Written by CorpsAfrica/Rwanda Volunteer Ms. Cecile Niyimenya
Western Province, Ngororero District

At the beginning of coronavirus, the community was not ready to follow the government instructions generally due to the lack of information about the pandemic magnitude, but from the time CorpsAfrica Volunteers started working hand-in-hand with the local leaders, things changed for the good. We mobilized all the community members and shared government guidelines that should be followed in order to protect themselves about the virus. They started to follow some of the guidelines little by little, and kept their ears next to radios for announcements and news about corona. The community now knows and understands that things are serious. I feel proud to have been part of this.

Seeing community members mobilized and abiding by the guidelines brings so much satisfaction that money cannot bring. Very grateful to CorpsAfrica for providing us with washing tools that are now being used by our communities. They wash their hands frequently with soap, they are now doing social distancing and avoid handshakes, just to name a few. I and my colleagues have positively impacted the community members by calling and reminding them to follow the guidelines if they want to see this pandemic end in our country. I feel proud and useful. Thank you OCP. Thank you CorpsAfrica. We are on the road to beating this up and together, we shall.

The "Tippy-tap" washing tools being used to wash hands without touching the water tap were placed at the entrance of the market where a lot of people pass. There is an official near the entrance reminding people to first clean their hands before entering the market. The population where I serve is so happy to see that CorpsAfrica didn’t leave the sites during the trying times. Being young, they thought we would run away to be with our families. We told them, that they are our family for this year of service and that nothing will take us away from them. Us staying with them made them love and trust us even more. It has also nurtured a good collaboration with local leaders as they very much appreciated our helping hands.

There is no doubt our vision and mission is a noble cause. Our little acts of selflessness play a major role in saving thousands of people. This is something I will definitely continue to do my entire life. The respect and love we receive in return is unmeasurable. The recognition we get from the local is also another big motivation. It drives me and my colleagues to do even more actions of kindness.  Because the impact is great. We see it. Our people see it.  I am always ready to give my all so that my community stay safe and healthy. That a picture of us at the entrance of the Birembo market, close to the washing tool donated by CorpsAfrica.

Written by CorpsAfrica/Rwanda Volunteer Mr. ISAAC NDENGEJEHO
in Eastern-Kayonza District

Martin Luther King Junior once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” This famous quote has been occupying my thoughts during this period in which a declared pandemic of COVID19 is strongly hitting the whole world, including Rwanda.

Looking back to the situation before the outbreak of COVID19, as volunteers across the country, we used to plan for and carry out different activities on a weekly basis. Among others especially in my community, we used to build kitchen gardens. Calling them kitchen gardens in Rwandan context, it is not because they are gardens into which we grow different flowers as other common gardens we see everywhere, but small garden designed to produce vegetables for families. We have been also building latrines for some families that did not have proper ones or none at all.

Even though we are not currently working together as community organization on weekly activities due to COVID19, there is still hope that the situation will be better and we will keep answering life’s  most persistent and urgent question. 

However being most persistent and urgent question, even in times of troubles like this of COVID19, the question is still there and will always be here and everywhere in the world. 

Serving, as a volunteer has been my best way of answering part of this question. No matter how far I still have to go; during this period of COVID19 I managed to inform people in my community about the coronavirus, how it spreads, and all possible measures that should be taken to prevent its spread. This has been discussed about just few days if not hours before our country confirms the first case of COVID19 on its territory. 

I have realized that, whenever the country has not yet confirmed first case(s) of a declared to be pandemic disease, people still cannot believe what is happening in other countries. For example in my rural community, two days before the confirmation of first case on Rwandan territory, people in this remote area thought that the disease has specific countries it goes to. Their minds started to change after fruitful discussions I had with them about the disease and by then they are aware of what is happening and they are following instructions given by Rwandan healthy officials including washing hands frequently, despite difficulties they are facing in finding necessary facilities like enough clean water, soaps and other materials like clean buckets. 

