and efficient distribution of these repairs.

4) What about community based management (CBM)?

Community based management is the idea that communities should be responsible for the maintenance and well-being of their water point. This includes the financing of spare parts that need to be replaced in the pump.
Going back to my first point. If you replace a few spare parts in a borehole, you can certainly call it rehabilitated in a report, but what message does this send to a community? Does it say that communities should wait for another rehabilitation the next time their water point breaks down. Malawi has experienced a dependency syndrome when it comes to water point maintenance, and needs support to break free from this mentality.

The resolution of this field exercise left me with a thousand questions, a good amount of happiness, and some worries.

The world of water development is complicated. Community financing of spare parts, spare parts networks, equity of water point distribution, capacity at the district government level, communication between projects and communities – they’re all connected with no easy answers.

The bottom line is that 250 boreholes will be rehabilitated. The final report will say this, and it will speak the truth. The reality is that the practice is a far far more complicated than the declaration.

Take care, and much love.

Kevin

(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

(Kevin) Went to a place, where no cars go.

This week was big! Besides celebrating both Malawian and Canadian independence, I spent 3 days with extension workers, and one big day in the field interviewing communities about their new borehole.

A one-day field visit?! What’s the point of that?

First off, it turns out that 13 litres of fuel and oil (5500MK ~ $35) buys you only one day on a motorcycle in the most remote area of the district (especially when the roads are poorly maintained, and communities are far apart). Ideally, I would have liked to visit the 8 communities that I planned for, but that 13 liters only took me to 4 of them. Was it worth it? Definitely, and here’s why:

1) I was able to continue my relationship building with the extension worker:
Extension workers are people with access to many conversations and a lot of information. By spending 3 days with him, bouncing ideas off of him, and showing him the purpose of my research, I can sense that he’s more comfortable sharing with me. This is great! And exactly what I need – both to feel more human here, and to get a more holistic perspective of the situation on the ground.  

2) II’m able to further understand who puts boreholes where, and how they make those decisions:
I met with the Traditional Authority – a very powerful man who has a lot of decision making power in his area of the district. He explained to me the procedure for boreholes allocations when new projects come to his area. Which communities gets them? What criteria is used to select certain communities over other communities?
The theoretical procedure is great to understand – but is it actually followed step by step? Most likely – the answer is no. Biases exist, and no system is perfect. The challenge is finding the disconnections and loose connections between procedure and practice. Admitting such things makes people in power vulnerable, making this information tough to come by.

3) I was able to create 4 case studies around water access in Ngokwe:
Of the four communities I visited, I heard some really interesting things from communities - particularly around their ability to pay for their new borehole from the African Development Bank*.
*The project requires that communities raise 15000MK (~$100) before they receive their new borehole.*
Some things worth mentioning:

1) One community was dropped from the list to get a new borehole because they weren’t able to raise the funds. Why? The 6 community members I interviewed told me it was because one of the village headman insisted the location for the new borehole be in his compound. The issue was never resolved, community members refused to pay, and they lost their chance for a new borehole.

2) Almost all communities I interviewed reported that low tobacco sales have really inhibited their ability to raise the 15000MK. One conversation informed me that Canadian influence to reduce smoking rates in Malawi has been a big contributing factor. Whoa..

3) A campaigning Member of Parliament provided boreholes and spare parts for 2 of the 4 communities I met. It has been documented by many people that such a practice undermines communities based management, and discourages communities from taking ownership and responsibility for water point maintenance.

4) The ADB database indicates that one community has 0 BHs. When I went to visit that community, it turns out that they actually have 3. Where did this number come from? Was this a miscommunication, or an intentional error?  
Right now, I have the advantageous tools of time and freedom to visit the field and do verifications for my research here. But of course, my information is not 100% accurate, and this WAS only 4 communities, so my glimpse of the picture is small.

The consultant would never have the time or resources to do verification in every community. A lot of trust is put into people to be honest during this project. The district, Traditional Authories, extension workers, communities – half truths or biases anywhere along this chain can have huge impacts on the ground for Malawians.

The water point database used for this project can tell a million stories. How many will I get to hear before I leave?

Much love, and be well.
Kevin

(Kevin) You. You’re beautiful.

I thought I would give a shout out to the beautiful trees in Machinga district. With so much uncertainty, they are truly a landscape constant. 







