Nkhata Bay

On Friday morning I left Maggie's without breakfast, it was that early.  Well bad idea because there was no bus at the station anyways, but I waited because I wanted a seat.  I waited, and waited, and still no bus.  I killed time taking pictures, giving babies lollypops, and talking with villagers.  I ran into Bob, a Malawian man I had hitchhiked with about two weeks ago when I was stuck in Jenda so we caught up!  Small world I guess!

The bus arrived at 10:00 AM after waiting more than three hours.  Patience is key in Malawi!  Every person in the station seemed to be waiting for the bus I wanted too.  It was crazy, everyone jumped up and ran to the pull in so I joined in.  Remember I wanted a seat!  The bus was already packed because it was coming from Lilongwe so tickets were scarce as were busses because of the nation wide fuel shortages.  We all piled next to the bus door as some passengers were getting off.  I just crossed my fingers I would get a ticket.  There must have been 50 people all pushing and holding up their 500 Kwacha bills trying to get the ticket masters attention.  The pushing was unbearable, I said stop pushing but no one seemed to know what I was saying.  Chichewa please.  

I managed to get a ticket on the bus after fighting all the pushing and just doing it back, but a seat was impossible.  I was in the isle with my backpack and travel bag.  I need to start packing lighter for these trips I guess!  I was also dripping sweat and everyone seemed to be looking at it pour out underneath my hat onto my face.  I knew this would be an adventure for sure.  I stood for about three hours holding on for dear life as the bus turned this way and that and people got off and on.  I put on my thinking cap and turned my bag into a seat and placed it in the isle to sit.  Good idea for awhile until people kept getting off from the back and I had to move here and there to get through.  When we got to our next stop at the bus check point I asked a lady if she would not mind waking up her daughter and putting her on her lap so I could have a seat.  She agreed!  I even paid 500 Kwacha, I was that desperate.  

Well Brenda was with her sister and two daughters.  She works for the Japanese Embassy in Lilongwe and was taking a trip with her family to see her mother and father.  The kids were so cute.  We played the entire ride!  Brenda even gave me her business card as she plans on driving me to the airport when I leave!  The girls can see the airplane and I can get a free ride to the airport.  Not bad.  The younger child got a bit antsy before arriving to Mzuzu so I got lots of scratches on my face and sharp pains every time she pulled my leg hair.  

When I got to Mzuzu I then hopped on a mini bus to Nkhata Bay.  It was a two hour ride from there.  I was so close, I could smell Lake Malawi!  I purchased some bananas and oranges at a market stall we stopped at along the way for the weekend.  We arrived in Nkhata Bay at 5:30 PM.  The sun was just going down and the night life was just picking up.  I was staying at Mayoka Village Lodge just a few minutes from the center of town.  They have a car that picks up guests from town and transports them too the lodge so no walking was involved.  I already knew I was going to like this place.  They must have know I was coming and was very tired!  

I asked some people in the shops where the car to Mayoka was and some men came along and said 'my friend this way' and began grabbing my backs, directing me to the cars location.  I told them I could carry the bags and would follow.  They brought me to a car which had no sign saying Mayoka Village so I was a bit skeptical about getting in, but did anyways.  I had my hand on the door the entire time if something were to go wrong and I needed to bail.  The drivers name was James so we bonded right from the start.  He had not met a James before so I told him all the nicknames I have, Jimmy, Jim, Jimbo, and Jimbosnake!  He was laughing with his other friend in the front seat.

I arrived at Mayoka tired and in need of a drink and food.  I was quickly introduced to Impatso who works at Mayoka.  She welcomed me and carried my bags to my room.  The room was spectacular.  It was so I almost broke my ankle walking up the steep flight of stairs.  The sitting all day definitely got to me.

View from Chalet

Friday night they have a buffet for 1,300 Kwacha so I signed up for that!  They served honey garlic chicken, rump beef kebabs, german potato salad, steamed broccoli, crumbled egg plant fingers, garlic and herbed bread, chili bites, garden salad, and cashew nut and herb rissoles.  I was in heaven, I think I had three helpings!  

Japanese Women Working for JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency)

Special and I

I stayed up for awhile with a bunch of Canadians celebrating their Independence Day and then made it off to bed around 3 AM!

Internet is very low in the office.  So I am going to post what I have typed now!

To be continued.

Lilongwe Client Visits on June 27th and 28th

Hello

I apologize for no recent posts.  Internet connection was so awful in the office this past week and the place I was staying on the lake did not seem to be any better.

As mentioned a few posts ago, I was planning on doing the value chain analysis with the Business Innovation Facility last week week but due to fuel shortages it was canceled.

