On subsequent visits I’ve realized that TUM is not an obvious advocate for its members. Most teachers resent having to pay union fees which I believe are about 1% of their salaries. When teachers complained to me about these dues I would always respond by explaining all that a teacher’s union could do. I told them that the union was there to fight for their rights and to ensure the best working conditions for them. I gave them examples of how my union has helped me and my colleagues. I was a big advocate of TUM.

In the news lately there’s been much talk about the poor quality of housing provided for teachers. Having stayed in three teachers’ houses I can attest to the difference in quality. Only one of them was comfortable with running water and kitchen cupboards and an indoor toilet.

Teachers here are paid on a scale depending on qualifications. Every 3 to 4 years teachers are given an opportunity to advance their salary by participating in an interview. This year 11 teachers were selected out of thousands to move to the next pay level. It is widely believed that the interview process is not fairly judged on skills and experience but on name, tribe and connections.

A friend of mine is a teacher of physical science. One day as he was leaving for class a grade 12 boy came to him and asked if he could watch a DVD in his house. My friend allowed the boy into his house to watch a DVD then went off to teach a class. While teaching he realized he’d forgotten a book he needed. He sent a female student to his home to retrieve the book. The girl was gone for a brief time and returned the book without saying anything to my friend.

The next day my friend was called to the assistant principal’s office where he was informed that the girl was pressing charges against him and the boy. The teacher was told to report to the police… At the police station the teacher was arrested and held overnight on a charge of facilitating a sexual assault.

The following day the teacher was released on bail. He was told to appear before the court the following week. When he appeared at court he was detained for several hours then told to go home. This scenario was repeated about six times over the course of three weeks. Finally the man was told that the court officers were on strike but the police kept insisting that he return to submit his pleas in front of the magistrate.

Eventually the teacher and a friend went to see the parents of the girl. The boy and the girl had been in a similar situation two years ealier.The parents of the girl agreed that the teacher was not at fault but insisted that he must pay them $550 or they would continue with the case. My friend was able to convince them with the help of a mutual friend to reduce the amount they wished him to pay. They agreed to accept $200 and drop the charges.

Yesterday, after five weeks of struggling and negotiating the man was told that his name has been cleared. He was also told that he could accept a transfer to another school but if he did that he would never again be granted a transfer.

I told this story to the Secretary General naively thinking he would tell me to tell my friend to contact TUM. He did no such thing. In fact, he did nothing and said nothing.

I plan to write an article for my union magazine about the union here but first I need to hear from the union about how they feel they are helping teachers. At this point with the terrible houses and the lack of support I am having trouble seeing how the union is an asset here.

Tags: jennifer douma, malawi

The other day as I opened my door to leave, something dropped onto my arm. I only felt a soft rubbery feeling and saw a flash of light brown. I assume it was one of my gecko friends.

It is presently raining outside. Once again the rain is so hard that watching tv is impossible. The other day it honestly sounded like the tunnel under Niagra Falls in here. The rain comes down very hard and is coming more frequently now. Last night it rained from about 1:00 until about 6:00. I put cotton in my ears to drown out the noise.

I went to the bank to transfer some money over to the day care. First I had to fill out withdrawal and deposit slips. Sounds easy doesn’t it? It will be next time but this time the bank was very crowded. People were huddled around the post where the slips are kept such that there was no way to squeeze in to write on a flat surface. Next, I had to find the right slips. There are slips for cash deposits and cheque deposits and some other slips that I didn’t quite understand. Some people partially fill out slips but make mistakes. Rather than putting these slips into the trash or even leaving them on the counter, they just put them back into the pile of blank slips.

The line up was long because it was the beginning of the month and most people are paid at the end of the month. I got in the line for withdrawls. There are about 3 tellers for withdrawls, one teller for deposits and one teller for foreign currency. The term line is somewhat misleading because as you get to the front there seems to be no order and it’s the one with the quickest reflex that gets to the teller next.

When I got to the teller she told me I had to write the date in full and sign on another line to make the withdrawl and I had to complete the date and write the bills I wanted to deposit. She told me to correct these things and then come back to her. I said, “No, I’ll sign and date the first form now and I’ll complete the second form while you process the first request.” Imagine, after standing in line for 20 minutes she wated me to go back and try again? Where is the logic in that? Maybe Malawians take a really long time to write and she thought I would too. I don’t know.

As I stood in line a woman came and stood in front of me. There were about 6 people in front of us and at least 10 behind us. I asked if she was with the man who had been in front of me. Her answer was to suck her teeth and move behind me. I was irritated so I pointed to the back of the line. Her response to this was simply, “Ah, no.”

