The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a wood and I,
I took the one less traveled by.
And that has made all the difference.

The road not taken can in some ways be frightening but at the same time, an avenue to discovery. It is along this road that we are often confronted by the unfamiliar, and so the true nature of what were are is brought to light. I can’t imagine every being an effective public servant if I don’t understand why it is I do what I do and who I really am. Perhaps this is the greatest reward for traveling down this road. This road brings me encounters with people who help me learn about myself and at the same time, teach me so much. These lessons are ones I could never learn from any book, school, or educational video.

I have taken this road many times and its destination has never been the same. Though I may not know where it will lead, it has yet to let me down. And I hate to think of the person I would be and how boring things may be if I hadn’t taken this road. All of us should attempt to travel down this road. To ignore it, is to miss so much, for life’s little beauties are found along this road.

And so two roads diverged:

And as I rounded the corner I saw a woman sitting on the ground, her chitenje protecting her from the dirt, enjoying the Saturday morning sun. As I approached her, I found my self asking her:

“Mazuka bwanji?” (How is your morning?)

She smiled and replied, “Dazuka bwino. Kya inu? (My morning is fine and you?)

It took a moment for the words to register in my head but finally I responded,

“Bwino. Zikomo.” (Fine. Thank you).

We shared a laugh and she thanked me for speaking in her native language, and I in turn, inwardly thanked her for allowing me to have this moment and for sharing her country with me.

That has made all the difference.

I thank all of you for traveling down this road with me.

And a big thanks to all those at CHAI.

Until the road rises up to meet me again………….

The Little Things

The longer I live, the more I realize that the little things matter the most in life. And often, it is often these little things that are the most profound. I have come to find in Malawi that the most profound moments have been the little moments that have occurred during my walks and runs in the morning. I wanted to share a few such moments with you. Halfway through my stay here, I decided to stop taking my camera with me on my walks. It was easy to take a picture of kids and Malawians going about everyday life. But to actually stop and talk with them created a far better lasting memory than a photo.

Running with my iPod one morning, a young boy who didn’t speak much English stopped me and pointed to my ears. He wanted to know what the strange object on my head was. I explained that they were headphones and he repeated the word until he was finally able to pronounce it. I have seen him on 2 other occasions and he smiles, points to his ears, and says “headphones” as if he is so proud to have a new English word in his vocabulary.

While walking to the grocery store yesterday, I passed by a group of kids sitting in the grass playing. I thought I could slip by unnoticed, but a young boy in an oversized red sweatshirt stood up and ran to the edge of the road with the vigor of a child running to the sound of an ice cream truck. He smiled and frantically waved and said hello. Seeing how much joy that kid had in saying hello to me gave me such joy. The little things.

Perhaps my favorite moment came when I ran by a guard who I pass every morning. Not speaking much English, he managed to ask if he could run with me. And so we ran together, not able to say much but our common activity was enough to allow us to have a brief moment of connection. A Malawian man and a “mzungu” running on the dirt road. A short, little moment.

And it is in these “moments” that we can observe and connect. I find we often miss out on these in America because we are always on the go, consumed with ourselves, and bombarded by advertisements to buy this or that instead of trying for free what life has to offer right in front of us. That’s why I love my walks and runs because I can connect with the things I might miss. In Africa, people walk with a destination in mind, as walking is the most common mode of transport, and so walking for the sake of walking is odd. While I was out one morning, a Malawian asked, “You are simply walking back and forth?” My lack of destination confused him. “Yeah,” I thought. “I’m simply walking but I do have a destination in mind-an inward destination. A destination of these little moments.”

The Fight Agianst HIV/AIDS

There was a study released in the Lancet warning that both condoms and ARVs were needed to treat AIDS. If those who are HIV-positive and on ARVs become complacent and stop using condoms, HIV infections could increase by 10 million, the stdy warned. Go here for more: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSSP10037520080725

That seems like an easy proposal-except if you are trying to fight AIDS in Africa. What has been reinforced during my time in Malawi is the need for education. There are billboards everywhere that say "Hygiene is important. Drive carefully." Butter and cooking oil labels boast of being fortified with Vitamin A which is good for a child's health. These seemed comical to me until it dawned on me that these messages don't appear to be common sense to those without education. Compunding the lack of education is stigma and cultural beliefs that make it very difficult to treat AIDS. Many believe witchcraft causes AIDS and so medicine cannot help treat the disease. Others believe AIDS can be cured by having sex with a virigin. Thousands of condoms and drugs won't help when you have a population that does not understand AIDS or is too afraid to even talk about it.

