Welcome

Malawi - the warm heart of Africa - is known for its friendly hospitable people. And indeed wherever I go I receive a heartfelt welcome. Last night I dined with 5 pastors and their wives at the Reverend's house. There was food aplenty - meats, peas, maize, rice, potatoes, and some coated termites - a delicacy which is apparently too good to hang around - as they were eaten up before I got to try any! After the food came the dancing, and I copied the women as best I could. Then the singing - a special song welcoming me. Then a 'speech' from one of the wives saying how thankful she was to the Reverend for making it possible for them to meet and talk with white people and how honoured she felt. I quickly said the privilege was all mine.

I also got to meet two other volunteers who are staying with the Reverend (but leave in the next few days), and we made plans about how we can maximise our efforts at the orphanage. When talking about the place they refer to it as the 'cattle shed' which helped me mentally prepare a bit for today.

The orphanage is situated in a small village up in the hills. The road going up is rocky and muddy and the bottom of the car scrapes along, making warning sounds that you're not going to make it! The villagers stare at the car as it goes by and children point and shout out that white people are coming, some kids even chase the car. They are so happy when we wave back.

At my induction meeting with the orphanage manager, he explains the set up. The children stay with extended family members and come to the orphanage daily which is really more of a day care centre, each child is put on the register with their particular needs recorded and house visits are made to check on them. They target their support to 4 categories of kids:

1) Infants who are at the orphanage - 8am - 3pm
2) Primary kids who come after they have been at the government funded schools - 3pm - 5pm
3) They are funding 55 secondary kids through school (as the government doesn't fund this)
4) They work with kids who cannot keep up academically at school helping them with vocational skills, and are building a new training centre for this.

After my tour of the offices (which I'll talk about another time) I went in to meet the infants. There is one long room - town hall style, there are 30 kids today (normally more) doing as they please - some kicking a softball, others colouring torn bits of paper, others playing with half broken toys. Their clothes are dirty and torn with holes. They look like they need a wash and some good tlc. It's hard to be in the room. There is that overwhelming sense of helplessness; of not knowing where to start or how to help. I did have to fight the tears. Little people with everything against them. ...As soon as they start at the orphanage they are expected to take themselves - no adults bring or collect them.

They sang me songs and the teacher made them do their English alphabet and counting one to ten. They each had to stand up and say it out loud. One boy got it wrong and everyone sang a song about him not being able to say his alphabet and he cried standing in the middle.

Wherever I sit in the room there's a huddle of kids around me - all wanting to sit on my lap, touch me, hold my hand, play with my hair. They smile and laugh, trying to tell me things in their language.

They are seriously cute! ...This is going to be hard!

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