July 23 Update - Anti-government demonstrations

Well, who would have thought I was going to put myself right in the thick of things! 

No work in the office yesterday, it was deemed it too dangerous to try to get to work. The national demonstrations were occurring in Blantyre (and two other cities), and were quite an event. Peaceful at first, but things inevitably turned ugly, with violence, looting, shooting and tear gas – all a five minute walk from my place on the hill. I had no idea what, if anything was going on, so wandered down the hill around 2ish, in search of some food. Nothing was open in town, so I wandered to the local hotel to find a THP team who were doing a workshop, and sat in with them. When that finished around 6:30pm, there were no taxis (not that there are an abundance of taxis anyway, I haven’t actually seen any yet!), so the ‘concierge’ in the hotel called his ‘mate/brother/cousin/neighbour’, who turned up promptly to take me the two minute drive up the hill and charge me K800!! (Now that is only $4.50, but by Malawi standards it is about a week’s wages!). In my little place later I could hear gun shots not all that far away (but not close enough to make me feel unsafe!), which was apparently the police “keeping the peace”. Apparently looting was going on well into the night. 

Thursday was supposed to be business as usual, but by mid-morning I detected from the office chatter that all was not as it was supposed to be. The CD told me that there was looting going on over the road from our office (we are on the second floor and look over the street, so had quite a good view of everything), and I watched as hoodlums walked out of the electronics store over the road with their arms full of computer printers (office size, not portable ones, so it was slightly entertaining watching). Then the police turned up, and everyone scattered and calmed down. At this point, it was decided to evacuate the office (in about 5 mins from “I think we should close the office” to leaving). Seven of us piled into one vehicle, along with the driver). This was the Microfinance team, who have been doing the workshop. This includes the head of Microfinance from NY, plus each representative from Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique, and Ghana. They all thought it was just as bizarre as I did, so we giggled all the way back to the hotel.  

I then convinced Russel the driver to take me back to the Shoprite (at this stage I had no food in the house, and I wasn't confident that I would get another chance to get any food anytime soon, as most shops had closed by this time). Russel and I went back, ran around the supermarket to get some essentials, then stopped to get a pizza each for lunch (I am not sure what the protocol is for buying drivers lunch, but in this situation, protocol had been thrown to the wind. Russel wasn’t going to knock back a free pizza, although I could sense him going through the trade-off – what happens if something happens to the Aussie bird I am in charge of, vs a free pizza). We ordered take-away, but sat outside near the vehicle while we waited for them, in case we had to leave instead. We took our pizzas and my groceries back to the truck, and knew we would be ok driving back to my lodge, coz if we were stopped by looters we could offer them pizza!!! As it turned out, again things were quiet, so I have been sitting at home (writing diaries and emails) all afternoon!!!! 

Naturally the power went off for two hours around 6pm, it does every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, so at least you can plan for how you spend your time with no electricity. This is where my iPad becomes invaluable, as it is the only thing that can entertain me when there is no TV and all I have is one candle – thank god I don’t need heating!!!!! Oh, and did I mention that every day on the TV is..... Masterchef Australia (but I think it is an old series, coz I met one of the contestants at last year’s grand final event at the MCG!!) 

While I have my SIM card for the phone, it hasn’t been activated because Airtel’s systems in Malawi “are being updated” .. that has been going on for nearly 2 weeks, so no-one with an Airtel phone has any data usage like emails or internet. I can’t believe how much I took everything for granted in Australia, where everything, most of the time, just works. And I never thought I would say this, but even Julia G looks good compared to the President of Malawi!! 

So here’s hoping tomorrow is going to be a good day. I would love to get to work and start doing what I came here for. I know enough about the work of The Hunger Project after writing a few reports that I REALLY WANT TO GET GOING! 

July 19 update from Blantyre - just arrived!!

July 19, 2011 - Day 2 in the office at THP Malawi, after arriving on Saturday. 