Also, procurring drugs can be difficult. Some ARVs are procured from China. Today it was cautioned that shipments of drugs could be delayed because of the Olympics. They have shut down production to make China appear a more eco-friendly country during the Olympics.

The Lancet also included a study that found that ARVs can add 13 years to a person's life and if someone starts taking the drugs at age 20, they will live an additional 43 years. In Africa, the average life expectancy is less than 43 years.

Government programs like PEPFAR are a great help in fighting the AIDS pandemic but unless education and prevention methods are included in the fight, condoms and ARVs will simply be a band-aid on a gaping wound.

Mending Wall

I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again,
We keep the wall between us as we go.

He only says, “Good fences make good neighbors.”
-Mending Wall, Robert Frost

Forgive me if this post may seem a bit cynical and harsh but I wanted to share an observation that I have come across and have been puzzled by.

I have been reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography and reading of the accounts of apartheid and white “superiority” and that left me thinking: who are we to judge and compare those we do not know? How can we come to a place and be in it but not of it? We appear as ghosts and not lifelike to the communities we come to inhabit. It fascinates me that one could come to a place like Africa, a new culture but yet be miles away because of the walls built. There is a failure in some instances to connect and integrate with that culture. I do see a more globalized world, but in some cases, I simply see people relocating and brining their walls with them. Why the isolation? I cannot fathom how some can claim to help people that they do not even know, do not even connect with, do not even try to interact with. The many I have met that have established a deep sense of connection to the people of Africa hold the true success, for they have gained a better understanding and world-view because they have decided to remove the walls.

Taking the first step to know one’s neighbors, or my case, the people of Africa, is the first step toward working together to end poverty, fight disease, and develop. To not gain that understanding is to work against these ideals. If I could do it all over again, I would learn the language, as that has become an invisible wall for me. I have written many times about my attempts to speak Chichewa with others but I find that language is not simply a means to relay messages, but it is a connector as well. And my attempts to cook nsima and learn the traditional dances are gestures of removing the bricks from my wall. They may seem tiny gestures, but they go a long way. And I say good fences make no neighbors at all.

Before I built a wall, I’d ask to know,
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.

Some of the walls in the area:

New Weapons of War

Knowledge about diabetes is fairly common in Africa. However, many are less familiar with the insulin pump. When they see my pump, they often ask if it is a phone or player (a radio). The other day I heard a new one. Austin, who works for CHDI asked: "Is that a hand grenade?"

Austin said it with a joking tone and normally this would lead to much laughter. But when he said this (and Austin isn't the quietiest person) Sir Tom Hunter, the Scottish philanthropist who co-founded the Clinton-Hunter Development Initative (CHDI), just happened to be visiting the office that day. I was waiting for the swarm of policmen to coming running at the word "grenade" and wisk me away to a small, dark concrete room where I would be interagated by the Malawian version of Jack Bauer and be forced to surrender my "grenade." Fortunately, none of this happened. (As a side note, Sir Tom has a very interesting story that is worth learning about).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Hunter

But as the "hand grenade" was a different approach to describing my pump, the development approach of CHDI is also unique. Many NGOs establish programs and then try to scale them up nationally. CHDI uses the "drag effect." Think of a fisherman's net: He throws it in the water and as he drags it along, all fish in its path are caught up and carried along with the net. CHDI attempts to use the small projects it works on to drag the entire country toward development. For example, in Neno, CHDI is working with a hundred or so cotton farmers. The price for cotton had been MK 40 (less than 40 cents) per kiliogram. CHDI found a market for these farmers at MK 70. The Malawian government saw this and said if CHDI could guarantee a market at this price, the government could do the same and raised the price of cotton to MK 65.. Shotly after, the national price for cotton rose to MK 70. The cotton harvest is expected to reach 45,000 metric tons this year and with the MK 30 increase in price, an additional $10 million will be injected into the country-all from one small project. A small net with a large catch.

