Blog

Hello lovely people. Its been a long time since I have written a blog! So here I am about to break habit and begin writing about my trip to Malawi. This post comes to you from Kenya, where I am waiting for my connecting flight to Lilongwe, Malawi! This time round, I will be working as an ICS Team Leader for Lattitude Global Volunteering. My journey began a few months ago when I applied online for the position. After being accepted for an assessment day, I made my way to reading for a full day of just that… Assessment!
I was assessed among other volunteers, which included an hour long 1-2-1 interview, team building exercises, a presentation to the rest of the group and some information sessions about ICS and Latitude. After the assessment day I was told I would be able to book a phone session with a volunteer co-ordinator who would tell me the outcome of my assessment. Volutneers (team members and team leaders) are all assessed on 7 dimensions. I had some days to wait until my scheduled phonecall. I must admit it was nerve wracking, waiting to find out if I had got the position! However, after some feedback about my performance, and as you might have already guesses, I was offered a 3 month placement as a team leader in Malawi!
Excited as ever, I began to fundraise my given target of £800.00. I started by comitting myself to doing a ‘Live Below the Line Challege’ where I would live on £1 per day for 5 days, to highlight the issues around poverty and hunger. Approximately 1.2 billion people in the world live below the poverty line, which is estimated at $1.25 per day. Although it was quite hard, I managed to eat considerably well although It was difficult not to pop to the fridge and grab something tasty when I felt like it. I also did a quiz and a raffle in the pub I work at which was sucessful, as well doing hair wraps on the beach during the summer weeks in Cornwall.
I attended a team leader training weekend with 5 other Latitude Team Leaders. We had sessions about team dynamics, cultural awareness, health and safety and other important issues. After 2 days packed full with infomation, I went home for the week to process everything and to prepare for meeting my team at the next training a week later. On arrival I met lots of friendly faces who were excited as well as slightly nervous to meet new people and get to know the other volunteers who they would be spending alot of time with in close proximity. After getting to know all of the team members over the three days training, it all started to feel very real!
ICS projects work pretty much just like this: A team of volunteers from the UK and In-Country work together on a development project for 3 months, in host communities. Each UK volunteer will have a Malawian counterpart which they will live in a host home with and work closely with on the project. I also have a counterpart; the Malawian team leader: Cindy! We arrive in Malawi, will do some In-Country Orientation training, get to know the rest of our team and then make our way to the community we will live and work in for the next 3 months. There are a few days to meet our Malawian Team Leader, do some training before our UK team arrive and get to meet the Malawian counterparts. This part is very exciting and we will have a celebration and get to know one another whilst we train and get used to life in Malawi. Once we have completed the initial training, my team and I will head upto the northern Chilumba region, set on the idyllic Lake Malawi, Africas 3rd largest lake.
‘So why Malawi?’ I hear you ask…!
Malawi is ranked as the poorest country in the world based on GDP per capita, leading to many concerns for the welfare of Malawian people. As a result of this, a more tanigable and sustainable way to develop is needed, opposed to government or NGO aid. A great way to create empowerment and income is through IGAs, which are small scale businesses that can be initated and maintained at a small group level. The main souce of income for Malawians is reliant on agriculture (90% of the labor force are employed in agriculture), therefore it makes sense to diversify and seek other ways of generating income. IGAs provide that diversitication and can be very effective in building up small scale businesses into sustainable income. Not only does this increase wealth, IGAs can essentially provide a new set of skills, enabling women (in this case) to take ownership of thier own personal development in a sustainable way!
About the Project!
Our ICS project has a partner organisation, Determined 2 Develop (D2D). One area that they work in is Womens Livelihoods. We will be working together with this organisation to initiate 4 different IGA’s in the local community. Our cycle of volunteers is the first of 4 to come to this region and be involved in an ICS project. Although this might mean we experience some teething problems, its also exciting as we can make our mark and leave a good legacy for future ICS cycles! One of the programme aims is that by cycle 3 (in around 9 months time) the women have a working shop floor to market thier goods which they have manufactured (keep reading and al will become clear!).
