Liwonde National Park and student projects

Last week the students started their attachments (mini-internships). We have sent them out to various community based organizations, hospitals, and youth organizations in and outside of our village. Some are getting a more clinical perspective on the issues of HIV/AIDS and healthcare while others are going deep into the bush to villages where the CBOs have programs serving HIV positive people, the elderly and disabled, and vulnerable children.

Last weekend we took the students on a boat safari along the Shire River in Liwonde National Park. We were fortunate to see five heards of elephants, plenty of hippos, crocodiles, water buck, lots of brids and other wildlife. After the safari we crossed the river to visit a model school in the village that is being run in partnership by the Malawian Governmentt, Wilderness Safaris, and HELP Malawi (a US-based non-governmental organization). A couple who work with the school as Peace Corps volunteer gave us our tour. The students found it really interesting that they are incorporating permaculture, fish farming, water harvesting, and vocational training into the traditional curriculum. They are also supplementing the government's meager teacher salary with external donations in order to attract well-trained teachers. Eventually, the school plans to be self-sustaining with sales from the permacutlure gardens, fish farm, and handicrafts.

We ended the day with a heated discussion at dinner about Malawian culure and how best to approach development. The conversation started with the question, "What have you observed in Malawian culture that you have a negative reaction to?" Many of the students are very passionate about gender and envrionmental issues and all of them came on this trip with the goal to "help" Malawi. They are quickly learning how complex the issue of poverty is and that HIV/AIDS does not stand alone as its own issue. It is encouraging to see the students being challenged intellectually and emotionally as they are exposed to life in Malawi.

Until soon,
Marissa and Mike