Be well, and much love.
Kevin

(Kevin) Right Here, Right Now

 

Can you believe that tomorrow marks the half-way point of my placement? It boggles my mind… it’s amazing to think that I’ve been in this beautiful country for 56 days! People have been asking me how I feel about it? Let’s just say it’s not a countdown until the day I get to go home – there’s still so much to do, and I’m ready.

Last weekend was spent in Senga Bay where I put on my tourist shoes for a few days of reflecting on my placement with the other JFs, and a bit swimming in Lake Malawi on the side. I won’t bore you with details of the trip, but two significant things are worth mentioning:

1) My passport and money were stolen. The passport turned up, but the money is long gone. People have been asking me if I’m upset, and of course the answer is no. There’s no time to be upset. I also acknowledge that my neglect was the root cause of this event – I was the one that made that opportunity for theft available very appealing and very available. Finally, I acknowledge that this was the action of one person, in one district, in this whole country. Outside of this, my experience has told me that Malawi is very safe and extremely welcoming. Gotta keep feeling the love.

2) During a really intense personal feedback session, my fellow JFs gave me feedback that I’ve been hearing for years and years. Why did this happen? What is preventing me from changing? Are these actually positive qualities that shouldn’t be changed?

One piece of feedback was that I’m too much of a mediator – someone afraid to tip the scales of my emotions and responses too far from ‘cool’. They’re right. During my journey here, I’ve found myself getting better with this, and I’m prepared to approach life with more assertiveness and more aggression. My analogy is tough hands from a life spent in the village – you have to put your paws on the nsima pot if you want calloused hands.

Last week I reported that I’ll be doing a field visit to one of the most remote Traditional Authorities in my district. Still true! Malawi is currently experiencing a fuel crisis, so I’ve had to postpone my trip until next week. When the consultant heard about my trip, he offered to pay for the motorcycle fuel and oil  that I need. “Don’t even mention it. It’s the least I can do for everything you’ve done around here.” This one action has really boosted my confidence, and is going to take me forward (both physically and mentally) in the weeks to come.

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Here are some important dates for me in the coming weeks:

July 1st – July 3rd: Helping a Water Monitoring Assistant with his field work. Fun fact: he lives beside the former President.

July 5th – Malawi Independence Day!

July 7th – July 10th: Trip to Mwanza district to meet my neighbors parents.

July 14th – July 16th: Sad day. Madalitso goes home.. I’ll be visiting him in Mulanje this weekend.

And beyond…

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That’s all for now. Don’t be afraid to tip the scales, touch the fire, but be gentle in the process.

I’ll leave you with a quote from my friend Scott whose a JF in Zambia. “Opportunity is never delayed.. it is only lost.”

Live, love, life,

Kevin

(Kevin) Untitled (Fight the mphamvu!)

I’ve decided to go with untitled this week. I’m at a point in this experience that I arrive at the end of the week, and realize there are hundreds of things that I could blog about. Field experiences, conversations, hypotheses, strange interactions, foods eaten, thoughts, challenges, and triumphs are just a few of those things. So how do I convey what’s happening here in just a few short paragraphs?

This week has been rough. I’m still getting used to the idea that Malawi is a country with its own unique culture and style that existed far before I existed. Some of these aspects work in Malawi’s favor, others – not so much. It’s the same for Canada. It seems like a simple thought, but it’s something that I have to remind myself when I find my thoughts and feelings incompatible with my surroundings. Questioning why things are the way they are is becoming a daily ritual – and it’s something that leaves me with more questions than answers.. On the personal side of things, I’ve had days when I’m on top of the world – feeling amazing about all of the learning, and there are days when don’t want to get out of bed – counting the weeks until home. Both are valid, and normal, and that’s okay.

Here are some bright lights and dim lights from the week:

Field Experiences
I spent a few days this week in the field with the Community Development Officer (CDO) for the project. We were crosschecking the rehabilitation assessments of boreholes that were completed by the Water Monitoring Assistants (WMAs). These assessments determine weather or not a borehole is eligible for rehabilitation by the project. Of the 100 or so of these forms that I checked over, the majority of them involved a request for pump rods. These are spare parts that need replacement every few years, and are typically the communities responsibility to replace (despite their steep cost). If the project replaces these parts once, what happens the next time they break down? One WMA told me that the project will empower communities by requiring them to open a bank account and raise 15,000MK (approximately $100US). “This will be the one and only time [we’ll replace pump rods]” he says. I’m not too sure about this..

Conversations
Talked with Yasin about why the water coverage situation in Malawi is in such bad shape. A significant factor is the political involvement in the siting of waterpoints. Essentially – you vote for and support me, and I’ll give you a waterpoint. Based other conversations, this practice still exists, even in Machinga.