At this point after identifying difficulties in washing hands frequently, CorpsAfrica donated a hand washing material for each site to help community members adhere to the prevention mechanisms advised by the government. But the few washing stations provided are still too few. However, this is not still the main challenge in my community; the country is now locked down i.e. people are asked to stay in house except they go to buy food stuff or emergency reason.  

As the DALAI LAMA said, “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humans cannot survive.” This is the time to show love to people who are mostly affected, I am not ignoring the fact that COVID19 is a very world pandemic disease and everybody around the globe is in dilemma. However, let us think about what we can do for others, no matter how small, cheap or expensive, local or international, wherever everybody is and whatever he is able to do for others; this is the right time for him to reach out to these people around the world with empty hands and do something for their survival. I am happy to live in a country that has the people's lives at heart. From yesterday, the government started giving out food to the most vulnerable people in the country who otherwise get food from their daily work. I am happy many Rwandans are organizing in communities a food bank to support the government initiative. 

Due to COVID19 hope is almost gone. Fear is entering every heart. Moreover, it is becoming a big issue for activists and all of us humanitarians to restore hope in this time. We are doing all we can, despite our own fears, to create a climate of hope within our communities. 

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Ms. Mieke MMeya
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"We are our brother's keeper. It's going to be up to all of us." -- Paula Deen

Dear Reader,

A lot has happened since my last blog but one thing that has eclipsed all the other is the outbreak of the coronavirus. Although there have been no confirmed cases in Malawi, the government has put in place measures to control an outbreak in the country, including closing of all schools and banning public gatherings of more than 100 people. All over the world people are being encouraged to practice social distancing, self-isolation and to quarantine themselves in order to avoid catching or spreading the virus.

In the weeks before the President of Malawi declared that the country was in a state of national disaster, people in my community talked about the disease and joked about how the restrictions on human contact were going to be difficult because, for them, handshakes are the best way to greet and show love to others. The idea of isolating yourself when you or someone close to you is infected sounded strange because one unwritten rule of being in a community demands that we should be there for someone especially when they are sick, to nurture them back to health. 

Through the joint effort of government, media houses, health personnel and myself, people in my community are being sensitized every day of the threat of the virus and on ways they can follow to protect themselves. Everyone who receives this message is charged with the responsibility to take the message to others who have not yet received or understood the importance of the message.

People are slowly adapting to the new habits of hygiene and interaction. Every day I meet people who start to greet me with a handshake but they stop their hands in mid-air, then apologize, and remind me that they cannot shake my hand due to the threat of coronavirus. They do not only do this with me but also with others and we laugh about it. We laugh not because we are not taking the issue seriously but because laughter is making adjusting easier. In the face of such a great threat, we use laughter to communicate our fears and express our hopes. We laugh to remind each other that we are in this together. 

Before I close, my beloved reader, I would like to remind you to wash your hands with soap frequently, to practice good hygiene, to cook your meat thoroughly, to avoid unnecessary human contact, and to make sure you get information about the virus from reliable sources. Above all, rush to the hospital when you start experiencing cold and flu like symptoms. Remember that It is not coronavirus unless diagnosed by qualified medical personnel. 

Until next time.

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Ms. Dorothy Mapira

Just like any other person who is commissioned to do some work, "So help me God," becomes their most favourable phrase. Thinking of the work ahead, one would really say these words as we did on that beautiful night when we took the oath to serve the people in rural communities. The training and all the lessons we learnt will now yield into something tangible and productive. I embarked on an individual journey to my site. Early on 8 February 2020, I left home to a journey of change, learning and of a new experience in life. It was a journey of leaving my comfort zone to something new that I believe would give me a sense of accomplishment in life. Having travelled for almost five hours from Lilongwe, I arrived at my site.