Overall, the aim is for the volunteers to work alongside D2D to improve women’s financial security, and empower them through having agency over thier livelihoods. Each of the 4 teams will establish an IGA and lead community development initiatives. Its the beginning of Week 3 here, and each of the teams have begun meeting with the already formed womens groups to build a rapport between the volunteers and the women and form a strong idea of the project and its needs. The four womens groups are as follows:
Hangalawe Mothers Group - This group supports community development initiatives related to girls sanitation by running reusable sanitary towel making projects and supporting primary school children by checking on school dropouts and establishing a feeding programme. The IGA for this group is based around a sewing business whereby the women produce bags, trousers and headbands etc to market to tourists visiting the area.
Tovwilane Group- 10 women are part of this group, and aim to set up a business whereby they can sell vegetables grown in thier own communal garden. In the catchment area we are working in (Uliwa), there are very few vegetables on offer for purchase, therefore this is a great project to boost the income of the women as well as their skillset. Additionally, the group aim to contribute to community development by doing awareness raising activities on nutrition.
Mponela Widows Group- This group was formed in 2013 by the widows themselves in an effort to improve thier welfare by providing support for one another. The IGA for this group is poultry farming. In the past, the group have attempted this, however it was unsucessful due to insufficient training in poultry farming and chicken rearing. With the help of D2D and ICS, it is hoped that thier knowledge can be built on to make this a viable business. There is currently no community development iniative behind this project, although the volunteers are in the process of creating one along with the women.
Phulano Womens Group- Who doesn’t love a good cake?! This group aim to develop a tasty business by setting up a local, traditional bakery style project. This initiative was already set up prior to our arrival, however needs alot of work to expand on the products, equipment and skills of the women in order to take off and be sucessful. The women in this group set up a nursery in Phulano many years ago and have the vision of being able to support it once their IGA becomes productive. They aim to provide the nursery with a feeding programme and resources, which encourages attendance.
So where does my role as a Team Leader fit in?!
A team leader has 5 main roles in this setting. Firstly, I should maintain good team dynamics. It is my job to oversee any issues within the overall team, which contains 20 people, as well as in the smaller project groups (5 people per group). Each friday we have a learning day which also includes a team dynamics/ bonding activity and ‘health check up’, in order to establish any difficulties the team have, and to overcome them so that the future work of the team is not hindered by any disputes or imbalances. Secondly, I am here to deliver pastoral support to the volunteers. This happens almost everyday, from comforting a homesick volunteer, to encouraging someone to embrace the culture shock perhaps. As well as this, I conduct volunteer 1-2-1′s 3 times during the project, which consists of an interview style private meeting where check ups in emotional wellbeing, placement issues, host family issues, team roles and relationships and personal development. Overall, these sessions should help contribute to the volunteer having a fruitful experience here on the programme by helping them to reach the personal development goals they have set from the beginning. Thirdly, I must simply facilitate volunteering and development (easier said than done!). Fourthly, the overall monitoring and evaluation of the project is one of the roles of a team leader, and an important part of any project in order to evaluate progress, sucesses and achievements. And finally…. lead the project (in this case…. all 4 of them!).
All of this might sound a little daunting if you are thinking about applying for a team leader position, but its also very rewarding! And dont forget… each project has TWO team leaders. I wouldnt survive the day without my counterpart, room mate and hairdreser all mixed into one, Cindy!
It has been a very busy 2 weeks since I arrived, and there is much more that I want to write about regarding day to day life whilst living in Malawi. There are lots of obstacles in each day but there are also the small victories which make it all worth it. Before I go I have to mention the unfaltering kindness and warm heartedness of Malawians. It is not uncommon to greet 15 people on your short walk to work, asking how each one is, waiting for a response, and telling them how you are in turn. This is common culture and not greeting a neighbour, friend or relative is seen as rude or unfriendly. No matter how busy or rushed a Malawian is, they will always have time to greet you and hold your hand for a few moments while you have the conversation (I also challenge you to find a rushing Malawian…. Africa time is real people… And Malawians are about as laid back as it gets!).
Hope to get back to you all soon with some exciting anecdotes, progress on the projects, an intro to life here and other lovely things. If you read all the way down… Thanks! It took me ages to write this. As you can see I am passionate about these projects and although it is taking off slowly as we are the first cycle, I feel incredibly blessed to be part of the start of something very benefical and important.