Challenges
Realizing that successes are hard to find, and failure exists all over. Especially in this project. I show up at the office in the morning, only to see Chris and the rest of the staff correcting mistakes from the previous days activities, or working out problems they’re having with the government or the donor – the challenges are endless. Do I see success in this project? Sure, but it’s in sporadic, small doses, and that can mean serious de-motivation.

Triumphs
On Friday, I successfully arranged a 3 day visit to Ngokwe in July! Ngokwe is a Traditional Authority in the very northern part of the district. It has the lowest water coverage, and one of the lowest coverage functionality rates when it comes to water points in the district. Why is the water situation so bad? I suspect it’s because it is so far away – an obvious factor. But what about political will, community leadership, and accessibility to transportation and funds? How well were communities sensitized (i.e. made aware of and encouraged to apply for new water points) when this African Development Bank project arrived in the district? I hope to start to explore some of these questions.
Richard, one of the Water Monitoring Assistants, has agreed to provide transportation on his motorcycle in exchange for a full tank of gas. Done! I’ll even through in a lunch of chips (french fries) and coke each day. He’s a really great guy, and has expressed that he looks forward to the trip to ask me questions about the West. Should be quite the adventure.

That’s all for now.

Remember to take time for cooking, chatting, reflecting, and giving yourself credit.

Be well, and much love.

Kevin

(Kevin) Introducing: Madalitso

 

I spent the weekend in Blantyre, which is the commercial capital of Malawi. It was strange, and made me feel far removed from the Malawi I’ve come to know over the past month. After 2 days in the city, I felt really out of place, and couldn’t wait to go back to the village. After getting off the minibus in Machinga, I felt the familiar feeling that happens when you come home after a trip.

Through my day to day happenings this week, I’ve come to realize that Madaritso is actually Madalitso. I guess I forgot that in Malawi the pronunciations of Ls and Rs is difficult to distinguish. Good to know, lesson learned. Madalitso received word yesterday that his job in Machinga is being terminated from mid-July until September. This is terrible news, and it means that I’m about to lose a co-worker, a friend, and a host. We’ve talked about what I’ll do for living, and it may be the case that I’ll be living in the house alone. This actually means that I’ll be a tenant in Malawi. The thought of this blows my mind..

It seems that things are changing around here, but it’s hard to tell whether or not things are moving forward. I’ve received word from the district and a few of the Water Monitoring Assistants (WMAs) that funding is soon to be released for the WMAs to do their rehabilitation assessment. This is great! I’ve started contacting them, and they seem okay with taking me along for the ride, as try to learn more about what goes into the decision making process from the POV of the WMAs. My planning confusion persists as I learn that some WMAs have tried to complete the survey with their own money for fuel, in hopes that they can get paid for a complete round of assessments. Understandable – I would want to get paid too.

This week, I was able to secure a meeting with the District Water Office for Machinga. He approved of my work plan, and said that I can go forward with the research that I’m proposing to do. In conversation, this sounded great, but based on how slow activities have been moving on this project, I’m a bit nervous about how effectively I will be able to move my plan into action. On a day-to-day basis, there seems to be this looming feeling of nervousness that plans will fall through, or that I won’t get the information I want out of the professional aspect of this placement. That’s where my head’s at right now – hopefully there’s value in the direction that my placement is heading, and I hope that I can identify that value in the next while.

I’ve posted some pictures below. I’m really camera shy when it comes to being the foreigner behind the camera. It always seems awkward to take the camera out for a snapshot. I guess I’ve found it much more valuable to live the moment out of the frame – but don’t worry, I’m getting better at finding a balance between building connections with folks and telling their story in a visual way.

That’s all for now.. oh – and I buzz cut my hair. Freedom!

All the best, and much love.

Kevin

This is me and Genevieve (my coach). She rocks, and is doing fantastic work in the Salima district!

This is my office. Cartoons Corner is something I don’t understand – I think that I need to understand decades of Malawian politics to get the jokes.

One day, a man dropped by Madalistso’s house with a camera (that I presumed to be fake) and snapped a picture of myself and Madalitso. Turns out the camera was real, and we now have this beautiful floral ‘snap’ to prove it.

My bicycle (and lifeline).

A small section of a Gravity Fed Scheme (GFS).

Typical, the end of an Afridev pump handle is installed horizontally. This one is installed vertically, and apparently, the intention is to discourage more than one person from using the pump lever at one time, which can stress the parts and cause them to wear out faster.