Mzimba South, down in the north region is where I am based. An area surrounded by rivers at both ends, they popularly call it an island. You can hardly see vehicles and if you are lucky, you can see one once in a month when there is an under five clinic. Darkness at night is undeniable as there is no electricity, and for those who can afford, solar power is an alternative. There is no running water; boreholes are the source of clean water. Having grown up in town where I am not used to carry water on my head, people laugh at how I carry a bucket of water, probably they know the reason why, but I find pleasure in doing so. Since they are of Ngoni culture, rearing animals such as cattle, goats, pigs and chicken is their identity. 
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I love my community, the people are friendly, and there is a lot to be desired and a lot to work on. One cannot certainly work in all the villages at once, but one village at a time. I believe everyone has a responsibility to change something, and so do I. The change you can bring in the rural desolate area cannot be underrated. I believe that my stay here will serve the intended purpose and bring about the change that is required. My first month in the community was meant for my integration, and learning more from and about the community. I have made friends, both young and old. Looking forward to sharing more experiences as I continue with this journey to influence change in my community.

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Mr. Chifundo Chibaka

A week after arriving at my site I started preparing my own meals. The most prominent economic activity here is agriculture and almost all the community members are involved in both crop production and rearing livestock. This makes it easy for people to have access to cheap foodstuffs.
Days after I started cooking, I began noticing something unusual in my house. After cooking, food and leftovers would disappear without a trace. This happened three nights in a row and I was getting very concerned. I could not find an explanation to it. I tried not to think about it and a couple of times I tried to convince myself that I had eaten all of the food even though deep down I knew this was not so.

I remember one particular night when leftover pieces of meat disappeared from a plate right next to my bed. I woke up the morning of the next day just to realize that the meat was gone. I tried not to pay attention to it and I kept off any thoughts of the possibility of a ghost. I do not believe in ghosts and ghosts do not eat, do they? I went about my day, made tremendous strides in making new friends and connections within my site. 

After the day’s work, I returned home and as usual, I proceeded to make my dinner. After visiting some reliable online news sources for the latest political and social headlines, I retired to bed. About midnight I heard a loud bang coming from the kitchen. I rushed to the scene only to find a pot lid lying on the floor with nothing else in site. I was puzzled. I did not know what to make of this and I started getting really scared. I was convinced something sinister was happening and I was ready to report this to my host father and to my supervisor first thing in the morning. I decided to go back to sleep and I placed a heavy pot on top of the metal lid covering the pot containing the food. Sleep eluded me that night. My mind was racing, trying to comprehend the unexplainable things I was experiencing.

Few hours after the first bang, another banging sound came from the kitchen again. This time it was louder than the first. I dashed towards the kitchen but before I got there, I saw my host father’s black cat sneaking out of my house through the window.
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Low and behold the mystery was solved and I peacefully went back to sleep.

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Mr. Chiukepo Mwenechanya

For a start, I should admit I had a lot on my mind to share, but I could not miss the story of my first days of service with CorpsAfrica. After an intensive one month training, I started my service as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer in Mzimba, Malawi on the 8th of February 2020. I am not even a month old here but I have already fallen in love with this place. I cannot deny it, before I came to my site, I was filled with fears and worries on what to expect. New place, new people, what if they will be mean to me or what if they won’t accept me? These were some of the many questions which almost stopped my heartbeat before I came to my site. Only if I knew how humble and warm hearted my community is, I would not have troubled myself with such worries.

As strange as I looked in my first days, it felt like home.  My community’s native language is Tumbuka, my birth language and the culture is a bit similar to that of my home village. My community follows patrilineal system of marriage where men are considered superiors and heads of households. The people are predominately farmers with maize as their main food crop witnessed by the presence of vast fields of maize, which seems to stretch like forever. They also grow cassava, beans, groundnuts, Irish potato, onions and currently the community is investing a lot of time and resources in pine and cassia production for business. Most economic activities take place at the nearest trading centre where you can find almost all grocery items and foodstuffs. This similarity to my culture has made my integration so easy and smooth to the point  where community members even try to relate me to some of the Mwenechanya’s who lived in the community in the past.

My site has also a landscape of spectacular beauty that always makes me feel like I am in an evergreen natural park, offering me a natural relaxation spot with a calm and comfortable atmosphere. On its northside, the area is surrounded by a range of evergreen mountains and one of the largest forest reserves in Malawi called Perekezi, which also extends to the east side. I love every minute I spend in the forest as it always gives me space to think and plan for my activities. While in the forest, you can smell the wonderful aroma of flowers, and hear the bird’s beautiful songs that can relax you and almost put you to sleep.

