It is hard to believe that this will be one of our final field updates before we say goodbye to everyone at Mchezi and begin our journey home. As you read these final notes we urge you to consider the significance of our work and the necessity for supporting World Camp's initiatives to support CBO efforts to launch sustainable and effective responses to community needs. Many CBOs, like Mchezi, operate on extremely limited funds, little or no training and rely on volunteer efforts. Consider that these groups are a child's greatest source of support and their meager resources are being exhausted. World Camp is working to create sustainable solutions that will enable groups like Mchezi CBO to succeed on their own and provide the services their communities need.
Since the beginning of our time here, the two OVC coordinators, Austin and William, have always wanted to take us deep into Mchezi to visit a few of the nursery schools they have started. Today was that day and with over 2,000 TOM’s shoes still left to distribute we brought along a few boxes. Just after the cock-a-doodles ended and the sun was high enough to burn off Darren’s skin, we headed out on a 5 km (felt like15) walk to the North.
As we neared the first nursery school (mind you, there was no building, just a patch of dirt), we heard what could have been mistaken for an American nursery school: songs in English about the days of the week, months of the year, alphabet and body parts. It was very encouraging to see such young children learning English. We were given seats of honor, literally in a bush (only shade available) and were entertained by the 20 singing students and five volunteers before we distributed the shoes.
We said our goodbyes and headed towards the next school. Again, as we came into earshot we were greeted with the same songs, a few more students, a few more volunteers, and the village headman. Here too, we were treated like royalty and given comfortable chairs in the shade. This nursery school was a bit nicer: it was under a large and shady tree. They also had a portable chalkboard. After some brief introductions, we distributed the shoes and then watched the children eat porridge with their fingers while we (minus Molly because she’s “allergic) munched on some peanuts from the Chief’s garden.
A loooooonnnggg walk back home in the heat of the day produced back sweat like whoa and a terrible sunburn on every uncovered inch of Darren’s body. Nap time!
Class resumed today with a very thought-provoking conversation regarding the financial situation MCBO is facing as previous grants have grown exhausted.
Currently, MCBO has two offices. One is the headquarters near our house where goods are stored, vocational skills are taught, and OVC activities are held. The other office is 2 km away and is solely used for electricity. The majority of the costs for this office have been funded by an organization called Firelight. Now, MCBO may lose the satellite (electricity) office due to lack of funds. Therefore, we have proposed to outfit the headquarters with solar power, eliminating monthly utility costs and creating a more permanent office. We outlined a grant proposal that could be sent to a number of different organizations seeking help.
The reality of the hardships at Mchezi are played out every day in communities all across Malawi. We have seen impoverished communities, like Mchezi, organizing to fight for their future, and the power of their spirit is worth leveraging. It is easy to identify Malawi with its struggles while overlooking the countless strengths. We have seen firsthand with World Camp an opportunity to share in the astounding work that is being done at the community level in Mchezi and beyond.
As we say goodbye to our new friends we would like to applaud their courage to provide the services their community needs and hope that more people take notice of initiatives that will help strengthen the support for community based organizations that in turn provide the sustainable solutions to building healthier communities.
Tsalani Bwino! (stay well)
No comments:
Post a Comment