In the variety store today a lady was paying for her items and I was next. A young man came in and stepped between us and asked for some cigarettes. The cashier gave them to him and made change for him. There was no apology or excuse me.

I asked my friend what Malawians think of this behaviour. He said they think it is rude but generally they tolerate it. He thinks the shopkeepers see it so often that they are too tired of trying to correct it so they just give in to it. I’ve never heard a Malawian complain about it.

I see a lot of babies on their mother’s backs and it makes me want to be around babies. They are so sweet and innocent looking. I can’t wait to go to the orphanage and find out if I can help out.

No real news from the day care. The cooks asked for a raise but unfortunately the cost of food is rising and our budget is stretched as much as we can afford to stretch it. I feel bad because they really are making very little money. Oh well, maybe some day.

That’s all for now.

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

A birthday card arrived this week. It took just over a month. The only other mail has been a FedEx package. It is frustrating for me because I love getting stuff but also because I know you are all spending time and effort to send the things. Fingers crossed that at least some things will arrive.

I realize last week that one reason for my unhappiness here is the feeling of just being here and not of being alive here. I have enjoyed previous trips because I’ve felt as if I’ve made an impact but this time I don’t feel it. The children I teach here are the Malawian counterparts of kids at Deer Park. They are comfortable and well cared for. They want for very little and all of their basic needs are met.

I decided to find an orphanage to volunteer at. I think that work, although heartbreaking, will be rewarding and I’ll feel more useful and alive here. Next week a friend is taking me to a local orphanage. I hope I can be of use. If not I may find a nursery school or special needs kid to work with.

I got a kitten. He name is Kali for my friend Kalirani whose name means “keep on crying” and who eats mice (as do many Chewa). Kali is small and cute. She is black with white and a bit of tan. She is a baby and she is quite small. She meows a lot and demands food in a very harsh yell! She doesn’t always use her litter which makes my house not so pleasant but I’m sure her noise keeps the mice away. She’s a good companion.

Yesterday I tried at the local hotel to access wireless internet. I was not successful for 2 hours and I am not sure if I will be next time. It cost me at least $8 which makes me angry because I could have used that money for something else. I tried to get a refund but was told my computer is the problem. I hope that’s not true. I’ll try at a different hotel on Saturday.

The children at the day care seem fine. They have grown tall and big but are very shy in my presence. They do enjoy Azikiwe and are quite free with him.

The weather is less hot now but far more rainy. The ground is soggy and the humidity is high. I often wake at night to the sound of rain pounding down on my tine roof. It’s hard to hear anything else at times. I can’t watch tv and even reading is difficult b/c of the noise. Oh well, soon the rains will end and the cool weather will come.

That’s all for now.

Thanks for reading.

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

In Malawi there are at least three secondary school options.  A student can go to school full time during the day, part-time in the afternoons or they can attend a boarding school.  The costs for each are as follows:

Ntcheu, where the day care is located provides all of these school options.  I stayed at the Community Day Secondary School one summer.  The teachers there are not necessarily qualified as teachers.  Some have college diplomas, some have a university degree but none is university trained as a teacher.  Most have very poor English skills.  The classes are large and resources are limited.

The secondary school which is a boarding school is quite nice.  Teachers there are university educated and/or trained as teachers.  The school has computers and a good science lab.  The facilities are clean and well cared for Students must board.  They can not attend as day students.

Secondary school in Malawi is generally 4 years.  An examination is taken at the end of grade 10 and again at the end of grade 12.  Students are not required to complete all four years but obviously job prospects are better if they finish.  University acceptance is dependent upon the performance on the final exam in grade 12.

Students are selected to secondary schools after completing an examination at the end of grade 8. Students with higher marks are selected to boarding schools but can choose to go to a day school if finances dictate.

As you can see, education is not always easily attainable for Malawians.  Many families are earning about $12 a month and have several children.  The orphans are living with caregivers who are surviving on subsistence farming and piece work.  As secondary school approaches, many will not be able to attend.  I’m sure this is the case all over Malawi.  Unfortunately the cycle of poverty continues.

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

I went to the bank to open an account. When I walked in I saw people sprawled on the floor and on chairs as if they were having a sit-in. Knowing that this was in fact the bank was the only reason I stayed otherwise I’d have been sure I was in the wrong place. It was much like a doctor’s waiting room. Beyond this initial room was a room with desks. I saw some people hovering near the entrance to that room so I too went to hover. I observed that there seemed to be no logic to who was being served in what order. It seemed to be that the person who was most alert and aggressive would move quickly to a desk as soon as a space opened. Some bank employees had two individuals at their desk at one time both of whom were able to see and hear the other’s information.

This has not only been true in banks. Often I’ve been at the cell phone company or at other service centres when people have just come up and started talking to the worker who is assisting me. The worker’s attention always goes to the intruder.

