First week at Aidcamps in Malawi

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Sunday

9am Eating breakfast at Mubaya Camp in the sun with 6 other Aidcampers.

The journey from the UK on Friday at 8pm to Lilongwe at 11am Saturday can be sumnarised thus:
Hours travelled 10 hours
Films watched 2 (Veronica Mars - Yes, me too. Noah - Mel Gibson hero, Ray Winstone villain: war, water, Emma Watson's angst).
Hours slept 3
Meals eaten 4
Hours spent hanging around airports 6.
But it passed.

Met the other six Aidcampers, and four more arrived on Sunday. A couple and two friends. We're a mixed bunch ranging from 25 to 72 years, some who have been on projects before, and some Aidcamp virgins.
We're at Mubaya camp for the weekend in chalets and A-frame huts, before going to the project on Monday.
We'll go to the supermarket first to get provisions for the week. The food will be provided, but we'll need to buy beers.
Monday
Arrived at the project site and I'm amazed. Two years ago I was here completing the Community Based Children's Centre and heard about the plans for sustainable agriculture and a training centre. There is so much here now. Crops are growing; there's a library; accommodation for volunteers, (not us, we're camping. This accommodation houses a volunteer from the Peace Corps, and Nyomi - the architect ); a house for the site manager; the training building we've funded, which is two storeys high; and the foundations of a restaurant and accommodation for future trainees. The plan is to train the coomunity of the villages who have donated the land in sustainable farming, building, and any other skills that people can offer. Bikela, who learned the rammed earth method two years ago, is now Permaculture Manager in charge of agriculture.Today he was planting onion setts he had grown from seed, and was showing a boy from the village what to do. He is also a skilled tailor and when the training centre is built will train people in tailoring. As well as training local people, they hope to offer training to others nationwide. It is hoped that the local villagers will train others, as well as service the training village. It will be called Sam's Village, after funds were donated by a wealthy benefactor wanting to donate to various charities in memoriam of his son, Sam, who took his own life.

Tuesday I was on duty, which meant helping to cook, wash up, collect water, service the toilets with loo roll and dettol water. Water collection is easier this year as there is a borehole here, and the pumping will tone up my upper arms I hope.

Wednesday
Today has been lumberjackimg and thatching. The lumberjack element was lifting and stacking 5 metre poles that had been thrown off the lorry, and thatching was collecting bundles of thatch and tying into bigger bundles with rubber strips cut from old car tyres. Later in the afternoon we walk ed down to the village to see the fesibitied of a memorial for the old chief who died a few months ago. The new chief, the old chief's nephew welcomes us into his house, and gave us local beer brewed from maize - thick, gloopy and granular. Then he took us to the space where the Guhle Wankhele dancers performed to much acclaim and insistent drumming. The drummers seasoned the drums with fire before starting.

It gets dark at 6pm, but so far the full moon has illuminated our evening chats, and hidden the stars once it rises. Most of us yawn our way into bed by 9pm as it's hard work during the day, and we wake at daybreak at 6am.

Thursday
Today I was hammering out the poles that had been used round the bolts holding the forms together. The forms are the framework for the rammed earth blocks: the earth is rammed in, sprinkled with water, left to dry, then the bolts and frames are removed, and moved along for the next five foot stretch. The poles are sometimes difficult to hammer out. I had the idea that Vaseline round the poles might facilitate their removal, so this evening Nyomi, (the architect) and I smeared it over he poles that are in situ for tomorrow's ramming. She will see if it makes it easier.
After morning break I was thatching again, bundling 12 thin sheaves, or 4 thick sheaves together, and tying them. This afternoon we went to the school over the road and the Head took us into most of the classes. There are 8 standards, but only 6 classrooms, so during the rainy season they double up. Some of the classes have more than 70 children in. We introduced ourselves in Chichewa and the children repeated our names. They often confuse 'l' and 'r', so Rog became Lodge. They all sang a song, and danced what seems to be the national dance.
It's quite different being here all week. Two years ago, we worked here in the day and went back to Lilongwe each night. Now we see the sunset, then the stars appear and, until the moon rises, are thickly clustered and the Milky Way is clear. It gets dark suddenly, taking us unawares and leaving us to cook in the dark.
We wash in a bucket behind a bamboo screen, and there's a wee loo, a poo loo, and a combined one.

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