The area also gives me a touch of community feel. I have spent almost all my youthful time in Malawi’s commercial city of Blantyre and I don’t even know all my neighbours but with the little time I have spent in here, I feel like I know everyone. Community members are always warm and welcoming; opening their homes to me. I should also admit that I have never been a fan of having food at peoples' or strangers’ houses but according to the culture and norm here, a visitor is never allowed to leave on an empty stomach, which I think is great and I love every moment of it. 

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Ms. Margret Balekire Chavula

"Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person's life." -- Jackie Chan.
 
The idea of leaving my parents' house and getting settled in a new community as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer seemed exciting from afar. Finally! I will be setting up my own home away from home, I would often say. After months of anxiously waiting, I got the email saying I had been given the opportunity to be part of the long awaited adventure. I had been located to Balaka.

I was filled with excitement the very first days, as the idea of moving out and living on my own away from family seemed quite exciting (adulthood at last, I would say). However, as the days drew nearer, I realized that I was becoming more scared, since it was now beginning to sink in that I will actually be moving out in a few days time to a new community I have absolutely no idea of. I started asking myself many questions that had no answers. How will I survive in a community with people I barely know? How will I even get to the community I have never been to? Where do I start from as the only stranger in a community where everyone already knows each other? How will I blend in? Will I be accepted? 

One would expect that someone planning and anticipating a long journey should prepare well in advance. This was not the case with me, I dreaded each day that got closer. Nothing was packed yet and nothing was bought in readiness for my transfer to this new community. Then I remembered during pre-service training we were taught to "embrace uncertainty" and learn from experiences. That on its own gave me so much courage and motivation to go and face the new environment and community as it comes, and learn from whatever experiences I was going to find and create.

When I got to my site, however, I was surprised at how warm and welcoming my host family was. They have welcomed me warm-heartedly and have been treating me as their own. They have made sure I am comfortable and that I settle well in my new family, home and community. This is going to be my home away from home. I keep telling myself my fears and anxiety were for nothing because some people are naturally just kind. This has taught me to always be kind to people trying to settle in an environment I am already familiar with, one can never know the battles of fear and anxiety the new individual is dealing with. There is a popular saying that I like that says, "Kindness is free, sprinkle that stuff everywhere." An act of kindness can surely simplify someone’s life. I am confident that my stay and service as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer here in Balaka will be exciting, a great learning process and a journey to cherish because I have been surrounded by people that are loving and supportive. I am now very eager and excited to see how the rest of the journey unfolds.

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Ms. Angella Chizimba

Malawi is well known as the "Warm Heart of Africa" because of its inclusive and welcoming culture. Thanks to my host Mother, I learnt this Malawian spirit through greetings in Chitonga (a native language spoken in NkhataBay) the moment I arrived at my site. Greetings are an expression of people's kindness and every encounter here involves a warm welcome and an inquiry of one's wellbeing. Although I thought that I understood this concept before coming here, I was most definitely wrong. Nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming warmth I have experienced here.

After arriving at my site, I was excited and terrified at the same time. For the first time I was going to be on my own at a new place. However, this move marked the first real time that I was going to live independently. In the Midst of my anxiety, I was lucky to meet my host mother, who made me feel at home. From the day I got to my site, she told me, "Don't worry about language, you will learn." I was not too sure then because I had no idea of how I would learn a new language and ease my communication with people, but hearing her say those words encouraged me to try my best.

My first day in the community, I took a walk in the beautiful streets of the community with my host mother. The people we met greeted us with "Mweuli Ama" or "Timuoneni Ama" (meaning ‘how are you?’ in chitonga). Since my host mother had already introduced me to the greeting etiquette, I was able to scramble myself into the beautiful "Yeo Mweuli" / or "teumampha Kwali imwe".... (meaning "I am good and how are you?") almost everyone I met screamed oh! niwachewa kodi?(meaning "Is she a Chewa?") We laughed it out. My accent said it all; I was not of their tribe. 

