Now that things are going smoothly I feel confident and eager about obtaining charitable status. At this time I am appealing to anyone who would like to sit on the board, assist us with the application process or guide us in any other way to please contact me so we can move forward.

Thank you to all who supported me while I was away. Your words of encouragement and donations kept me inspired.

Jennifer

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My airline ticket was booked for July 15. On July 6 I was taken off a coach and held in police custody for about 2 hours.

I had been traveling from Lilongwe to Ntcheu where Azikiwe and I were hosting a party for the children. This was going to be my last chance to interact with them before leaving. We were giving them each a mosquito net and some clothes along with a lot of food and hopefully some good memories.

I’ve been in Malawi for a total of 12 months over the past 4 years. I have never been asked for a passport.

I wasn’t surprised when a police officer began to chat with me on the coach. Malawians like to talk to mzungus. I was friendly with him at first, answering his questions and asking him questions of my own.

Finally he asked to see my passport. I had the passport with me but it was useless since the visa was expired by 6 weeks.

I told the officer that my passport was in town at the home of my friend. He insisted that I get off and call my friend. I tried to convince him to believe me and let me go but he insisted. Once off the coach he took me to the police station which was a small building with three rooms. I noticed an Indian man waiting inside.

He too had been pulled off a coach.

After several attempts I was finally able to reach Kalirani who said he’d bring my ticket and the letter stating that my TEP had been approved. Waiting for him was pure torture. I was terrified that I’d be put in jail. I couldn’t control myself. I sat in a corner and sobbed wishing everyone would just leave me alone. The officers kept trying to chat with me but I was unable to answer.

Finally, I calmed down and was able to have a conversation with a plain clothed officer. He seemed impressed by the fact that I was helping children in his home district. At some point I was told that I was free to go but I chose to stay. I was told that I’d face road blocks all the way to Ntcheu today and every day for the next two weeks because they were in the middle of a blitz. Fearing a similar situation further away from Kalirani I chose to remain and wait for him.

When he arrived and we showed the documents to the officers they became agitated. They insisted that they would have to arrest me. They said I had not paid for my work permit and as such I was not legally staying in Malawi. The boss of immigration was called. Now my fear was almost unbearable. The boss knew my whole story.

The person they spoke to advised them to seize my passport. I was told to appear at the immigration office the following day by 8 am to retrieve it. I was allowed to proceed to Ntcheu with a letter stating that my documents had been seized.

Once in Ntcheu I feared returning to Lilongwe. What if I was put in jail until I was deported? I went to the clinic and got a doctor’s note stating that I had malaria and needed bed rest. The note cost me $12 and was very detailed. Malawians take sickness very seriously.

The following week I returned to Lilongwe. On Tuesday I went to retrieve the passport at immigration. I was told to return before my flight on Thursday so that I could be escorted to the airport. I asked if I was going to be escorted in handcuffs. They assured me I would not be cuffed.

On Thursday I went to immigration where, after a long wait, I was given my passport and a long paper. The paper apparently indicated that I was to be deported. To be deported means never being allowed to return to Malawi, on any passport. I tried to explain that I couldn’t be deported but no one listened to me.

Kalirani spoke quietly to the officers in Chichewa. He was told that if I was willing to “help out” I wouldn’t be deported. I was furious but had to agree. Kalirani gave the immigration officer 10 000k (about $85). She rode to the airport with us and was very friendly, of course. At the airport she escorted me through and my passport was stamped “EXIT.”

I’ve now learned that Kalirani had to give $40 to each of the officers back at the office. This meant that he had to go and beg friends to lend him money as I’d not left enough to pay this amount. His donation has apparently enables me to return to Malawi without trouble. He was told that the deportation papers had been destroyed. I’ve asked him to follow up on this next week and be sure that I’m safe to return. If I do go back to Malawi I will be going to Blnatyre not Lilongwe to get my visas.

Needless to say I was thrilled to be on the airplane headed home. It is wonderful to walk down the street and not worry about someone asking for my passport.

I’m glad that ordeal is over!

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Having told the directors of my school of my intention to leave I was asked to write a resignation letter. They took this letter to immigration and told officials there that I’d no longer need the TEP. The officials apparently became angry because I should never have been working in Malawi. They demanded that I leave immediately.

I wasn’t ready to leave. As a teacher I wanted to finish the school year. I had many plans and duties still to carry out for the orphans in Ntcheu. I had no source of income in Canada and living in Malawi is much less expensive. I agreed to stay at Mount Sinai, working half days. No one was told of my reason for leaving each day at the break. We feared the government.