A mosquito (udzudzu) fort – as one of the JFs calls it.

Hair = buzzed

(Kevin) Grasshoper cuisine

Hello world. 

Life is still happening here in Machinga. The roosters are still call in the early hours of the morning, the Malawian reggae and American hip hop still plays at the house next door, and the sun paints brillant colours across the sky every morning and night. At night time, I hang out on my straw mat under the night sky, while I cook nsima and watch the stars shine brighter than I've ever seen them shine. I asked Madertiso yesterday if he'd ever wanted to go to space. Apparently, it was never something he'd ever wanted to do. He then asked me if I've been. I laughed, and so, so wished I could have said yes. 

This week has presented me with some highlights:

1) Enjoyed a bowl of grass hopers with my 2-year old neighbor Eveh. Very nice! Highly recommended. 
2) Went to a restaurant for lunch, ordered Nsima instead of rice, and refused a fork and knife as I devoured the meal with my hands. People were confused, and I left content.
3) I can finally eat sugar cane (dzimbe) with my teeth. It is a very satisfying feeling.
4) I saw my neighbor Peter carry his daughter Eveh on his back with chitenge cloth. This is the first time I've seen a man carry a child like this, and it warmed my heart immensely.
5) Still relatively healthy - body, mind, and soul. 

Work is going slow, but steady. I'm nearly a quarter finished my placement, and there is still so much to do. I'm awaiting for funds to be released by the Malawian government so that the assessment of boreholes can start to take place by the extension agents. Until this happens, I'm trying to use ArcGIS to investigate how equitable the siting decisions for this project are from a qualitative perspective. I hope I can take it far - there's only one way to find out!

My partner Chris is very busy as of late, especially as he tries to coordinate all of the activities that happen here. As he's described before, you have to take into account that you're functioning in a new country, a new context, and only so much is in your control. The reality is that many times designs are submitted late, meetings are canceled because government officials are out of town or attend other meetings without notice, the power goes out frequently, funding is canceled or tied-up, allowances are demanded and aren't available...

All of these factors add up, and present serious challenges when you are a consultant who is trying to meet timelines to please the donors you're working for. Sometimes this even means making decisions that don't consider certain all factors and voices - all because time restrictions and deadlines won't allow for it.

A man approached me the other day, and asked me for money - "for something, for anything". When this happens, all I can do is say sorry and continue on my way. It's definitely not a good feeling. This doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it puts me in a down and reflective mood. This scenario happens at home in Canada on a daily basis, so why does it feel different here? I guess I think about the lack of resources and safety nets that exists here for people in poverty. But it probably shouldn't feel different. People facing poverty in Canada face barriers when trying to access resources, and are also not protected by the safety nets that should be protecting them.

Poverty sucks, and presents people with significant and often devestating challenges. Moblize yourself to affect change, in solidarity, both at home and in the lives of those you will never meet.

I'm off to the city this weekend to renew my visa. Should be interesting, stay tuned for more updates! 

Be well, and much love.

Kevin

(Kevin) The baobabs are beautiful

Maderitso and I are getting along really well. We're just two dudes holding down the fort - cooking, cleaning, chatting, and walking to and from work. I really like his friends, and he is helping to push me to learn Chichewa. I find that when I'm surrounded by so many proficient English speakers, I don't push myself as hard to learn the language. When the incentive to be able to communicate effectively doesn't apply, the motivation to learn doesn't exist as much. I've acknowledged that learning isn't going as quickly as I'd like it to, and I'm ramping up. Maderitso is going to try and hold me accountable to speak more Chichewa around the house.
 
As I've learned over the last few weeks, taking care of a house is a lot of work when you're working full time - especially when you have no electricity or indoor plumbing. Experiencing the effort that's required to do all of theses things is really valuable to get a glimpse of Maderitso's reality. It's hard work man!

My health is good. I've managed to avoid sickness so far (knock on baobab - by the way, the big trees that I was talking about in my last post are actually baobab trees!), and I've been doing my best to take care mentally and physically. Because I'm eating so much refined flour and white sugar, my energy levels crash often. Because I have so much control over what we cook, I'm going to try to cook more energy sustaining foods. Drinking lots of water seems to help too. 

A baobab tree - much like the ones that line the landscape of Machinga.

Yesterday I had a very interesting and heartbreaking discussion with Maderitso and his friends about opportunity in Malawi, the cost of education, and fair trade. It was a conversation that left me with few words to offer, as I spent most of the time listening and processing perspectives. All I can really say is that there are many people here who have the ambition to achieve something higher, but are blocked for a multitude of reasons. Vague, I know - but I think this is a conversation that is best had once I'm back in Canada.