This past week took me to the northern most part of Malawi, Chitipa, and brought with it lots of dust, "African massage" (courtesy of the bumpy roads), and a failed attempt to learn Tikonguru.

As I was conducting interviews and listening to the many cultural beliefs that affect health and hearing about witchdoctors, I began to think that how far can development go if we don't change the mentality. Clearly, malnutrition is not caused by a husband having an affair. A man who has a wealthy business is not successful because he uses witchcraft. Yet, this is what people believe. Malawi is a guinea pig for NGOs, most of them focussing on building facilities, producing a larger harvest, etc. Don't get me wrong, infrastructure and resources are needed. However, how successful can these be if we do not change the mentality of the people using them, and do we have the patience to do so? To change soemthing that has been ingrained in the culture for so long is dificult but I can't see the glass ceiling being broken until this is done.

Meat in Chitipia is scarce, yet there are thousands of heads of cattle. Cattle are seen as a symbol of wealth and status and so they are not eaten. One Malawian remarked, "Most of these people will die without tasting their cows." And where is the line between respecting culture and trying to intervene for the sake of health?

I have mentioned before how frustrating it can be moving from place to place and not being able to establish deep relationships. But while in Chitipia, I felt connected with the Malawians. As we rode to the health centers, the Malawians would talk in a mix of Chichewa, Ticonguru, and English. When they would laugh, I would laugh with them, even though I may not have undestood their sense of humor. However, there were times during this trip when I did understand and when I could share something with them that would make them laugh and we laughed together. Those moments I truly felt connected.

Taking a Picture vs. Painting a Picture

I am back in Neno for the week and it is by far the most beautiful place-beautiful for its scenery and for its people. It clearly is the place "where the streets have no name." I have experienced quite a bit this week but one minor observation, maybe even a frustration, is that I do so much traveling around the country that I don't get to spend much time in one place getting to know the people and environment. In this sense, I'm merely taking a picture and then moving on. If I were painting a picture (please forgive the art metaphor), I would be more invested, creating the painting itself. If I were in the safe place for an extended period of time, I would be able to build the kind of lasting relationships that touch people andmake them but aside all their sceptisim of your presence. The Malawians here in Neno all want me to come back and so do I. It is easier to take the picture, but far greater the reward and more personal the process of painting the picture.


The hospital visits and clinic visits never get easier. Malnutrition is so rampant here that it no longer phases anyone. It has become a fact of life. And the distance to the clinics is too far for many to come. I found one woman who walked 8 hours to come to a clinic. There is 1 ambulance for 4 health sites and as we traveled, we often stopped to escort children to the hosptial. There was one who was badly burned and if we had not arrived, the child would more than likely have not gone to the hospital because of the distance. The work being done by the Clinton Foundation, Partners in Health, and other groups has done so much for Neno but when you are staring at kids whose eyes are suken into their heads and have been reduced to a skeleton because of AIDS, it seems like a drop in the bucket. And if there ever comes the day when it no longer feels uncomfortable for me to see these images, then that is the day where I fear complacency will take hold. But despite all this, there are the people who are always smiling and are always grateful for what they have. For every sick child, there is the little girl I pass everyday on the main road who has the brighest smile sticking out from her large, pink hat. They truly embody the idea of hope. And maybe that is why Neno is so beautiful.

Malawian BBQ consist of mice on a stick. They aren't too bad, except for the part about the fur.

The Midpoint

I have nearly reached the midpoint of my stay here. Before I left, I was convinced that this would be my last trip to Africa and I told several people this. The travel is just so long and I was by myself. After being in Malawi a month, I know this is no longer the case, and I realize that I have been picking up and moving to unfamiliar places all my life. So as Johnny Lang would say, I’m meant to “Wander this world.” I have adapted and though I have often traveled and moved on my own, I have met many great friends in those places and the same is true for Malawi. And if I can do this, then I can certainly withstand the travel and initial loneliness to come back to Africa again.