The arrangement was working as well as could be expected. The children asked a lot of questions and I felt guilty for leaving early each day. My colleagues avoided speaking to me because they knew something was not right and didn’t want to make things worse. One colleague showed great interest and concern.

After two weeks of this part time work I received a phone call at home. I was told not to return to school at all, ever. I was told I could come in on Saturday to collect my personal items. Apparently immigration had called the school to investigate whether or not I’d left the country as promised. This call from immigration came on the same day that my colleague stayed home from school. She had been told the day before that her contract was not being renewed.

By this time it was early June. I diligently completed the report cards and visited the day care as often as I could. One day in mid-June the directors showed up at my house to tell me I must vacate by the end of the month. The rent had been paid until the end of July but they claimed they were afraid that immigration officials would find me there. They had earlier told me immigration had no right to ask for my home address.

When I asked where I should go to live the director replied, “Don’t you have some friends you can stay with?” She was fixated on this idea that I was in Malawi to adopt a baby. Apparently she had heard that news from the same colleague whose contract hadn’t been renewed. She wouldn’t believe me when I told her that I had no intention of adopting a baby. She did assure me that I’d be paid, by a personal cheque, for the month of June.

At the end of June I moved out. No one from the school came to assist or to say goodbye. The landlady, a friend of that same colleague, stayed inside her house and didn’t acknowledge my departure.

The story doesn’t end here. The worst was yet to come.

Read Part Three.

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Now that I am home I feel like it’s ok to tell you about one of my biggest challenges in Malawi.

The story begins back in January when I first arrived. A visitor to Malawi is given a 30-day visa. This visa can be renewed for two more 30-day periods. Each renewal costs about $40. As a foreigner (ex-pat) I was not permitted to work in Malawi without a work permit (TEP). As a visitor I was not allowed to work. My employers at Mount Sinai were responsible for applying and paying for this permit. Most NGOs and International Schools apply for these permits on behalf of employees before the employee arrives in the host country.

About a week after I began teaching I was asked to fill out the application for the TEP. I had to get a passport photo and fingerprint taken. I completed the application and returned it to the directors of the school who promised to deliver it to the officials at the immigration department. Three weeks later I as asked to fill out the application a second time. No explanation was given for this second copy.

The end of March came quickly and I had exhausted all visitor visa renewals. My employers sought the advice of senior officials at the office of immigration. They were advised to take me across the border for an afternoon. Upon returning they were told my visa would be extended for another 30 days. The officials apparently told my employers that the TEP had been approved but the document needed to be signed by someone who was currently not in the country.

On March 26 we traveled by car to Zambia. We spent an afternoon looking around in the small city about 20 km from the border. We spent about 4 hours there before returning t Malawi.

At the Malawi border the guards gave us a very hard time. They told me I must go back to Zambia because I had exhausted all visa renewals and suspected I was only trying to extend my stay. My bosses called their advisor at immigration. He reprimanded the border guard on the phone and after a few hours I was allowed to return to Malawi. The man on the phone had been one of the most senior immigration officials.

Late in April the TEP still had not been approved. My bosses were able once more to get the visa extended. The immigration officials were now very familiar with my case although they’d never actually met me.

In April I was advised by TDSB that my application to extend the leave of absence had been denied. I was expected to return to Toronto to begin the new school year in September.

Finally in mid-May I received a letter indicating that the TEP had been approved. All that was needed was for the equivalent of $1000 to be paid within 30 days. I had been working illegally for 4 ½ months by this time. I told the directors of my school that I’d be leaving at the end of the school year because I was expected to work again in Toronto in September.

Telling them of my intention to leave was my biggest mistake. I did it out of a sense of guilt. The TEP cost $120 000k, the exact amount of my gross salary. I’d hoped they would use my July salary to pay for the permit. I should have known that logic eludes many Malawians.

Read Part Two.

