Hello all….sorry it’s been along time since I’ve had a chance to update this blog business but bloging from Malawi is proving to be more of a hassle then anything. Things couldn’t be better! Malawian culture is so welcoming; it’s hard not to have a 2 hour conversation with someone off the street about the house and the family. Chichewa is proving a little difficult but I am able to communicate either enough to help or just enough to get me in trouble. All and all Malawi has a number of surprising conveniences that is making life easy. The two things that I am lacking that would be nice to have and make work easier would be a car and a computer. I’ve adjusted nicely to “Malawian Time,” which is a complex formula of adding 1-2 hours onto whatever time someone tell you to meet and then adding about another 1-2 hours once you’ve arrived at the meeting location. A one hour meeting takes up the entire day. “Malawian Time” nice and slow, it’s a nice change from “The City,” but is proving frustrating with getting things done.

The Village

My village could not be more excited to have me living with them. I’m living next to the chief (Group Village Headman) and in the middle of my village. I am constantly having community members visit me, which at first was frustrating due to the constant inundation of individuals who not only speak fast in Chichewa, let alone ChiYaio. At the present it has proved to be an asset living in the middle of the village because everyone is so excited and motivated to work with me. Some projects that I am working on at the present are teaching income generating activities with groups of women. Some of the project groups that I have organized at the present are; beekeepers, selling honey, Soap makers, and women selling different vegetables that I’m trying to introduce. I also have dug a community garden at the school with vegetables for the children who attend school.
Crop diversification & Food security are the problems that people have identified in their village at the present, so I hope to encourage more vegetable farming. Also food preservation through solar drying and selling added value products from the crops that are already present.

The possibilities are endless in my village because all the needs that the community is expressing. Im staying busy and time is flying by hopefully that keeps up! Love you all
Give me a call or drop me an email…I should be here about once a month. Keeps the packages coming…I just opened a package with all products from WholeFoods…a great surprise!! Hint Hint

Love you folks
Kirk