I decided to head to Mabuya last weekend!  It was packed!  The owners, Tom and Janie had said it seemed as if it was already July because that is their busiest month of the year!  

On Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th I met at MicroLoan Foundation's Lilongwe Office where I did field visits with out loan officers there!  I wanted to continue my work for Linda Thomson on collection of pictures and interviews of clients for fundraising efforts in the US.

I met at the branch early on Monday morning where I was introduced to Readson, the Office Assistant.  Pictures covered the walls of  the branch office of our client loan groups.  Evita and Glad later arrived.  They are both Loan Officers!  I was later greeted by the Branch Manger, Menace.  He checked the group meeting schedule and sent me out with Glad. 

Glad was already in the field seeing groups so Menace said he would get me there.  We took the motor bike to a mini bus stop where he gave the driver specific directions in Chichewa as to where to drop me.  I got an awful gash on my leg as I was entering the car that bleed the rest of the day.  Every fly in the village was attacking it.  Not fun!  When I arrived at the petrol station Glad was there waiting for me.  We introduced and then headed through Lilongwe till we arrived at our first client group.  The roads were not typical pavement, something I assumed being in the capital, so the ride was very bumpy and thrilling!  Every person did a double take as they saw a muzungu riding on the back of a motor bike! 

We arrived at the first group and a sudden uproar of singing and dancing began.  I hopped off the motor bike, began videoing, and soon realized I was dancing along with all of the clients.  I then sat down with Glad and introduced myself to all of the women as Glad translated.  They greeted me with open arms.  It was a bi-weekly repayment meeting so all their money was laid out on plates for me to see.  They women even insisted when I took their group picture that the money be in the front showing how they all work hard to repay their loan.  After a quick visit we were back on the motor bike and traveling a long distance to the next group. 

Women of Tibwenze Loan Group Singing

The next group of women we saw were so energetic!  They sang a song with a very catchy tune.  I replayed the video all week in the office so the lyrics have begun to stick.  I mean I guess I can say my Chichewa has improved!  The group was also one of the biggest I had seen.  Glad explained that lots of women in their village wanted to get involved but due to the group size restrictions some women had to wait till they had others to form another loan group.  That explains the group of women sitting under a tree not part of the meeting!  They were there to support their friends, see a muzungu, and listen. 

Women of Mkwelera Loan Group Singing

While the meeting progressed a young village boy came over to the group and started making noises.  I asked "how are you," in Chichewa but did not get an answer.  The clients laughed and one lady spoke up.  Glad explained that the boy had problems.  He was born with a disability.  That did not prevent me from shaking his hand and letting him sit next to me.  I did not have much in my bag because my lollypop collection was dispersed on the bus to Lilongwe, but I managed to give him an empty water bottle I had.  He came back 20 minutes later and game me some sugar cane.  An act of kindness that was so unselfish and did not go unnoticed.   

After the repayment, some of the clients walked with Glad and I to the village headman's house where we would conduct interviews.  On the way we stopped at their individual houses and the ladies showed me their crops.  We picked up many village children along the way and when we finally arrived at the headman's house there must have been 30 of them cackling and laughing as they all whispered "muzungu."

Afterwards Glad and I hopped on the motor bike for the long journey home.  We stopped at one of our clients takeaways.  Lucy was on of MicroLoan's bridging loan clients.  The bridging loans are much larger than the standard loans offered and allow women to fun larger business models.  The food was so good, cucumber salad, rice, and chicken stew!

I returned to Mabuya and then woke up early the following day and did group visits with our other loan officer in Lilongwe, Evita.  The first group of women we met with were so welcoming.  Many of the clients were at a funeral and some were sick so we began the repayment meeting anyways.  Two women brought Evita and I tea and potatoes.  It was very refreshing!  Another lady also returned with a huge bag of groundnuts, a loaf of bread, and powdered milk for me.  It was so nice!  After repayment we went to one of the clients houses with the others.  The lady had a coop of some sort in the back of her house so I asked what it was.  Evita told me it was a pigeon coop.  The client opened the door and out came the pigeons into their holding pen.  I got closer to take a picture and out flew all the pigeons into the sky.  I screamed and panicked because I thought they were going to fly away and it would have been all my fault.  Evita explained they all come back and all the ladies were roaring with laughter.