Tags: malawi, Mount Sinai Internationl School

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• If someone wants to borrow something from you they will say, “Can you borrow me…?”
• If someone wants you to share your food they will demand, “Share me your biscuits.”
• If someone has eaten enough they will tell you, “I’m enough.”
• Often they interchange “r” and “l” which can lead to confusion like the time we were about to eat our dinner and my friend asked me to “play” for them. It took me about 2 minutes and lots of questions before I realized he wanted a prayer.
• Women are called “sister,” or “mama” or “Madam.”
• Men are called “bwana” (boss) or “bambo” (father).
• Yes is “ay” and NO is “”eye.” It took me a long time to learn which was which.
• Instead of asking me to teach them a Malawian might say “learn me.”
• At the end of a statement, when looking for agreement, a Malawian will say “Isn’t it?” Sometimes this is the right use of the phrase but often it is not. Often it is used in place of doesn’t it, shouldn’t it, doesn’t he/she, won’t it? It is a catch all phrase. “Francis is improving in his reading, isn’t it?”
• Girlfriends, wives and mistresses are referred to as “wife.”
• Often I see written, “He came at the hospital for treatment.”
• If someone is picking you up to take you somewhere they are “collecting you.”
• If you are moving residences you are “shifting.”
• The Malawians don’t get directions to your house, instead they will call you for a map.
• When you are new to a house the owner will show you the “geography of the house.”

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

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After reading only the introduction I called Azikiwe and told him that we must raise the salaries of the cooks.

To be fair, they have not had a raise since their probationary periods were finished 18 months ago. For now, I will raise their salaries by k500 each, about $3.50 a month. Although this sounds like little, it is an increase of about 15%.

Further into the book I read a passage in which the author asked a child if she drinks milk. The child apparently looked at him with a puzzled expression and told him milk is for babies and of course she’d had it, from her mother. I then realized that my kids don’t drink milk. It is too expensive for their caregivers. As a result, we are now giving them warm milk with their tea three days a week. Obviously this isn’t ideal. They should have milk daily but this is a start.

We own property which, at this point, sits idle. Azikiwe has started some seedlings which will be planted around the perimeter of the property. Eventually we will have papaya, avocado, peach and b banana trees. The children will be able to have fresh fruit when it is in season, which they rarely get now because it is not seen as a staple.

The fruit that is not eaten by the children can be sold at the local market to off-set some of our costs.

Within the next 18 months we would like to build two structures. The first will be a classroom/dining room for the children. The second will be a simple servant’s quarters. Unfortunately crime is very high in Malawi. Buildings left unattended will be vandalized. Burglars will take the iron sheets from the roof, the frames from the windows and anything else they can remove. It is necessary here to hire guards to protect buildings after hours.

The idea of hiring guards just to watch an almost empty building doesn’t sit well with me. I understand the need I just think that if we have guards they should be doing more than just guarding a classroom. I want to get my money’s worth out of them.

We decided that instead of hiring guards and paying them a monthly salary we would build a small house.

We will advertise the house for rent in and around the village. The people who choose to rent it will be able to live there for free but will act as the guards. Ideally we want a husband and wife. Most likely the wife will be home during the day to make sure things are ok after the cooks and children have gone home.

We will build a chicken coop and get 20 laying hens. The children can then eat eggs three times a week. The remaining eggs can be sold, like the fruit, at the local market. Presently we spend about $20 a month on eggs. The eggs will be free and the money from the sale of the remaining eggs should help pay for the chicken feed. The chickens will be safe because there will be a family living on the property.

These are lofty goals which will require cash investments but I think they will serve the children well in the long run. We estimate that the total cost of building the two structures will be less than $2500.

The initial investment may be big but in the end I think we will be able to make Itatu better and more self-sufficient.

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

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The tea district is absolutely beautiful. Tea plants are really just bushes that stand about a metre high. The bushes are planted in rows but until you get right in the field you cannot see the distinction between the rows. From the road it just looks like a beautiful blanket of green. The leaves that are picked are just those at the top of the plant. They are a brighter, lighter green colour than those on the rest of the bush.

It takes about 2 weeks for a new set of leaves to grow and be picked.

The tea plantation workers live right on the plantation. The soil is quite red, full of iron. Their houses are painted a salmon colour so the dirt that blows up onto them doesn’t show as prominently as it would on a house of a different colour. At least once a week a market comes to the plantation so that workers can buy food, and goods. There are primary schools on the plantations.

Those who work at harvesting tea are paid by the amount of tea they pick each day. Tea is placed into large straw baskets which are carried like backpacks to a weighing station. From there tea is placed into sacks and carried to a factory for drying and grinding.

Unfortunately there is great poverty among the workers. None of them own or even rent their own plots of land. They are housed on the plantation property. They do not have their own gardens for growing maize. Even if a person could afford to rent a plot of land they could not find any. Every inch of land is occupied by tea plants. People are forced to buy their maize which is not as cost effective as growing their own. A worker on a tea plantation makes about $1.25 a day. We saw one sign that read, “This plantation is free from child labour.” Picking tea does not appear to be difficult work so one can almost understand, given the low wages, why a parent might bring their child along to help pick.

