Arrival

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Please note this blog is a personal account of my time in Malawi, sometimes I will have to write things quickly when I get a chance to be on the internet. I know that family, friends, colleagues, and contacts will be looking at this. I hope not to offend but if anything I say doesn't come across so well - please give me the benefit of the doubt - my heart is trying to be in the right place.


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...As you might guess by the entry title - I've arrived. My flight from London to Jo'burg and onto Blantyre all went to plan. It was when I got off the plane at Blantyre, hit by the heat on the tarmac, and then the scramble for luggage outside the terminal building ...and at least 10 people's bags were missing - that I knew I'd reached Africa.

I was met by the Revered of the orphanage with his wife - two friendly faces amid the crowd. We drove to the town and while we chatted about the practicalities of the next few days, I couldn't stop looking out at the view about me. The roads are long and straight, red muddy earth encompasses all and people walk barefoot along the roadside, carrying the most ridiculous loads. Others though are in suits or vibrantly pattered clothes, and even heals in the mud. The shops are brick and painted with descriptions of what they sell.

I have been to Zimbabwe and South Africa before and visited locals in shanty towns and mud huts, but here the vastness and enormity of need struck me immediately. How can anyone make any impact here?...

I have already had this discussion in fact, and at the hostel bar no less. I met a couple from London who now live here working for an NGO trying to make schooling more accessible and strengthening school governance and training for teachers. They explained to me how much 'corruption' goes on with school funding. If additional funding is found from abroad and a cheque is made out to head teachers (as most schools don't have a bank account!) the pressure from the community for the teacher not to put it into the school is enormous. ...Well I guess it's understandable with the level of need here.

It's 2 hours ahead of London time and at 9.00pm I think it's time for my bed. I will need to get under my mosquito net, with the orchestral throng of insect buzz and occasional outburst from the frogs outside my room! ...Oh I'm definitely in wonderful Africa and it's fantastic to be back!

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