Today I saw a family break apart in the household beside me. At 5:00am this morning, the father of the household packed his things, and left for Lilongwe. He told me this last night, so it wasn't a suprise when I woke up to the crashes and noises of his departure. It's a very sad thing to happen, and a strong reminder that regardless of who you are, where you are, or how you live, life and emotions happen.

All the best, and much love.

Kevin

(Kevin) Still wondering - whose reality counts?

This past weekend came and went, and it was very enjoyable. I took my bike down a few roads for hours of journeying across the countryside of Machinga. One of the most prominant aspects of the landscape is the giant trees with trunks about 6 meters wide. They are quite a sight to be seen! I also picked up a pair of sandals made from recycled rubber along the way. My friends around here tell me that if I keep wearing them, I'll have the nickname "Jesus" - and they were totally right. That's all I hear when I sport them.

After about an hour or so of biking towards a group of irrigated fields, I came across two young women carrying buckets on their way to fetch water. One of them spoke some English, and pointed towards a giant tree in the distance which indicated the location of the borehole they were travelling to. "Do you want to come along?" she asked. Sure, I thought, why not? So I followed.

After about 20 minutes of walking, we reached the borehole. A group of 15 women and children gathered around the Afridev pump, taking turns and sharing the effort. I noticed something that I had seen before - a small concrete block built on top of the platform (or the "apron", as it's called). As women in Malawi are largely responsible for water collection, and they typically carry water buckets on their heads, this block intended to assist them in getting water from the ground to the top of their heads.

"Do you find this useful?" I asked, pointing to the block. "Of course," the women replied, as they filled their buckets to the brim to prepare for the long journey home. A simple converations that left me with so much thought.

The reason this interaction sticks with me so much is that just a few days earlier, I was having a conversation with a co-worker (a man) about these blocks, and if they were worth investing in. He voiced that they're not very useful, and that the project shouldn't bother installing them with the new boreholes.

Now perhaps he speaks to more people than I do, and has more experience in this district that could lead to a fairly knowledgable perspective, but something about his answer didn't sit right. I guess this just makes me think about the voices that are heard when development decisions are made. What steps can you take to make sure that you're making decisions based on well-rounded evidence and dialogue? And how can you make this a part of such a short project timeline when you're already trying to meet deadlines? What I really want to know is whos reality counts in the decision making process?

Be well, and much love.

Kevin

(Kevin) Play Pumps in Machinga

If anyone has followed EWB blogs before (especially Owen Scott's blog), you know that Play Pumps are a hot topic in Malawi. Play pumps essentially fuse together the enjoyment of a children's toy with the delivery of water from a borehole. I'm not sure of the specifics behind how it works, but as children spin the toy, water is pumped from the tap. I saw a few of these pumps around Machinga yesterday, and I was able to have a conversation with some of the folks here about them.

At first glance, it's a creative idea, especially when they're placed in schoolyards. But here are a few issues:

1) Very rarely are Play Pump spare parts available. There is a service number on the pump, but it is a South Africa number. As people around here say, it often takes a long time to get a response and any sort of attention to service. Although, I'd be interested if anyone has any recent information on Play Pump spare part availability. 

2) Government officials here have told me that in certain instances, perfectly functioning Afridev pumps were removed and replaced with Play Pumps. Why fix something that isn't even broken? Especially when the Afridev pumps have a relatively good reputation in Malawi.

3) How much are communities consulted before these pumps are installed? How will a community feel ownership and the responsibility to maintain something they never requested or wanted in the first place? I should note that I'm sure that in some cases, community consultation does happen with Play Pumps. 

 

4) They may be suitable for providing schools with water when children are in class, but as Yesin tells me, these pumps often supply water to some members of the surrounding community with water also. 

So what happens when children aren't around, and adults are required to pump this water? Well, check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRiNYmlA1Ic

6) These pumps appear to be a flashy, feel-good piece of infrastructure that makes some donors feel good, but do not provide a holistic approach to water supply.

I'm not an expert by any means, and these are my opinions based on my observations and what has been brought to my attention. I would love to hear other people's thoughts on the play pump, or anything that they've hear about its successful and failures.

Be well, and much love. 


Kevin

(Kevin) Maderitso comes home!