I met a lady who is working for the World Food Program. She said she helps to feed 2500 primary children each day in the tea growing area.

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

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First I’d like to thank Danielle who created and managed the website. I love it.

Thank you also for the packages you’ve sent and the money sent by Western Union. All are greatly appreciated.

Troy, thank you for the package you sent. I’m enjoying the fresh herbs now. Also thank you for the periodic emails to check upon me and make sure all is well.

To my parents, especially my dad, thanks for the emails each week. I say a special thanks to my dad because I know his feelings about computers and I am well aware of his not quite polished typing skills.

Thanks to Mary, Connie, Phyllis, Wendy, Erica, Mac, Robyn, Linda and Jill for the emails to inform me of what’s happening in my real life back home.

Thanks to Mary for taking care of my apartment and not embezzling my funds.

Thanks to Patrick and Mary for the FedEx package. I loved getting it. It was like Christmas in Malawi!

Thanks to all the generous donors who have shown their support by contributing a portion of their hard-earned salaries. A special thanks to the Elementary Teachers of Toronto and Phyllis, for their very generous donation. Also I’d like to extend my gratitude to the people of Port Rowan who have been so generous to my cause.

Thanks to Robyn and the rest of you who comment on my posts. It is motivating and encouraging to read your words. I feel as if people really care about what I’m doing when I know you’ve actually read what
I’ve written. Robyn and Cynthia you sometimes make me blush with your words of encouragement.

Thanks to Collin, Mom, Dad, Troy and Danielle for talking about what I do to your friends and co-workers.

My dreams for Itatu are growing and I feel confident in my future success because of your belief in what I am doing.

Thank you everyone for showing your support. I truly appreciate every gesture, word and donation.

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

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Working at Mount Sinai, I am very impressed by the English skills of my young students. In this country English is the official language, yet very few people speak it fluently. Even the teachers struggle with the language. Maggie, one of my children has been put back from Standard 5 to Standard 4 because of her poor English skills. This makes me especially sad since she had the best English of all the children when I first met her.

Originally I’d hoped that the caregivers I hired would be able to assist with English and other homework but it seems they have very limited skills themselves and are only really comfortable assisting with bible knowledge.

I will go to the Headmaster of Chitungu Primary School and ask his recommendation on a few suitable teachers who can work one hour a day with the children strictly on English. Next time I come or perhaps if I can use FedEx, I will send teaching materials that are appropriate for their level of English. The teacher will be offered a salary of k5000 a month (about $35) which will be a welcome addition to the no more than k20000 they earn now. I will interview candidates and assess their spoken and written English skills. I will also insist that Azikiwe communicate to this teacher only in English.

I want Itatu to have more of an educational focus. When we build our own building we will be sure to include a classroom with chalkboards and shelves for books. I want my children to be elevated above the rest. I think one day I would like to incorporate a nursery school into Itatu but that will require a great deal of funding as the locals can’t afford to pay much more than about $2.50/month for childcare.

I am very excited about this idea and am certain it will be a success.

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

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I’m looking forward to being in a familiar setting.

I will miss certain people here. I will miss the constant challenges and learning opportunities. I’m sure I’ll even miss certain things that I now dislike, like the public transport.

I left Toronto full of hope and inspiration. So far my trip hasn’t been all that inspirational. I am teaching rich kids and my school is very small. We have only 7 teachers on our campus. I’ve not made as many new friends as I thought I might because of the isolation of my campus. I rarely see my orphans because they are in school when I am. I see Azikiwe a lot.

We have started some fruit trees which we will plant on our property in the fall. The kids can eat fresh fruit and the cooks can sell some in the market to generate a little income.

I would have liked to work with the villagers more. I am thinking of some sort of teacher training. I will try to formulate a plan and discuss it with the local primary schoolheadmaster before I go.

I am also considering registering my day care as a charity here. I will discuss that with the social welfare people and find out the pros and cons of doing so.

I would have liked to spend more time in the village. If I return to Malawi I will consider staying in the village for extended periods of time. I feel very content there but I know the lack of power and water would be hard to take.

In these last three months I must spend more time out ther helping the poor people. I went to an orphanage nearby to help but they are not very organized. I will attempt to go once more and see if I can do
something useful with the young children. I just want to feel like I’m contributing. So far, I don’t feel that way.

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

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