Afterwards one of the clients prepared Evita and I a great lunch in the village headman's house.  Nsima and pumpkin leaves with groundnuts and tomatoes.  I think it was the best I have had since in Malawi.  I even managed to drink the village water.  I am still alive so I don't think it had much of an effect on my system!  Following the meeting we went into the market where we interviewed three of our clients.  Our first interview was with a lady selling nsima and vegetables at an open air eatery.  The next was with a client who ran her own tea room.  I purchased a round of tea for everyone and we all had a bread biscuit to go a long with it before we interviewed the next client.  Lastly, we interviewed a client selling irish potatoes.  We then took the long drive back to the branch.  Most of the journey was on the intercity road so we were going 80kph and big buses, cars, and trucks still managed to pass us.  We then were held up by a police man and were told the President of Malawi, Bingu Wa Muthalika's convoy would be coming through and that we would need to pull over and wait till they passed.  What a sight, I managed to get a picture even though Evita advised against it.  She said it was illegal and I confirmed that in the office on Wednesday when I returned.  There were about 15 cars in the convoy and they all speed by at 150kph!

When we returned to Lilongwe Evita and I stopped at the office and then she drove me back to Mabuya.  I was a mess.  I had no shower in four days due to water and power shortages.  The filling station we passed on the way was packed.  That was a sign that getting back to Kasungu tomorrow morning would be tough.  

I was right!  We stopped for about two hours along the side of the road to wait for black market fuel. 

Best

Jimmy

Bus Fuel on the BM

When I was in the field on Monday and Tuesday the loan officers were very skeptical about going out because of the persistent fuel shortages.

Well I made it back to Kasungu!  I just arrived late this afternoon.  I took a bus from Lilongwe and the ride seemed never ending.  The lack of fuel is really bad!  Trucks and cars are pulled over along the roads and it is awful.  The bus stopped for an hour to get a black market fuel fill up.

At the stop, a bunch of the passengers exited the bus to go to the bathroom so I joined in.  When I came back everyone was hooting and hollering!  It was hilarious!

Best

Jimmy

Met Lots of People at Mabuya!

I headed to Mabuya on Saturday morning!  The lodge was packed!  Hence the list below!

I stayed in a chalet the first night, a tent the second, a chalet the third, and a dorm the fourth!  I enjoyed the weekend and did client visits with our loan officers in Lilongwe on Monday and Tuesday.  I will post about that experience and the visits tomorrow!  

I arrived back in Kasungu late this afternoon!  There were numerous power outages for prolonged periods of time and the water to the district was cut off at certain times of the day so I did not shower for four days!  I also did not bring nearly enough clothes with me as I was planning to stay till Monday not Wednesday!  I also did not take into account that I would be motor biking through the dirt roads of Lilongwe with the loan officers.  Just imagine, no shower, not enough clothes, I can't even describe what I looked like! 

Enjoy Reading

Jimmy

Viola- Viola is from the the US.  She is working on her masters in natural resource management.  She is currently researching agro forestry in Malawi through funding from USAID.  She has lived all overt he US since her father was in the military and has a few friends in Philadelphia so we talked about how awesome it is!

Dave and Lisa- Dave is from Australia and Lisa is from Texas.  They are both married and are traveling around Southern Africa together.  They just climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro!  Spent a lot of time with them.  They helped me ant proof my tent because there were no chalets available on Sunday night!  I hung out with them by the pool and spent breakfast talking about our trips thus far in Malawi.

Rina and Emily- Rina and Emily are both here with a  group volunteering for Habitat for Humanity building two houses here in Lilongwe.  Their project was two weeks long and they leave for their safari in Zambia tomorrow.  Rina went to George Mason and now works for the government.  Emily went to NYU and now is back at school studying economics.

Jamie- Jamie was the same age as me.  He was from the UK volunteering in Malawi for the next three weeks.  He had such an awesome assignment, soccer coaching!  He brought jerseys and soccer balls with him and gave them out to the village children he was working with every day!  We dormmed together on Tuesday night!

Jam and Leanne- Well I pretty much already new both of them.  Jam is the owner of Club Zanzibar.  I met him there and we took a great picture together.  It was great seeing him.  He bought a round of drinks, so I was happy.  Leanne i have heard so much about but never met her.  She is caretaker of the house Paolo stays in.  She is currently working with a couple from India to start an eco lodge in Lilongwe!  What a neat idea, first of its kind in Malawi!  She told me how all the produce would be organically grown and sourced, the furniture would be all locally crafted, eco cleaning products would be used, and a recycled water system would be in place.  She is set to open towards the end of July so I think I will spend a night at her place rather than Mabuya!

Tom- Tom was a 17 year old from the UK.  He and about 30 of his classmates were camping at Mabuya for a few days before they spent the next month volunteering and then finishing with a safari.  Learned a lot about the UK from him and his friends and played a bunch of card games, that included 'shit head.'