It is very rare to walk 10 feet without being greeted by someone here. Greetings are a representation of respect and recognition. After a week in the community, people were eager to know if I have mastered the greeting and they listened with keen interest. The smiles on people's faces as I respond to their greetings are priceless. It tells me a lot of what it means to learn someone’s language or at least just a greeting. 

I have learnt that the most important part about greetings is to do them anyway, errors can be forgiven, but it is always discourteous not to recognise the people you meet. It is an act of rudeness. Greetings set a positive tone, create a good first impression and build a good relationship with people. Language should not be a barrier, try whatever possible to learn a new language.

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Mr. Chifundo Chibaka

After a long wait, the interview results were finally out. I had made it into the 4th cohort of CorpsAfrica/Malawi trainees. This was my second attempt to join CorpsAfrica and I was overjoyed to join CorpsAfrica in this cohort.

I remember for the first time meeting my fellow trainees and discussing at length our expectations, fears and past experiences of former volunteers. These discussions helped me realize the great courage we were undertaking by leaving the comfort and the luxuries of city life and settling in high poverty communities. I was also excited by the new arrangement of us being hosted by the community instead of being within the training premises.

Later I was deployed to my host families together with two other trainees. The monthlong stay in the community helped me further lower my expectations of what I will face in my community. I was taken on a learning journey of how life in rural areas is and how the people have grown to adapt and live.

During the stay most of my time was spent in training sessions and I retired back to my new home in the evening. The sessions were designed to equip trainees with skills and knowledge on how we can effectively integrate into the community and work together with the local people. The sessions were also designed to reflect and share expectations, experiences and realities of life as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer. We also had a panel of former CorpsAfrica Volunteers who shared their experiences. They helped paint a clear picture of what I should expect and the nature of work I am venturing into. They also shared tips on how to make a transition from a city life to a village life and how best we can deal with the challenges we were likely to face during our service.

The Development Partners also came and made their presentations on the nature of the work they are doing in various districts. We had representatives from  Save the Children, Zathu, The Hunger Projects, Advancing Girls Education (AGEAfrica), Opportunity International and many others. They took time and explained their projects and how CorpsAfrica Volunteers can collaborate with them.

The Malawi Red Cross Society and Never Ending Food also trained us in First Aid administration and Permaculture respectively. I really loved the skill sets I acquired because they will be very useful even when I have completed my service.

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Ms. Mieke Mmeye
 
Dear Reader, 

Have you ever heard people say that life in rural communities is easy? Or that people in rural communities are lazy? I have heard this countless times. 

I am doing my volunteer service in a community in Dedza district (Malawi). Here you really get to witness how agriculture is the driving force of the economy as people sustain their livelihoods through it. I came into my community at a time when the country was experiencing serious food shortage and honestly, I was worried about my host family being able to feed an extra mouth, and if I could be able to afford food once I become independent. To the contrary, the situation I met here was however different. A majority of the households I have visited are not on the verge of starvation. Here is why. Aside from rain-fed farming, many people practice irrigation farming. During the dry season, people cultivate a range of crops including Irish potatoes, maize, soya bean, tomatoes and beans in their gardens under irrigation. Produce from the irrigation farming sustains them during the period of food shortage and as they wait to harvest their rain-fed crops. They also sell part of the produce in order to improve their livelihoods. The beautiful thing about all of this is that those who do not have irrigation land are not at as big a disadvantage because they are also able to sustain themselves from other people's produce through piecework. It is however, not as easy as it sounds. Every year there are things that threaten their crop production, including crop diseases, pests and unpredictable weather conditions. Last year, for example, uneven rainfall ruined the field crops. However, despite the challenges they persist and labour to be food secure and to improve their livelihoods.  
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So, dear reader, next time someone tells you that life in the rural community is easy and that people in rural communities are lazy,  tell him or her that you have heard that people in rural communities work hard and tirelessly throughout the year to put food on their tables. Tell him or her that you have heard that people in rural communities are big time entrepreneurs, employers and risk takers.