At the same time, I’m also finding that there is nothing wrong with wanting to stay home and serve there. There is poverty and issues with health care in Africa as well as the states. Many people I have talked to believe there is something glamorous about going to a completely foreign and poverty-ridden area to serve. And I admit, that Africa has a pull on my heart. But I’m not in this public service stuff for the glamour. Serving in Ohio or Arkansas can be just as fulfilling as serving in rural Malawi or Uganda or Rwanda. Mother Teresa said “You do the thing that is in front of you.” And maybe for some it takes more courage to stay at home than to go to the remote places. Clearly we need people who are willing to do both. And for me, it is the work, and not the place that brings the fulfillment. And if I must wander this world, then I will or if must stop my wandering then I will do that is well. And if it is the thing that is in front of me that I must do, then I will.

Off Roading to Neno Part 2

Nearly 50 million Americans without health insurance. Nearly 0 Africans with health insurance. For all its faults and headaches, the American health system functions pretty efficiently when compared to the health system of Africa. While in Neno and later Mwanza, I visited several health centers to observe the malnutrition program run by the government of Malawi that the Clinton Foundation supports. Each village has a health post which is staffed by a Health Surveillance Assistant. He basically provides simple medications. The HSA is not a doctor. Then there is a community health center that can be compared to an urgent care center in the states. Many are staffed by nurses and a clinical officer and conduct testing for HIV. Finally, there is a district hospital. Malawi, like many African countries, is facing a shortage of nurses and doctors as many leave the country for employment. The pay is far too little to make a living here.

While the malnutrition program is locate in the communities, many have to walk very far, some as 6 hours! I also noticed that there were kids as young as 5 or 6 bringing a very young brother or sister to the clinic. Many of the kids are very sick and it was difficult to sit at the clinics all day. Everything is out in the open-there are no private rooms and often times I feel like I’m in a zoo watching people.

The malnutrition program is known as Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) and provides children with a substance known as Chiponde. Chiponde is fortified peanut butter that tastes like sugary sandpaper. However, it has a 90% cure rate for malnutrition and kids like the taste because it is so sweet. Most of the government run health centers provide the Chiponde for free and some private health centers are also providing Chiponde at no cost. Volunteers search for children in the village and because there are no computer records or comprehensive medical files, the volunteers also have to track children. Despite the lack of transport and infrastructure, the CTC program is saving many children’s lives.

Off Roading to Neno, Part 1

“In this undiscovered moment lift your head up above the ground.”

This past week I found myself tucked between the mountains in the districts of Neno and Mwanza. It was an off road paradise-bumpy dirt roads taking us from village to village. I swear the mantra for Neno is eat a light breakfast because you might throw it up from the jostling the body endures as you travel the roads. It was great fun though.

But as I walked along these dirt roads through the villages and pass the orange groves, I found myself staring at the ground instead of taking in the environment around me. I found myself feeling uncomfortable. Normally, that kind of feeling would be natural. As a white person, I don’t exactly fit in. But there was something that caused me to keep looking at the ground at avoiding the stares of the villagers. But Malawi’s hospitality broke my trance. See, even if I wanted to hide, the Malawians wouldn’t let me. As I passed them on the road, they would say hi and practice all the English they knew and give me a chance to practice my limited Chichewa. These people by far are the friendliest I have ever encountered and it is a genuine friendliness. In my experience in Africa, there are some who only want to befriend you because you are a wealthy American. Not so here. The kids would come running after me waving and yelling “Mzungu, how are you?” And I would answer them in English, and then say mazuka bwanji (good morning) and they would just laugh. It is amazing how the Malawians light up when they hear an American speaking in their native tongue. And because the Malawians took this moment to discover more about me, it made me comfortable enough to discover more about them. And in that moment, Neno became more than a village surrounded by mountains, but it came to life. I would have missed this if I kept staring at the ground. And for this I was glad to get out of Lilongwe for a bit and integrate with the culture.

Neno is also home to Partners in Health and the Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative. There are lots of farming plots in Neno, growing everything from citrus fruits to maize and indigenous plants that I can’t even begin to pronounce. We stopped at one of these farms to pick some oranges. Or I should say we didn’t pick them but had to use a big wooden stick to knock them to the ground.

The farming also extends to livestock and there are more animals that use the road than vehicles. At one point, we came around a corner and were greeted by a herd of cattle. It is not uncommon for chickens and goats to be hit by a car. I think I would much rather have to worry about deer than all the animals here.

Along the road are also “mud dancers”. These men wear masks made of mud and straw beards. They cover themselves with ash and carry around large sticks. They primarily dance at funerals but on the day we encountered them, they were jumping out of the weeds at passersby looking for money.