Tom and Janey- The owners of Mabuya!  They were just back in the UK visiting their family and friends.  They live in Malawi year round.  They purchased Mabuya when then were traveling around Southern Africa  together six years ago.  They are now marred and have a two year old boy.  They are so helpful, they know how to get you to anywhere you want to go in Malawi!  

Erin-  A Canadian who has liven in Malawi for the past six years.  She has two children, one Canadian and one Malawian.  She works as a primary school teacher a pristegious international school in Lilongwe.  She is leaving in December and will continue teaching at another international school, to be determined.  Her and I spent Monday night at the bar with nice cheddar cheese, whole wheat crackers, stuffed feta red peppers, and some beers! 

Rory and Lucy- I met them at the pool on Sunday.  I had a fly fishing magazine I picked up in Nkhotakota at the Fish Eagle Lodge and saw them reading a magazine so I offered them my magazine as I had just finished reading it!  Once they accepted we introduced and spoke about what we were doing in Africa.  They explained how they bought a van in England and fixed it up then drove to France where they boarded a ferry to Morocco!  From there they have traveled all over Africa and landed in Lilongwe on Saturday!  They are off to Zambia in the morning!  They will end in South Africa!  Please check out their blog, their pictures and stories are amazing.  Rory and Lucy's Blog

Lewis- Lewis and I met at the pool on Saturday!  He asked what I was reading, "Bottled and Sold."  Lewis has been traveling for the past five months.  He is from the UK and started his journey in Ecuador.  He backpacked his way to The Cape Horn and then took a boat to Antarctica!  After two weeks in there he then sailed for 50 days to The Cape of Good Hope and has backpacked his way to Malawi where I met him.  He left on Monday to continue his journey in Zambia!  He actually hitched a ride with Rory and Lucy!

Nina- Nina was one of the volunteers that came to work with her boyfriend Peter for MicroLoan in May/June.  She continued her trip volunteering with orphans in Nkhata Bay.  Well I ran into her on Saturday at the bar in Mabuya.  She was spending the night before she headed back home to the UK!  What a small world!

Bee- I met Bee on Monday night at the bar.  She finished her final exams on Friday and then arrived in Malawi on Monday!  She is from the UK and just finished her masters at Oxford!  She studied economic development with a focus on agriculture.  She had so many friends from New England and said I was just like her friends!  She told me about her friends from Stanford, Rutgers, Penn, Harvard, and Brown!  She is doing agriculture research in Malawi.  Her work is concentrated in Blantyre.  It is in the south of Malawi!  We both want to climb Mt. Mulanje, the 4th highest peak in Africa!  I am going to pitch up at her place and then we will split a guide and trek for three days together.  I have her email and we are going to plan it right before I leave for my safari at the end of July!  

Visit Back to Jenda

On Wednesday morning I headed up to Jenda.  It was my first time on the bus alone and I did really well!  I thought for sure I would get off at the wrong stop but I managed just fine.

I was met at the station by Gerald who had been there for a few days collecting data for the FICA project.  He brought me to the branch office where I was greeted by the Office Assistant, Linda.  Little did I know she would be the one helping me the rest of the day.

I went to Jenda to work on another project.  I have been tasked on collecting pictures and video of clients for MicroLoan USA.  The offices plan on using the information for grant writing, public relations campaigns, and fundraising efforts.  My visit to Jenda was really exciting and I did a lot of video and picture taking of clients!

The branch in Jenda is the newest to MicroLoan Malawi.  It was opened this year and already it's bustling with clients!  I was able to meet with two groups and witness their reapplication for a loan.  They start by going through the bylaws set by the group  and then conclude with their signature next to the amount of the loan they would receive.  Most women sign their name but some do not know how to write so they use a finger print instead!  Following, they women head to the bank with the Office Assistant to cash the check from MicroLoan which includes the total amount of the group loan.  They then return to the Branch Office to divvy up the loan to each individual client in the group.  After, the clients invest in new businesses or the current ones they are participating in.

Kapsya Loan Group 

Chitukuko Loan Group

For lunch Gerald and I headed into the market to do some wandering and exploring.  For lunch I had chips from one of the market vendors.  I told Hlupe when I got into the office on thursday and she asked if I got sick.  She couldn't believe I was fine!  (The chips are our equivalent of french fries)  After lunch I took some photos of some market stalls and had Gerald ask around the vegetable stalls if any of the women were clients of MicroLoan.  Two raised their hands so I went over and introduced myself and Gerald translated.  I took a snap and shared the image with them and their surrounding stall mates.  After we went back to the office to continue our work.