I have been at my new home for 5 days now, and I guess that I’m starting to fall into a routine. I wake up at 5:30am, sweep the house, boil water for tea, bathe, and of course – greet all of my neighbors in the morning (“Mwadzuka bwanji?” = How did you wake?). At night, I stop by the market to buy goods at the market (eggs, bread, cabbage, avocado, etc.), cook with my friend, chat and sit with the neighbors, and then go to bed at 7:30pm.

As for photos, they’re coming – I promise. I’m still a bit awkward when it comes to pulling out the camera, but I’m getting better. As I’m sure you can agree, it’s a real drag to ruin a perfect moment of learning by taking out your camera for a snap-shot. However, photos are great for accenting my stories, and I shall deliver!

 The person who owns the house I’m staying in – Maderitso – has come home after spending a while in the hospital for an injured foot. I guess this means that Blessings and I can take a break from speaking broken English and Chichewa, and it’s probably good timing. I don’t think either of us could be more lost with our understanding of the situation.

Maderitso is an amazing dude. He is one of the drivers for the ADB project crew, and he has a lot of energy. And get this – he’s 22! Same as me. I know that we’re going to get along well, I can feel it. Another cool thing is that in the past week, I’ve had three Canadian moments:

1)    I met Nancy, who is from Winnipeg, Manitoba and works with the ADB.
2)    I was visiting the hospital with a few of my co-workers, and someone had a Celien Dion ringtone on their phone.
3)    One of Maderitso’s friends had an Algonquin Park sweatshirt with a moose, and canoe, and a maple leaf. Oh Canada!

One the things that I found most interesting about the proposal for this project is the assumption that there will be a 75% success rate when it comes to drilling boreholes. This project is responsible for implementing 193 borehole (yes – 193.. I’m not sure why such a peculiar number) by the end of two years. To account for the success rate, they will drill at between 250-260 locations, anticipating that only 193 locations will be successful. This means that proper geological analysis is needed before to ensure that a success rate of 75% or better is achieved.

As Chris tells me, boreholes are often drilled dry when their location is swayed by community and governmental politics, as opposed to proper geological evidence. The location of the borehole won’t always be ideal for a community, but in my opinion it is worth it if it increases the likelihood of getting a functional borehole.

At this point, after collaboration between IGIP and the district government, the locations for the new boreholes have been decided. It is very unlikely that these locations will change, which is okay from my end, because what I am trying to find out is what factors came into play when these decisions were made.
What I’m trying to say is that my placement is not trying to influence the locations of the new boreholes, but is trying to learn from the decision making process that lead up to this point. During my time here, I won’t be participating in any borehole drilling.

I like to think about myself as a detective: mapping out the chain of events, interviewing folks, and scoping out biases. Neat-o..

I’m planning to visit the communities who are receiving the water points with the government extension workers. These extension workers will be conducting water point committee (WPC) training. A WPC is a group of individuals (a mix of community members and government officials) who are responsible for the maintenance and well-being of their new borehole. Considering that the training will be in Chichewa, I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to get out of it, but I’m excited to observe anyways. I’ll also be using these visits to find out more about why these communities were chosen for a new borehole. What factors come into play? However, none of this can happen until the ADB funding comes in for extension workers’ allowances, so until then I’ll get caught up to speed with literature, and chat with my co-workers.

Aside from work, life is good. My biggest challenges so far have been a few bugs (as in insects, not sickness), not enough daylight with too much to do, and biting my tongue in tough conversations. I’ve also had my first night of home sickness, but it passed when I reminded myself to stay in the moment. Home is good, but challenge is good too. For now, I’ll keep rolling on.

One more thing – at the bottom of this message is the organizational structure of the project I’m working on. The people I am working with most are the IGIP Team Leader (Chris), the District Water Officer (Steve), and the extension agents (CDAs, HSAs, and WMAs).


Be well, and much love from Machinga
Kevin

(Kevin) My new home and placement

Hey folks!

I've finally arrived in Machinga! A lot has happened over the last few days, so I'd like to break this post up into a few parts.

1) My new home

This is Machinga! It's a small district located in Southern Malawi, and is located very close to Liwonde National Park, which is home to a variety of different animals including elephants, monkeys, and the like. I am currently living in Msamati village, in Kalembo traditional authority, which is just outside of Liwonde, which is on the border of Machinga and Balaka districts (confusing, huh? haha). It is a very nice place, with many shops, a great market to get excellent food (fish, sugar cane, bananas, tomatoes, and other tasty things). Machinga has a high perecentage of Muslim citizens, which is rare for Malawi. Someone told me that this region is up to 40% Muslim, which is a shift from the predominately Christian population of Malawi. The weather feels like summer in Canada, except that the sun feels much, much stronger. At nightime the air is cool, and sleep is well found because of it. Being exaughsted and having a bedtime at 7:00pm has been the strangest thing so far, but I really enjoy getting 10 or more hours of sleep per night.