Finally, the road to Neno offers the opportunity to try bush meat. All African countries have their own version of bush meat. In Malawi, it is mice on a stick. A mouse kebab usually comes with 5 mice that have been smoked. Some are fresh and others are a few days old. I did not try one on this journey but I may bring myself to taste this delicatessen later on.

I will post again tomorrow about my visits to the health clinics and district hospitals.

Malawi’s east side is bordered by a large lake and this weekend, myself and a few friends I have met here traveled to Senga Bay. Senga Bay is a small fishing village. Wooden boats and canoes drop fishing nets and these are brought in by hand later in the day. This is tough work. We helped pull a net in. There were about 10 of us pulling the net in and it took a good 20 minutes. All for a few small fish. There is a problem of overfishing. Many people use the green mosquitoes nets that have been passed out by various organizations as fishing nets. The fish are taken into the village and spread out on a large table and a fire is started underneath the table the smoke the fish. The fish are then sold by the boatful to buyers in Lilongwe.

After our fishing experience, we took up a game of Frisbee with some Malawians who absolutely loved this. A beach barbeque followed, which was fish and local dancing and drumming. The kids got a kick out of trying to teach us Chichewa and then watching us attempt to dance with them. White men can’t jump and they sure cant dance! Prior to the BBQ, a local asked us if we would like some “chasing winter” for the BBQ. “Chasing winter” or “Bob Marley cigarettes” are the local terms for weed. Chasing the winter comes from the cool sensation smokers experience. We declined his offer. There is a Jamaican influence in Senga Bay as many of the “tour guides” wore beanies, dreadlocks, listened to Bob Marley and smoked. Little Rastafarian getaway. Perhaps my favorite tour guide was the one by the name of Easy Tiger. We also met Dr. Dre and Public Enemy on the beach.

Lake Malawi is by far the roughest lake I have seen. The boat ride we went on felt like a water roller coaster. Dug out canoes often paddle the 4-5 hours to Mozambique and I cannot understand how they can make the trip without capsizing or having the canoes fill with water. The boats in Malawi are all wooden. Usually, 1 or 2 people in the village own a motor and they allow the boats to borrow it for trips to the neighboring islands. The motor usually does not want to cooperate, but luckily for us, it did on this day.

The best part of the trip included a true African experience. Pickup trucks in Africa are not used to haul stone and wood, etc. like they are in America. Here, they are used to haul people. To get from Senga Bay to the taxi station in Salima, 14 crammed into the back of a pickup truck. In Africa, this is quite common. Drivers will wait by the side of the road and when they get a full load of people, will serve as an ad hoc taxi service. It is usually pretty cheap. We shared our truck bed with 4 Brits, a woman from Venezuela, and a few Malawians. I was hanging on for dear life and the roads in Malawi aren’t great so you learn to balance yourself to keep from falling out. It was great fun (except when we went over the railroad tracks).

I believe every city has it's own little corner that is a bit, well, odd and eclectic. In Lilongwe, which as I have learned is more of an expat town than a real part of Malawi, this little slice of odditiy can be found in the Pacific Shopping Mall. It houses book stores, Indian cafes, Malawian ethnic foods, a small vegtable market, a woman's clothing shop and even a karate studio-all run by people of various nationalities. And the cornerstone of this little electic haven is the Pace Supermarket, run by a group of Indians who could provide meat, Oreos, Coke, and MiracleWhip if you needed it. They also offered the best exchange rate in town. That was all until it burned down this morning as the bakers were preparing to make bread. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Without a store nearby, I went into town and Edison, the driver, took us to the most amazing market I have ever seen. Every type of fruit, including coconut, and vegatable could be found and would have made the food pyramid proud. If we had markets like this back home we wouldn't have to worry about organic labeling and such. Every color of the rainbow was there and then some. Crayola could add a few new colors to that Big Box of 96 or whatever it is now if they stopped by.