Malawian woman at the market carrying baby



I have a desk in Rowlands' office (Rowlands Kaotcha is the Country Director for Malawi), and am feeling very special! There was quite a bit of curiosity about my arrival. The office is on the second floor in Limbe, a more commercial area of Blantyre than where I live. (Naturally there is no lift, and you all know how much I now love stairs, especially as these would never meet the building regulations guidelines on height and width of each step!!) I have a driver to pick me up and take me home every day in one of the THP vehicles (about 15-20 mins), as well as take me anywhere I need to go, or go fetch things for me. I have met most of the staff, and I am thankful that English is the official language in the office, although most speak their native language between themselves. Even the three drivers I have met so far speak pretty good English! I sense at this stage there is a bit of suspicion as to  my 'real' purpose, I think some suspect I might be a spy from HQ! They are a young and very committed and passionate team, all who love working for Rowlands and also feel deeply about the sector they are working in. 

Rowlands and I were planning to visit 2 Epicentres today, however our plans were dashed when no diesel could be found. The country in currently gripped by fuel shortages, one symptom of a very complicated political situation that I cant begin to describe, suffice to say that things seem to be very much on a downhill slide. The President was last year voted in for a second five year term, and things seem to have taken a real downturn. A significant factor has been significantly reduced revenue from Tobacco production, previously a major export product and source of valuable foreign exchange.

An Epicentre is the core of the THP approach, where between 5-15 villages within a 10km radius are joined together to become a community to help themselves out of poverty. There are 8 Epicentres in Malawi, one is brand new, and just about to be officially inaugurated, at this stage it is likely that that will be by the President (although of course that could change at any moment). We are busy planning for the inauguration ceremony, plus an Investors visit (which includes the first visit by the global CEO) in about a month, so I am helping with the preparation and rehearsal of the presentations, and also capturing good material to be included. The Investors tour involves both Epicentre tours (where people who have made financial contributions to an Epicentre can see firsthand the difference they are making), as well as an extensive briefing back in the office about the work THP are doing. 

We had a Monday morning meeting yesterday, one of the big things on the agenda is a major demonstration to be held on Wednesday. It is a political demonstration against the President, the fuel crisis and many other problems that are being attributed to President Bingu wa Mutharika. Rowlands thinks things might get ugly, so we are talking about whether to close the office or not, he is afraid of people getting caught up in any crossfire. We have decided to make it business as usual, however if any of the staff feel it is unsafe for them to get to work, then they stay home. A bit different from the old Russell Reynolds Monday morning meetings!! 

My accommodation is at one of the local backpackers hostels. Most of the other volunteers are medical students who are doing an exchange at the local hospital. Mostly a mixture of Brits, Dutch and a few Americans, in the 22-28 age group (not totally silly thank goodness!). My 'flat' as it is referred to has a bedroom and living room, as well as a kitchenette and bathroom. I have stunning views of the local mountain ranges; Malawi is a stunningly beautiful country.  



Blantyre Market



After stocking up on supplies yesterday I went home to cook my first meal, only to find that the microwave (one of my three appliances, along with a single electrical hotplate and kettle) has a South African plug, which cant be connected to the electricity, a challenge not even I was able to overcome! Luckily I have also sourced a few good takeaways who deliver free of charge (burger and pizza joints), so I will be well fed. The local Blantyre market is a hive of activity, and a white 50yr old woman certainly stands out in the crowd! I shopped to wolf whistles and calls of "Mama come over here!!” while I bought my fruit and veg. I might have to revert to the local ShopRite supermarket where the produce is not nearly as good, but shopping will be a tad more pleasant! 

Weather here is lovely, most days we have a max in the mid 20's, although mornings and evenings are quite cool. The locals are moaning about how cold it is, and yesterday several of the staff were wearing woolen gloves in the office with their business suits. Apparently by August things start to heat up, with the rainy season starting around November, and lasting till May.