Genevieve - who will be my EWB coach, and my go-to person on the EWB side of things - helped me to find a home, and we were successful! I am living in a three room house with one of my co-workers. He is currently out of town because of sickness, but the nephew of another coworker of mine is staying in the home to help me get adjusted. He is 12 years old and his name is Blessings. I would say his name sums up exactly the way I feel about him - he is brillant, funny, helpful, kind, and has helped me so, so much. The best part of the last two days was sharing sugar cane on the walk home, and laughing when I said that I was so red from
the sun that I looked like a tomato. He is a really cool dude, and the other family members are awesome, and I'm looking forward to living here.

However, I learned a big lesson right of the bat - sunscreen is important. I don't think I've ever been so sunburnt! Remember to be sun safe.

My house is surrounded by three other households, who are all interconnected in ways that I don't yet understand. Of the folks who live here, there is Peter. He is a student, father, and Bank employee who works harder than almost anyone I've ever met. He is also one of the very, very few people here who speaks english, and I've been able to learn so many valuable things from him. Yesterday I shared Nsima and roasted corn with my neighbors, and had a great time talking about life in Malawi.

This community has been very good to me, and has welcomed me to join them for Nsima (a dough made of corn flour - a staple in Malawi) many times. I feel very happy, and can't wait to share more stories.

2) My Placement

Not only was it my first day in Machinga, it was my first day at my new work placement. I will be working alongside IGIP, who is a German based consulting company who has partnered with the African Development Bank on a water infrastructure project in 4 districts in Malawi over two years. This is a huge project under a very strict time frame, which has posed some big challenges.

For what I'm concerned about, this ADB project hopes to accomplish two things:

1) Complete the siting process for new boreholes, and install these boreholes.
2) Complete an assessment of boreholes that require rehabilitation, and determine which ones are eligible for repair under the project.

While I won't be directly helping with the technical components of the projects, I will be exploring how the consultants on this projects make decisions about where to put infrastructure. What are the requirements for a community to be eligible for infrastrture? What factors make one community more suitable for infrastructure than another community? What are the external (political, social, environmental) factors that come into play?

Essentially, I will be learning from their decision making processes, exploring what biases may be in place when these decisions are made, and trying to bring this observations forward to see what lessons can be learned.

I will be working with Chris, who is a French consultant working for IGIP, and Steve, who is the District Water Officer for the Machinga District. I will also be working with extension agents, who are responsible for completing Water Point Committee (WPC) training and other tasks. A WPC is a group of community members who take ownership of the maintenance and management of a borehole once it is installed. I hope that these extension workers will allow me to travel to the villages that will be receiving the new boreholes, to find out more about why they were selected by the ADB. Also, they are the folks with the sweet motorcycles!

Apparently it is a holiday here on Monday (a past president's birthday), so I will start work on Tuesday. I look forward to sharing thoughts from my first week at work. There is an internet cafe about 30 minutes from my house, so I hope to keep up my goal of posting and responding to emails once per week. Please to write emails, and I will do my best to respond.

Also, snail mail seems like it probably won't be available, but I'll keep looking. Keep yer fingers crossed!

Much love, and be well.

Kevin

(Kevin) the Warm Heart of Africa

I've finally arrived! This is Malawi, and it is beautiful. It's 6:30am - probably the earliest I've woken up in months. I think that I've finally gotten over this jetlag, which is absolutely excellent.

We were greeted in Lilongwe by long-term overseas volunteers Duncan, Anna-Marie, and Christina, who made us feel at home very quickly. The drive to Lilongwe from the airport offered a quick glimpse of the landscape of the city - minibuses and cars (on the left side of the road, I might add), markets, stores, red sand, very little surface water, farms with animals, bicycles, women carrying food and other items on their heads and their children on their backs in beautiful chitenge. I look forward to capturing some of this for you when I arrive in my home district of Machinga.

Over the last few days, our sessions have included topics such as HIV/AIDS trends and issues in Africa and Canada, learning Chichewa (one of Malawi's national languages), cultural appropriateness, and a Q&A with the long-term EWB volunteers in Malawi and Zambia. 