Chips & Chicken From the Market for Lunch!

Open Air Butchery

MicroLoan Client Selling Mustard

MicroLoan Client Selling Rape

When I returned I began interviews with clients.  Linda conducted all interviews while I manned the camera!  My first set of interviews were with women from the Kapsya Loan Group.  The group was made up of 11 women!  I have posted two interviews below.

Link to Interview with Elizabeth Nyirenda

Name: Elizabeth Nyirenda

MicroLoan Group Name: Kapsya

Location: Jenda

Age: 42

Married: Yes

Do you have children? Yes

How many? 4, 2 boys, 2 girls

Do you care for any orphans? No

Do the children go to school? Yes

Before you had a loan from MicroLoan, did you earn enough to provide for the family? Before MicroLoan things were not good.  I used to be a farmer and grown tomatoes but I did not earn enough money for my family.

Before you had a loan from MicoLoan, how many meals per day were you having? 1 meal a day

How many loans have you received from MicroLoan to date? 3 loans

What sort of business do you have?  How is it doing? I sell tomatoes and it is doing well.

Are you better off now than before MicroLoan? I am better off now.

How has MicroLoan helped you? Now with my loan from MicroLoan I am doing well.  Things have changed.

What is your dream? My dream is to buy a maize mill.

Link to Interview with Margret Muluwafu

Name: Margret Muluwafu

MicroLoan Group Name: Kapsya

Location: Jenda

Age: 26

Married: Yes

Do you have children? Yes

How many? 2, 2 boys

Do you care for any orphans?  No

Do the children go to school? Yes

Before you had a loan from MicroLoan, did you earn enough to provide for the family?  Before MicroLoan I used to be a farmer and I did not have enough money to provide for the family.

Before you had a loan from MicoLoan, how many meals per day were you having? 3 meals a day

How many loans have you received from MicroLoan to date? 1 loan

What sort of business do you have?  How is it doing? I sell tomatoes and it’s doing well.

Are you better off now than before MicroLoan? I am much better off now.

How has MicroLoan helped you?  Life has changed for good compared to before MicroLoan.

What is your dream? My dream is to build houses so that I could rent them and source money from it.

Following Kapsya, I interviewed clients from Chitukuko Loan Group.  Their group consisted of 23 women!  I have posted two of the interviews below.  You can view the rest of the interviews with translations on my YouTube account!

Link to Interview with Dorah Mhango

Name: Dorah Mhango

MicroLoan Group Name: Chitukuko

Location: Jenda

Age: 31

Married: Yes

Do you have children? Yes

How many? 1, 1 girl

Do you care for any orphans? I care for 3 orphans.

Do the children go to school? Yes

Before you had a loan from MicroLoan, did you earn enough to provide for the family? Before MicroLoan I used to sell bananas on a very small scale.  I did not earn enough money to provide for my family.

Before you had a loan from MicoLoan, how many meals per day were you having? 3 meals a day

How many loans have you received from MicroLoan to date? 6 loans

What sort of business do you have?  How is it doing? I have a shop selling groceries.  It is going well.

Are you better off now than before MicroLoan?  Now that I have the support from MicroLoan, things are going a lot better.

How has MicroLoan helped you? MicroLoan has helped me do what I always wanted!

What is your dream? My dream is to educate my children.

Link to Interview with Esnart Nkhonje

Name: Esnart Nkhonje

MicroLoan Group Name: Chitukuko

Location: Jenda

Age: 35

Married: Yes

Do you have children? Yes

How many? 4, 2 boys, 2 girls

Do you care for any orphans? I care for 2 orphans.

Do the children go to school? Yes

Before you had a loan from MicroLoan, did you earn enough to provide for the family? Before MicroLoan things were not working for me.  I used to be a farmer on a small scale.  I did not earn enough money to provide for the family.

Before you had a loan from MicoLoan, how many meals per day were you having? 3 meals a day

How many loans have you received from MicroLoan to date? 6 loans

What sort of business do you have?  How is it doing? I sell tomatoes and its going very well.

Are you better off now than before MicroLoan? I am much better off.

How has MicroLoan helped you? Now that I have support from MicroLoan I can fund other family members businesses.

What is your dream? My dream is to build a house.

This was by far the most rewarding experience of my trip in Malawi thus far!  I learned so much about these women and their individual lives before MicroLoan and after they received their loan from MicroLoan!

After both groups left they both sang some great songs for me!  Click the links below to watch them on YouTube.  I have included translations on the video under description on YouTube!

Kapsya Loan Group Singing

Some of Chitukuko Loan Group Singing

Enjoy

Best Wishes

Jimmy