And now for a word from our Youth to Youth (Y2Y) team!

The Y2Y session in Malawi wrapped up last week after a very successful four week program. Here are some highlights from our three amazing volunteers, Maïlyse, Lindsey, and Lucy:

“It is the first day of our first camp, Balangombe, and the bus pulls up to school. Before we are even able to park we are bombarded with smiling kids who are yelling and cheering. I think that is when it finally hit us all that we are in MALAWI! Morning songs that first day were by the far the best of the whole trip. There was an overwhelming amount of energy from everyone. The whole morning was a whirl of excitement, especially when we got assigned our first class.

No other day of camp can compare to that first day, it was amazing and everything we wanted.

Our next favorite memory comes from Balangombe as well. It was our third day and probably the hardest, funniest, most exhausting day from the whole trip. This day was probably the most memorable day of our whole stay here. We learned how to keep control of our kids, how to NICELY tell them to be quiet, and most importantly, we learned how to laugh at ourselves, and be patient when things don’t go perfectly.

Our first weekend we went to Lake Malawi with just Y2Y, it was some great bonding time. The next day, we taught a modified HIV curriculum in a really great center for local disadvantaged kids. The kids were all ages, and had a ton of fun in class and showing us their gardens. It was a good experience!

We arrived at our third camp with a sign saying, “You are most welcome to Kasiya Primary School.” The minute we got off the bus, we knew this was going to be another amazing school! And it sure was!

At the end of our four days when it was time to give them their very own AIDS Ribbons, they were bouncing off the wall…literally. We definitely were thankful for their enthusiasm.”

Next stop was SAFARI! While driving to Wildlife Camp, we saw an elephant and Mailyse was…let’s just say, excited! We were greeted by the owner telling us that it’s not uncommon for hippos, elephants and even lions to come at our tent! We took a safari drive that night. It was beautiful to see the sunset and animals! We saw a leopard, hyenas and even a fearless honey badger.”

Thanks to our wonderful Y2Y volunteers for all their hard work, enthusiasm, and positive energy this summer! We are excited to start incorporating some new changes to the curriculum and program that this Y2Y group helped develop.

Submitted by: Maïlyse Ferber, Lucy Keener, Lindsey Wirht, Malawi Y2Y 2011 volunteers; Rachel Dudasik and Katie Sacca, Y2Y 2011 Program Coordinators

Chiyembekezo (Hope)

Heartbreak. At first glance, Malawi is heartbreak. A raw, unyieldingly vivid picture of the pains and sorrows of my heart. The landscape is barren for miles, sweeping toward a lone tree resting in solitude on its hilltop outlook. Girls tell me calmly, evenly, that an obstacle they face in achieving their goals is being raped and beaten by men. Children beg insistently for money, pencils, food, anything. Students ask innocent questions like: “If HIV is in the body, why can’t we just take it out?” that dig into me like thorns. Questions that leave me wishing it were that simple.

But then I close my eyes and open them again. And I see a changed Malawi. A Malawi that is happiness. I see Malawi for what it truly is. An earnest-faced teacher pats my hand and calls me his daughter while another shows me how to drive an ox cart community members volunteered for the purpose. Passerbies on the street always have a wave, a smile, or a thumbs-up to offer. Students run alongside our bus as we pull up to their school and crowd around the car door to greet us as we step out. Women welcome me into their homes and teach me to do chores while chattering away in a language I cannot comprehend. Standing in a dance circle under a still sky streaked with milky stars, my heart feels full and at peace.

Malawi: you have inspired me to keep on fighting on gritty step at a time. You are a hopeful country, a country with conviction and joy and dreams of a brighter future. So let us hold hands as brothers and sisters—equals—and march forward together towards that glimmering orb peaking over the horizon. Let us march together, struggle together, believe together, and keep moving forward. Forward toward that brighter future. One step at a time.

Chiyembekezo

(Hope)

Submitted by: Michelle Ju, Malawi SS2 Intern

A night in the village

Today is my 30^th day in Africa! I can say without hesitation that the most beautiful and frustrating moments of my life so far have taken place here in Malawi. Last night we spent the evening in a nearby village and slept in villagers’ homes. I have never felt so welcomed in a new place. You know those moments where you look around at your surroundings and just feel grateful to be alive? Last night I experienced one of those moments. After being honored with a feast of nsima, the women and children of the village treated us to the most incredible song circle. When they asked us to sing our own songs, we burst out in renditions of The Lion King!! Then, I caught a glimpse of the sky; I have never seen stars like that before. With my neck tilted towards the stars, songs all around me, I just took in everything. I captured that moment to remember forever. So happy. I’m missing home, but much more thrilled to be here. Hello, from Africa!

Submitted by: Catherine Valentine, Malawi SS2 Intern.