A Day in the Life of a Child in Malawi

I have been thinking about ways in which life for the kids in Malawi differs from that of the children I work with here in Toronto. A typical day in a Malawian child’s life is not an easy one.

Children who attend school generally wake up at about 6 am. Those living in a village, like the orphans, must go and fetch water for bathing. For some children the walk to the community tap is about 1 km. Each child generally uses one bucket of water for bathing. One bucket is about 10 litres. The water is not heated because to heat it means using charcoal or firewood. The cost of these items is too dear. After bathing children will often fetch water for use by the adults in the house.

Children begin their school day at 7:30 am. They arrive at school and are made to sweep the inside of classrooms as well as the ground surrounding the buildings. If there are desks in the classroom children wash them. Blackboards that are in the classrooms are also washed by the children.

The orphans attend a “good” school. The windows have glass, the roof is made of tin instead of grass and the floors are made of cement. The grade 8 students are provided with desks. I’ve been told that unlike Ontario’s primary class cap of 20 students, Malawi has no cap. The classes at the Chitungu school contain an average of 80 students each.

Students have a 30 minute recess at 9:30. They play soccer on the field near the school. They may play some singing games. There are no cheese strings or Bear Paws to be had. They may get water. After recess the primary students attend school for 90 more minutes. They are then dismissed for the day. The junior students go home for a lunch break and return to school for another 90 minutes of instruction. During the harvest months of April and May students might actually eat lunch. During the months when food is less plentiful they will not eat until dinner.

The primary students whose school day ends at 11:30 are sent home where they often spend their afternoons playing unsupervised with other children. Their caregivers are often busy doing piecework or cultivating crops. When the caregiver arrives home the children will collect water for the evening meal. The evening meal is often the only meal taken each day. This meal consists of nsima (ground maize porridge) and green vegetables. Protein and vitamins are not a concern. The purpose of eating is to fill the belly.

Children will go to sleep on grass mats laid on the floor. There is not sheet or blanket between them and the mat. They will cover themselves with a piece of fabric called a chitengi (a wrap) or a blanket if they are well-off. During the cold months of June and July children often sleep in their clothing. Pyjamas are not common. Pillows are a luxury.

Upon my arrival back in Toronto I was thrilled to sleep in my own bed. I had a real bed in Malawi but the mattress was just an 8” piece of foam. I felt most grateful that first night when I awoke in the middle of the night and only had to walk a few feet to the washroom. I didn’t have to wrap myself in my chitengi and go out into the cold, dark night. I realized at that moment just how easy life is here in my comfortable apartment!

Tags: africa, itatu, itatu orphan care, jennifer douma, malawi, orphan care

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Butterflies in My Tummy

I spoke to Mabvuto this morning. He told me that the rains have begun in Malawi which means he and two ladies have begun to plant the maize. Once the seeds start to germinate fertilizer will need to be applied to the field. He estimates that we will need 8 bags of fertilizer which cost about K10 500 ($90) each. I’m getting nervous about these costs.

I budgeted $200 a month for operating costs. I knew the annual cost of beans and maize would exceed this budget. We estimated this cost to be about $42 a month and we bought a year’s supply when the cost was lowest. The beans and maize we have now will last until the spring and it is our hope that the harvest will yield enough maize for two years. We are unsure of the quantity of beans that will be harvested in the spring.

The purchase of land cost me $1400. The fertilizer will cost $720 and there will be the cost of paying people to weed and harvest. I suspect the labour costs will not be too high. Hoes were purchased for $16. Tilling cost $75 and seeds cost $150. Mabvuto has decided to pay the ladies $1.70 a day to help him. I’ve advised him to pay himself that same amount as I’m sure he’s doing some of the work. So far the cost of buying land and planting maize totals a little more than $2400. I am now wondering if purchasing land was a wise choice.

At the time, it seemed as if it was a wise investment and would eventually save me money. It seems that even without the expense of the land purchase we will be spending more to plant and harvest our own beans and maize than we would to purchase it from local sellers. One reason for deciding to grow our own food was the continued rising cost of food in Malawi. We both believed that we could control the cost better if we grew the produce ourselves. Simply put, the purchase of beans and maize at this time totals about $500 a year. The cost of buying fertilizer and seeds is about $1030. I suppose we were hoping that the crops would yield enough food for 2 years. Since neither of us is a farmer and we don’t know how much rain will come we have no idea if there will be enough maize for 2 years. Mabvuto did not indicate that there’d be enough beans for 1 year let alone 2 years.

Oh my, can I really do this? I’m getting scared.

Tags: itatu, malawi, orphan care

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Today I spoke to a grade 3 class about the orphans. The class plans to do some fundraising based on the theme of “Do They Know it’s Christmas.” I told the students about the daily life of their peers in Malawi. These middle-class Toronto students were shocked when they heard that the kids in Malawi have to walk for up to a kilometre to draw water for bathing each morning. They have seen pictures of people carrying water on their heads so that part didn’t surprise them. The students gasped when they were told that the kids in Malawi often only eat one meal a day. This meal is taken just before bed. As I write this I wonder why they never think to have the one meal at breakfast. It seems to me that they’d have more energy for the day.

The students asked some interesting questions. They wanted to know if the kids in Malawi needed clothes because of course they know that when they grow out of their clothes they are donated. They asked if the kids wanted any toys but were disappointed to learn that the kids in Malawi wouldn’t be over the moon if they received a Bionicle. One boy asked if the kids in Malawi drink hot chocolate. A girl asked where they go to the bathroom and of course when they heard it was in a hole in the ground they were not impressed. Well, neither was I!

It is fun and interesting to see how kids here react to my stories of life in Malawi. This will be a good project for all of us I hope. Cetainly it brings global education alive in a real and meaningful way.

Tags: global education, itatu, malawi, orphan care

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