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

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

I am currently enrolled in a storytelling course. I have begun to use African folk tales as a way of inspiring my children to write and tell their own stories. The children love the stories and often ask to hear more about “that tricky hare.” What has become obvious to me is that children all over the world love to hear stories. Sometimes we in Canada get stuck on needing to read stories to our children but what I am learning this year is that children often prefer stories to be told to them. As Mabvuto repeatedly reminds me “Africa is rich with stories.” It is really motivating to know that my Toronto students share a love of story with their peers in Malawi.

As Remembrance Day approaches I am talking to my students about peace. We are discussing those things which give us a sense of peace. I am using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as a way of linking peace and global education. It made me sad to read that all children have the right to a name and a nationality. How do I explain to my grade one class that some children go unnamed?

My lessons will focus on what makes children in Toronto similar to children in Malawi. We will compare our houses, our school days, our meals and what we do for recreation. It is my hope that my Toronto students will learn about children less fortunate than themselves and be inspired to show kindness when they encounter differences.

I want my children in Malawi to feel appreciated and loved. I want them to learn about a culture much different from their own and to feel a connection to those children far from them.

Some sad news came to me from Malawi this past weekend. My friend Harry’s daughter died. She was two years old. Her name was Tadala meaning “We are blessed.” She seems to have died from malaria. She was sick and then recovered. It is difficult to say exactly what caused her death. The family rushed her to the hospital but there was nothing to be done for her. This was Harry’s youngest child ad his only girl.

Unfortunately the loss is a sad reality of life in Malawi.

Tags: itatu, malawi, orphan care

When he went to the Day Care this week Mabvuto was presented with a bill for K2400 (about $18.00). When he saw this he was very angry. He spoke to Mrs. Chatuluka who claimed to know of no reason for this large bill. Kelita then took Mabvuto to the cow pen where there is another tap attached to the same water line. We were never told of this tap. Obviously the Chatuluka’s didn’t want us to know about it. Mabvuto immediately affixed a lock to that tap.

When he returned the next day he was told by Kelita that the Chatuluka’s had gone out the previous night and detached the water meter and took water directly from the pip. Mabvuto then went to the water board and told them to fix that.

When I heard all of this I told Mabvuto to pay the K1000 we had agreed upon. I told him to give Mrs. Chatuluka until today to pay the balance. I instructed him to go to the water board and have the tap shut off if the balance is not paid. The cooks can walk to thte nearby public tap. It will save me money.

I’ll be happy when I have my own building so that I don’t have to deal with this family. I assume the behaviour is done out of spite because I fired Maemory.

Maemory sent Kelita to collect the pay which she refused to take when Mabvuto twice offered it to her. He sent it with Kelita. He’s a nice guy.

Thanks for all of the donations. It is much appreciated. I am so honoured that so many of you, who don’t know me, believe in what I am doing and are supporting me. I will soon post a list of costs so that you can see just how far your donations can go in Malawi.

Mabvuto has malaria. It is his second bout this year. He should be fine in a few days but he has been too ill to go make the land purchase. He has decided to take Kelita with him as a witness since it will be a very large sum of money he will be handing over. Malawians aren’t always honest unfortunately.

The new cook, Elles, started on Monday. I’ve heard good reports about her. At this point maemory, the previous cook, is still being difficult. Mabvuto has tried twice to give her the salary she is owed but she refuses to accept it. Twice she demanded a meeting with the social welfare people and Mabvuto and both times she failed to show. I’ve told Mabvuto not to agree to any more meetings and not to chase her down to offer her the salary. If she doesn’t want it, we can use it elsewhere. Her stubborn attitude is quite amusing to me. I don’t understand her and I’m glad she’s gone.

My class will soon write their first letter to Malawi. I’m also going to see if any kids in grade 5 or 6 want to become pen pals with any of the orphans. Pen pals are great fun when you are a kid.

Anyway, that’s what’s going on. This weekend I will write thank you notes, write a letter to solicit money from ETFO and CTF and try to work on the slide show. It’s all good stuff.

Thanks again for reading.

Jennifer

On the weekend Mabvuto interviewed 4 ladies for the job of cook. He was impressed by 3 but they all demanded a higher salary than we are willing to pay. He offered the job to the ladies at the salary we have budgeted for and asked them to think about it and get back to him. Today a lady named Alice who is a single mother of a 4 year old accepted the job. Kelita, who was at work when Mabvuto arrived at the Day Care at 5:45 am, will once again have some assistance. I don’t think she needs assistance but I’m sure she’ll like the companionship. It is good to have two cooks in case one does not feel well or has other obligations. I hope Alice is as hard working as Kelita.

I’ve got many things to do.

Many of you have donated money in support of this project. Formal thank you notes are soon to come but in the mean time please accept this as a very sincere and appreciative thank you!

As I said I’m looking into options for getting money to Malawi. I hope only to have to send money in January and March. The rest, I’ll carry over with me in June.

I am also very interested in obtaining charitable status. I’ve got to find a lawyer or an accountant who knows where I should begin. I’ve looked online and the process seems very intimidating. It is definitely a priority that I need to get to.

I’ve got to get some photos printed and some sort of presentation ready to show people here. I want you all to see the people and places I write about.

The website will undergo some minor changes. Keep checking on it. Collin, Danielle and I will be discussing those changes in the next few weeks.

I also have to teach grade 1 and maintain some sort of life! Wow, it’s busy.

I wrote this note mostly just to say thank you to all who have offered emotional support. I love to hear that you’re reading the blog. It makes me feel good.

