Azikiwe Ndiwe Mgwazi
Or
Azikiwe is a Hero

I have now visited Ntcheu twice. The first visit was bitter sweet. I was happy to see that the children have grown and are all doing well in school. I was sad because I felt my naïveté and blind trust in Mabvuto had caused them great hardship. After speaking to them I realized they didn’t blame me. They know it is Mabvuto who has done them wrong. I was feeling guilt because my plan was to close the day care unless Mabvuto left the community or decided to do the right thing. As his behaviour has indicated he has no intention of doing the right thing and there’s no guarantee he will be transferred I was certain the day care would close before I returned to Canada.

I had been discussing a new location with Kalirani. He had shown me one location but it was quite remote and not easily accessible without a car. We discussed other locations within Lilongwe but I wasn’t very excited about these either because I don’t like Lilongwe. It is a large city with many villages and undeveloped areas. The core of the city is crowded and busy with cars, cyclists and pedestrians. There are many beggars and thieves within the city centre. I do not feel comfortable being there on my own. I know that Kaliran is very busy so I need a day care centre that I can access independently and I need a town where I am comfortable traveling to the market and shops.

Ntcheu and the current day care are an almost perfect location.

At our fist meeting a few weeks ago Azikiwe told me that he could not take the day care over from Mabvuo. He feared the gossip in the community. He believed people would say he stole it from Mabvuto and his reputation would be tarnished. Gossip is very important here. They take the gossip very seriously.

At our last meeting I told Azikiwe that I’d close the day care by the end of July. He said, “Jennifer, it is not that difficult to run the place. There are few children and it is well established. I think Mrs. Chatuluka and I can run it.” I was thrilled. He is willing to step in and be the manager. The day care can stay open. His gesture means so much to me and to those kids that all I can do is smile when I think of his kindness. I came here this summer to find an alternative to the current situation but instead I’ve improved the existing situation and no one of any importance will be hurt. The kids will be cared for better than they have been since I left and the cooks will continue to receive a salary which they can use to support their families.

The day care will remain open. This week I will instruct Mabvuto to turn over all remaining paper work and leave his role as manager. I will explain to him that he has behaved irresponsibly and has put the integrity of the project in jeopardy. I will tell him he is not welcome to visit the day care or to talk to the cooks or children at any time in the future. I don’t expect him to repay any of the stolen money. He claims he has a plan but I can not trust anything he says. He is a crook and everyone knows it.

We will have a fresh start. The money will go into a joint account which means two people have to sign to withdraw. There will be quarterly board meetings and weekly updates sent via email to me. I will have electronic access to the account. I will try to put the deceit and cruelty behind me. It still pains me a great deal when I think of his cold hearted behaviour but my heart is warmed by Azikiwe’s rescue.

Onward and upward we go.

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

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I visited the orphan care centre last week. I wrote about it when I got back but didn’t post what I wrote because it was bitter and negative. The children were very pleased to see me and to receive the quilts and clothing that was donated to them. Maggie, the one I loved so much last year, was not present. She had traveled to another town to visit family. The others were all present. I was pleased to meet the new cook and to see the cook I hired last year.

I went to the centre with Azikiwe. The cooks and the kids spoke to us freely and told us many stories of Mabvuto’s poor behaviour. All said they fear him. The man has not paid the vegetable lady since I left
so she stopped supplying vegetables after November. The cooks have told me that Mabvuto occasionally gives them a small amount of money to buy vegetables but this is not done on a regular basis.

Four of the children had shoes which he bought. In December he indicated on the report that shoes had been bought for 4 of the 9 children even though I explicitly told him to buy shoes for all of them. The fourth pair was purchased the day before I arrived in Ntcheu.

There have been months when Mabvuto has held back some of the cooks’ salary without informing me. He says he has done this when they missed work. It seem he misunderstands the term “salary.”

He no longer provides them with rice or fish. He has continued to indicate these items on his reports to me. Reports stopped being sent in April. At that time he indicated there was about 100 000 kwacha in the account. Later in April he supposedly sent an email saying there was 77 000 kwacha in the account. I never received that email. Our operating budget is no more than 30 000 kwacha a month but is usually much less. I wonder, again, where did that extra money go? He has now delayed in providing us with an updated bank balance. He did pay 50000 kwacha the other day but has refused to tell me the purpose for this money. I have asked him to clarify if it is arepayment or if it is the remaining balance. Again, he will not respond.

I gave him the benefit of a few more weeks to show he is serious about redeeming himself. At our meeting I told him I had intended to go directly to the police but that Azikiwe had advised me to meet with him and discuss things. He seemed grateful and willing to make some steps to improve the situation but as of now, nothing has been done and he continues to play games with me. On Saturday when I go back, I am not meeting him. I will gather my documents and proceed to the police. This is a battle I am no longer willing to fight.

It amazes me that a person can be so heartless and soulless as this one. I will never understand his motives or his behaviour and I need to stop trying to undertand. It is eating me up inside.

Looking forward, there are many other otions for helping Malawians and I am exploring them, slowly and carefully.

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

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There’s not much new to report about the Day Care. Mabvuto seems still to be playing his games of avoiding repayment and still takes no responsibility for what he has done. When I go this week I will speak to the authorities and see if they can intervene.

I’m sick now. I have the same illness I had at the end of last year’s trip. I’ve got flu symptoms. Not sure if it’s a virus or something I ate. I feel better today than yesterday.

I went to Mthaka Taka this weekend. This is a very “bushy” place as the locals say. It is a remote village with a secondary school nearby. I stayed at the school. The nearest town is about 45 minutes away. There is a small market area but it hase very little. I traveled there by coach. I boarded the coach at 10:20 and there were no seats so I had to stand. The bus left the terminal at 11:10. It arrived at it’s destination at about 1:10. So I stood for that whole time. There was a woman sitting on the floor in front of me. She vomited into her fabric wrap for about 15 minutes. Very unpleasant.

I did ride on the back of a bicycle for the first time. It happens often here. They have an extra seat on the bikes for carrying goods or people. I was a bit scared but at the same time, it was fun.

I’m slowly learning to wash my clothes by hand but I’m not all that good at it. I didn’t even attempt my sheets. I tried my towel but it was hard. If I were to stay here for a long time, I’d hire someone to
wash my things.

Taking a bath is an experience. I have a basin in the tub which is filled with hot water. I add cold water and give myself a sponge bath. It’s not easy or relaxing. It’s cold and difficult.

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

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