I am amazed that this produce coud be grown in such large quantities that I wondered why this couldn't be exported or more crops grown in this way but that is another discussion. It was a good thing that Edison was with us because a group of white females would have been attacked by every shop keeper there and would have charged us double. I would have taken pictures but if they had seen I had a camera, I'm sure the shop hawks would have descended on me and urged me to buy more. They are even courteous enough to offer you a bag. However, accepting it will cost you 20 kwacha, something they will not tell you. But you do what you have to to make money. The women, who mainly run the shops in the middle of the market, must sit back and watch this all in amusement. They are wise becase they catch the customers who are trying to escape the heckling at the front of the market. They are the ones to buy from.
* * * * *
I left work last night early enough to take a walk. Beside the school that is adjacent to where I'm staying, there was a soccer game going on. I stood at a distance and was taking a few pictures and looked down to check my camera settings. When I looked up, there was a group of boys who came spriniting toward me wanting to get their picture taken. In typical American fashion, or pre-pubescent fashion (not sure which, maybe both) they made goofy faces and threw up peace signs and other various hand gestures. Unfortunately, the little photo shoot did not turn out so well. I had to use the flash because it was dark and they didn't understand that they had to stay still untill the camera finished flashing. They kept moving before hand, so the pictures did not turn out. But for them I'm sure they enjoyed having their picture taken anyway, regardless of whether they turned out or not.

The weather has been beautiful here. There is not a cloud in the sky until late afternoon. Reminds me of the summer days when I was little where I would look at the blue sky and slowly by late afternoon, a few clouds would pop up. It’s the same here. So I took advantage of the weather (and the daylight) and went for a walk to become more familiar with the unfamiliar. I think Steinbeck says it best in Travels With Charley when he writes: “For how can one know color in perpetual green and what good is warmth without cold to give it sweetness?” It’s always nice to break free of the familiar, because it does give us a new perspective, and as Steinbeck says, makes it sweeter.

My walk also gave me an excuse to try out my limited Chichewa. I’m trying to build my vocabulary. There’s the usual greeting of “Moni. Muli bwanji?” (Hello. How are you?) The Malawians, a bit surprised and amused to here a white person speaking their language, then rattle off a response which I don’t understand and then I smile and nod and they laugh. I took it a step further today by trying to ask people their name (Dzina lanu ndani?)Again, more laughs but despite the language barrier, there was an understanding that I was trying to learn. Moses, and Benjamin, who I met, corrected me on my pronunciation so next time I can get it right.

This greeting is the usual ritual. However in town, that can change a bit. In my experience in Africa, Africans come to assume 2 things of all mzungus (white people)

1) They are a doctor
2) They are extremely wealthy.

As I walked around the City Center of Lilongwe, a Malawian approached me and I assumed he was under the assumption of number 2 and was going to ask for kwacha. However, Charles handed me a resume and letter of recommendation and asked it I could help him get a job. Apparently, he is a great gardener. I tried to explain that I was a newly arrived student (by the way, trying to explain to Africans that you are a college student with no job and no money is something they cannot comprehend) and couldn’t be of much help. But he persisted and gave me 1 of 2 copies he had of his references. It always fascinates me how the color of my skin can make some feel that I can do anything and maybe because of my background and upbringing that I don’t know any better. But there is a certain level of unease about it. In Zambia there was the same feeling of being “white saviors” when we came to deliver clothing to local villages (never mind that we did not donate the clothing and that fellow Zambians helped sort and distribute it). I know I am more privileged than some but as I walk around Malawi I know that I am no better than anyone else on the face of the earth.

I believe he is taking sugar cane to market. I didn't catch all he said when I asked him about his cargo.

Finally, I have been blessed by the "Dog Choir." Normally the word choir conjures up sounds of beautiul melodies and choruses. However in this context, choir is a misnomer. At around 10pm, every dog in the neighborhood begins to bark and howl, not in unison and not in tune. This countinues for about 2 hours when there is a brief intermission and then solos commence through the rest of the night until 5 am when the roosters take over. I certainly hope they don't think this is a mating call of some sort

It has been a little slow here lately. We've nearly finished our proposal for our project that we will submit to the District Health Officers. They have to be informed of any work that is beng done in their areas. So hopefully next week I can start traveling to clinic sites and break free from the office for a bit. By being in the office, I learn the factors that push and pull against NGOs. The other day there was an issue of paying import taxes on milk powder and vitamins used to make nutritional supplements for kids. Because the foundation has to pay these taxes, about 1000 more children will go hungry. There is a waiver for the taxes but there has been some difficulty in getting that put into place.