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

I wrote earlier that we decided to fire Maemory. We gave her two weeks notice which meant her last day of work would have been September 12. Unfortunately her work ethic continued to deteriorate
and I had to send her a message telling her to vacate her job immediately. On Monday, she failed to prepare breakfast for the children. In fact, she wasn’t even at the Day Care centre when the
children arrived for breakfast. Kelita was home sick with malaria. The following day Mabvuto went back to ensure things were running smoothly. He found Maemory sharing food with a friend and her
friend’s baby. I wrote to her telling her that the food is for the orphans not for her friends. Upon receiving this note Maemory told Mabvuto she’d go and take the issue up with the people at Social
Welfare. We both thought this was fine since the S.W. people don’t pay her salary and would be furious at her recent behaviour. They have very strict rules about how the centre should be run.

Meanwhile MP found two pieces of land for me. They are side by side and together total about 1.6 acres. This enough to grow maize, beans and build a small building to house the Day Care. I have not yet been able to send the money. I am trying to find the most economical and safe way to send cash to Malawi. Does anyone have any ideas?

Needless to say, I broke open my bottle of “Wild Africa” liquor last night. Grade 1, back from Africa… The need was great.

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

The late night phone calls were so that I could speak to the cook, Maemory. Maemory is the cook who I noticed had not been working very hard these past few weeks. It seems she arrived at 7:30 am on Monday to pick up the food for the week. Kelita was suffering from malaria and didn’t report for work that day. When Mabvuto told me the cook had shown up at that early hour I was confused. It takes 40 minutes to walk from the day care to his house and the children eat breakfast at 7:00. I wondered how she’d arrived so early.

After collecting as much as she could carry, Maemory asked Mabvuto if he planned to visit the day care that day. He told her he did not plan to visit. Later in the morning he decided he should go. Upon his arrival he found no one there. The cook was nowhere to be found and no children were hanging around as they usually did. Eventually Mabvuto found Maemory in her house preparing food. When he asked why she was preparing the food in her house she told him it was because her husband was sick and she was caring for him.

The children eventually appeared and collected their lunches. They ate at the Day Care building. Mabvuto asked them if they had eaten breakfast. They said they had come but no one was there so they went to school with no food. During my middle of the night phone conversation with Maemory I asked her why she had not prepared breakfast. She told me it was because there was no flour left. I
was surprised and angry to hear this. We have never run out of flour in the past. Why now? Why had she not told Mabvuto when he was there on Friday? Why had she not come early in the morning or over the weekend to collect more maize?

After some reflection it was decided that Maemory should be fired. She was given two weeks notice and will cease working for us on September 12. We have suspected all along that she and her family
are helping themselves to our supplies. Last week when we showed up unexpectedly she couldn’t find the cups. They had been scattered among several houses. The charcoal is disappearing far more quickly than it should and Kelita advised us to take the salt to Mabvuto’s house as she suspected Maemory and her family of using it for their own cooking.

I feel bad having to fire this young lady but her work ethic has been poor from the beginning. It may look like sour grapes for the deceit she and her family pulled on me earlier in the summer. I tried hard
to be objective and give her many chances to prove herself but if the Social Welfare officials saw her preparing food in her home and learned that she didn’t prepare breakfast, I’d be reprimanded.

I’m the one who wanted to hire Maemory. Mabvuto and the man from S.W. liked Kelita. I guess I should trust their judgement!

Oh well, it’s all about learning.

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

During my first week in Malawi I met with Mrs. Chatuluka, the Chairperson of the Community Based Organization. I explained to her my plans and the rationale for my project. She was very supportive and appeared to be a wealth of knowledge. Of course, I was quite happy to have her on my side since she knows the villages and the families. We asked her to select 9 orphans, one from each of the villages served by the C.B.O. Mabvuto told her not to choose all of her relatives.

A few days after meeting Mrs. Chatuluka we met the 9 guardians of the selected children. One of the guardians in particular impressed me. He is a man by the name of Nelson who told me he supports 9 children none of whom are his relation.

A few more days passed and Mrs. Chatuluka presented us with 5 young ladies to interview for the two cook positions. I was impressed by Maemory’s confidence and decided to hire her along with Kelita.

This week we were chatting with Maemory and found out that she is Mrs. Chatuluka’s daughter. I was surprised to learn of this but not upset. Mrs. Chatuluka has been good to us. Further discussions revealed that Nelson, the guardian who had so impressed me, is Maemory’s husband. It seems that the two of them are caring for one of my orphans, Mayamiko. Mayamiko has a very sad story and I’d most likely have taken her in if I’d know the truth about who was her guardian.

I feel we have been taken advantage of. Mrs. Chatuluka is being paid K3000/month to supply vegetables and another K500 for charcoal. Her daughter, who stays with her, is drawing a alary of K3000/month and her “grand-daughter” is coming to Itatu for 10 meals each week, plus a school uniform and school supplies.

I spoke to Maemory and Nelson and told them both that I was insulted by their deception. I told them That I’d been impressed by both of them upon first meeting them. I assured them that at this time Mayamiko will be allowed to continue coming for meals but I will be watching closely for further deception.

I felt bad because at the same time this information came to light I noticed that Maemory does not do her share of the work in cooking and cleaning. I have decided to speak to her and remind her of her job duties. I will remind her that she is on probation until the end of September at which time her job performance will be reviewed. On the other hand, I’ve decided to lift Kelita’s probation because every visitor I’ve had at Itatu has noted her hard work and dedication.

I’ve also commissioned someone else from the village to supply us with daily vegetables for K2000 a month. This is a savings of about $7.50 which can be used for something else for the children. Mrs. Chatuluka is not upset by this. I think she found it difficult to get the vegetables to the children each day.

I know in the long run the deception done to me has caused no harm. I am helping a family which was part of my goal here. I just wish I’d been aware of how much I was helping one family.

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