Farewell to the Warm Heart of Africa

It’s hard to believe our January session is over. We are all home safe and sound trying to get back into the swing of things in the “Western World.” Although it was sad to leave Malawi, I’m definitely ready to be back in a place where toilets with seats and running water are the norm.

During our last week in Malawi we continued our home stay in Mchezi and worked with the other half of Standard 7 at Mkhosa Full Primary School. In addition to teaching the regular curriculum in the mornings, we each took on projects with Mchezi Community Based Organization in the afternoons. I teamed up with Christine and our Field Assistant Rejoyce to work with an HIV+ women’s support group. We talked a lot about nutrition on the first day and focused on empowerment paintings on the second day. With a limited amount of time, we found this to be an easy, creative way for the women to bond and express themselves in an artistic manner they haven’t necessarily been exposed to in the past.  

Mark had a great time teaching Mchezi’s youth group how to play baseball in a two-day mini-camp. By the end of the week, all participants were excited and proud that they had mastered the “simple sport.”Tucker partnered with Field Assistant Cyrus to talk with local farmers about permaculture. The farmers were fond of the new techniques introduced, and many of them were already familiar with them and were excited to put them to use. They talked about water catchment systems, planting beds instead of rows, and the benefits of intercropping. The farmers viewed permaculture as a potential solution to the community’s struggles with poverty and poor nutrition.

All in all it was a great week. We met so many friendly and inspiring people in Mchezi, especially at the CBO and we are confident they will continue to do amazing working in their community long after we are gone.

To finish off the session we headed to Lake Malawi for the weekend, where we basked in the sun by day and sat around a bonfire by night.  For our last day as a group, we woke up at 5am and watched the sun rise over Lake Malawi. There couldn’t have been a better way to end the trip. 
 
It seems like a lifetime ago we all sat together at the airport for the first time, awkwardly introducing ourselves. We’ve come a long way since then, we’ve met so many remarkable people, seen some astonishing sights, and been inspired by so many stories. We’ve grown, learned, inspired and changed, and of course learned some really great dance moves along the way.

Zikomo, chinuo, peace and love,

Cara (with Christine, Mark and Tucker)