I've found that Lilongwe is home to many NGOs and health clinics. In addition to CHAI, the University of Baylor and North Carolina both have clinics here and attract many Malawians in search of a job. Unemployment is 50% and jobs in the Ministry of Health do not pay well but jobs working with NGOs pay better. So there is a twofold benefit for their existence as they employ the people they seek to help. And with the government declaring yesterday that there is a food shortage on the horizon, people are going to need jobs to afford food.

And of course, politics affects everything. However, I'm not taking just local politics, such as the import duties, but international politics as well. News of Obama's nomination has been circulating all over Lilongwe and in terms of the Foundation, I learned it might be in the Foundation's best interest if Hillary is not the president. CHAI receives money for AIDS projects from PEPFAR (The US government's AIDS fund started by Pres. Bush) and it would raise eyebrows if Clinton were directing PEPFAR funds into her husband's foundation. Things like this would be problematic in so many ways and question the bi-partisan nature of the Foundation.

I've been able to venture out a bit and do some exploring, though because it gets dark at 5:30 when I get off work, I have to save my exploring for the weekends. Here are a few pics of the neighborhood.


The flowers here are gorgeous and are everywhere. There are flowers of every color growing in the areas.

A vegtable stand by the entrance to the school. One of these days I will check it out.

For now, it has been mainly my ears exploring Malawi as there is always something to hear. Instead of the cacophony of cars, buses, planes, phones, TVs, etc. that I have been accustomed to in the states, there is the constant sound of birds chirping, kids laughing on their way to school, and Mabel, the assistant here at the Foundation, singing in Chichewa.

If only I had flown in two days later, I could have witnessed Malawi's ex-president being arrested as he returned from the UK. He was placed under house arrest amid coup suspicions while Malawi's current president is in Japan. (There is nothing to worry about). Former President Muluzi was the leader of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and apparently when his supporters, who had gathered at the airport to greet him, heard he was arrest, choas erruped, leading to 3 people being shot. The constitution of Malawi allows a person to serve 2 consecutive terms as president. They can then run for election again following a new President. Muluzi plans to run against current president Mutharika in next May's election. Mutharika had been a member or the UDF party but went on to found his own party, leaving a bit of bad blood between the two. No one wants to let go of power but is interesting how poitical leaders in Africa hold on to power until their knuckles are white. There have been no formal charges filed against Muluzi so it will be interesting to see what happens.

I'll provide an update on my project as it has changed a bit. I will be working with the Clinton Foundation's HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) for the next 2 months. Originally, I was to work on a loss to follow up program for pediatric AIDS patients. However, because AIDS is such a sensitive issue in Africa, the project needed to be approved by an ethics committee which would take 2 months. So instead, I will be working on a loss to follow up with children and malnutrition. Basically, I will be determining why children deafult from the national nutrition programs. Nearly 50% of children in Malawi are malnurished, many of them suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and some suffering from AIDS, TB, or malaria. Like many African countries, health workers are few. There is only 1 doctor for every 60,000 people and 1 nurse for every 100,000 people so accessing care is problematic and even though care for children under 5 is supposed to be free, this is often not reality.

I'm a little isolated, as the foundation is located in a residential area and gated, so theorectically I could do little venturing outside and become an insulated ex-pat, but that is no fun. I would think that I would be used to several things having been to Africa twice before but that is not the case. Kids standing outside "shopping centers" begging for money, saying "madame, can't you see how hungry I am?" When you don't encounter that in the states, you are ill prepared for it, regardless of whether you have experienced it before in Africa or not. Maybe that can be a good thing in some instances as we do not become immune to poverty but at the same time, we must build up some callousness in order to survive. I don't for that to sound harsh, but it is true.

The people that I will be working with are great. There are Malawians, Americans, Brits, and even a Scot all here and all are friendly and passionate about their work. They are so enthuisastice that work starts at 7:30am. Good thing I tend to be more of a morning person. I am eager to get started on this project and meeting those in the community.

Muli bwanji!

After 3 days of travel and more time in a plane than I care for, I made it to Malawi. The Clinton Foundation is located in a beautiful setting and the weather is amazing! (Sure beats the 50 degree weather in Ohio.

I'm keeping this short but just wanted to let everyone know that I got here safely.