We also spent our first day in the market yesterday, which was excellent. As myself and two other JFs were talking with the vendors at the many stalls selling shoes, chitenge, bicycle parts, clothing and other items, I thought I would try out some of my newly learned Chichewa, and it really furthered my appreciation for the power of language to allow you to connect to people (it also helps to keep kwacha in your pocket!). Right now I only know pang’ono (a little), but it will be something I invest a lot of time into.

Tomorrow I go to Machinga to meet Christophe, who will be my working partner for my upcoming placement. He is a consultant for the African Development Bank, working in the water and sanitation sector, and is someone you’ll hear a lot about over the next 4 months. I will also meet Genevieve, who lives in the Salima district. She will be my coach, and will advise me and collaborate with me on ideas, integration issues, health concerns, you name it!

I know I haven’t been too clear about what my placement looks like yet, but I’ll map it out very soon. Details are changing everyday, but I’m sure we’ll reach equilibrium soon. More to come!

For now, it’s off to adventures on bumpy roads.

And as they say in Chichewa – Tselani bwino.

“Stay well”

Kevin

(Kevin) Predeparture Training - Day 6: Finale!

That's it! Predeparture training is over, and I'm now on my way to Malawi. I just wanted to post a quick update that I'm currently on route to southern Africa with 17 other JFs, and we should be arriving in Malawi in the next 24hrs. Very exciting!

One plan of action that I've taken away from the week is that I want to create an interactive workshop this summer - one that's based on the Decision Support System (DSS) in Malawi. In my head, this vision seems very achievable, and involves Guelph students learning about appropriate technology in the context of systems and people. I would love to be a part of inspiring such dialogue. 

I'm hoping that I can collaborate with Ali, who is a JF from the University of Regina that is also working with the DSS. She's awesome, and I can't wait to kick it off!

Let's hope that a few hours of sleep can be grabbed along the way. I look forward to posting again as soon as I can.


Be well, much love, and take it real easy.

Kevin

(Kevin) Predeparture Training - Day 5: Endurance

Hey folks!

Whoa! The days are flying by. It seems that days at predep have followed an interesting pattern:

wake up -> coffee -> session-> uh.. many mores sessions -> cool conversations -> sleep (optional)

That's the way it goes. I've definitely been immersed in some wicked conversations!


Day 5 was a day with lots of excellent discussion. We explored cross-cultural communication and integration, a case study of a Sorghum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorghum) co-op in Zambia, and worked with a past overseas volunteer Enam Rabbani to understand the development structure of Watsan in Malawi.


When working with Enam, I realized that one of the biggest barriers to more effective aid is the demand for tangible results to secure funding from large donors. An NGO may be required to drill boreholes with the funding that they're given, with insufficient consideration of siting practices. So.. they spend the funding, they drill, they report to their donor, and they get more funding.

While it is true that their are regions of Malawi that require more boreholes, the water problem in Malawi is not one only of quantity, and we as Westerners should shift our thinking. Drilling wells is pretty damn sexy, but wouldn't it be great to invest in local capacity to maintain the functionality of these wells? Capacity - not so sexy, but certainly a part of the solution.

Tomorrow is Day 6, and is also the last day of predep!

Be well, and much love.

Kevin

(Kevin) Predeparture Training - Day 4: Whose Reality Counts?

Hey again,

Today involved a great discussion and set of activities on power, privilege, and hierarchy, as well as participatory approaches. We also had a discussion on the ways that gender can both put up barriers and present opportunities (whether or not these are intentionally sought after). We also discussed how male JFs need to play a role in supporting the women on the team as we live and work in an environment that challenges the power dynamics associated that exist in the gender structure of our society. I'm also realizing more that my opinions of queer and trans issues will be challenged this summer.

Great shift of thought: 
Considering "appropriate technology" outside of the context of physical objects and infrastructure, and more in the context of systems, ideas, and capacity.

Great book suggestion: 
"Whose Reality Counts?" by Robert Chambers

Most challenging thought: 
When considering stakeholders in the development sector, try thinking about those who benefit from an outcome, as well as those who are negatively affected from that outcome. This shift in priority may increase the number of stakeholders that come to mind.

2/3rds finished predep. Malawi is 2 days away now!

Be well, and much love.

Kevin

(Kevin) Predeparture Training - Day 3: Wow..

What a day! Amazingly, it just ended, but now it's time to grab some shut-eye for tomorrow's early sessions. Be sure to come back tomorrow as I recap some more great ideas and discussions.

Be well, and much love.

Kevin