My Malawian friends rarely call me or respond to my texts. I only see them if I initiate it, otherwise I’m sure I’d never see them. Sometimes I have the need to give my number to someone I just met on the street. This person could be a driver or may work at a place I’d like to visit. These people will call me at least a few times before they realize there’s nothing for us to talk about.

Pre-payment is often the way things are done here. My cell phone and my electric are paid for in advance. I get a PIN which I punch into either the phone or the hydro box and I’m given units. I tend to spend about $12 a week or more on the cell phone. So far I’ve put in about $16 for electricity. I may have to put in about $8 which should take me through the month.

There is some insect that bites me in my house. I have three of its bites on me. I never see it. The bites are very sharp and painful when they happen and they leave a small, dark read bump. I wonder if they are tics.

Malawians tend not to be good problem solvers or good communicators. Yesterday I was supposed to go to town with a parent. She is a tailor and was going to help me pick out fabric. She came to pick up her child but drove away without me. Today I asked if she’d forgotten me. She said she hadn’t forgotten and then asked me if it had been raining. It had not. It was dark and looked as if it might but it wasn’t raining until the evening. She has a nice vehicle so I’m not sure why the impending rain would keep her from going to the fabric shops. She seemed to think this was a perfectly reasonable explanation.

Sometimes the driver doesn’t show up to take me to school. He doesn’t call and he doesn’t explain the next day.

Malawians are notoriously bad at time management. I don’t know any Malawian except Azikiwe who can actually do things in the time allotted. He is also the only one I know who is punctual. Depending on the situation you can depend on a Malawian to be anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours late. Sometimes they won’t even show up at all and again, no explanation is expected.

These are just some of the not-so-positive observations I have made thus far. I’m sure some positive ones will come to me.

I arrive at school anywhere between 7:10 and 7:30 and some of the children are already running around in the room. School officially begins at 7:30. By that time all of the children have arrived.

I leave school around 2:00 pm each day sometimes after having checked my email using the not-so-high speed access. Checking email usually takes at least an hour. I often save emails to read later at home and reply from home in Office then paste it into an email later.

Most days I go into town to buy food. Carrying food is not simple as the mini buss is often packed full of people, chickens, bails of maize flour and who knows what else. Getting in and out if a gymnastic workout so I try to keep my bags to two. This means several trips a week to town. I usually go to the two main grocery stores. One feels like a warehouse with dark aisles and lots of dust. The other is much like a western grocery store with the addition of alcohol, school supplies, small appliances and some clothing. I also go to the open market where the prices for produce are much more reasonable.

Upon my arrival home I pour the water I boiled in the morning which has now cooled, into a bottle for drinking water. I then boil another kettle to use for washing the vegetables. I begin to prepare my dinner which may be a stir-fry, grilled cheese or some sort of avocado with rice concoction.

I eat early because my “lunch” break at school is at 9:30. By the time I reach home I’m very hungry. I usually eat while watching some TV show from my laptop. As of yet I don’t have a TV and my radio caught on fire.

I clean up from dinner, sweep the house, do some cleaning and organizing and put my mosquito net down for the night. After that I either watch more downloaded stuff or play a game on my iPod. I’m usually exhausted so I often go to bed before 9:00.

I always wear flip flops in the house because I often find dead cockroaches. I usually find them by stepping on them.

Life here is not easy for me. It is boring, lonely and frustrating. My friends here rarely call me and almost never come to see me. Anyway, that’s an observation for another post.

Thanks for reading.

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

The ride to Ntcheu was 2 ½ hours. I got to the day care at about 12:45.

The children are doing fine. The younger ones have grown quite a bit since they first started to come. Maggie no longer looks like a little girl but now looks like a young lady. She has put on weight and her face has filled out. Her health is now fine.

Henry is now the only boy. Johnny no longer attends because he is in secondary school and the hours of school are not conducive to him coming for meals. Johnny has been replaced by Rita, a 10 year old girl who is in grade 3. Her English, like that of all of them, is not great so I only got to ask her if she likes school and is she good while she’s there. She said that she is good and she does like school.

For now Annie is still attending even though the day care rules clearly stated that the children must attend school in order to attend. Annie’s situation is unique and we will have to give it some consideration. Her father is alive and lives not far from her. This came as a surprise to both myself and Azikiwe who believed that she had lost both of her parents. In a sense she has lost them both since her father does not support her in any way. She went to him to ask him for school fees for grade 9 and he refused. The school fees for the Community Day Secondary where she could attend are approximately $20 per term. This is a small amount but at this time I can not offer to pay for her. If I do that I am setting a precedent which I can not yet afford. I feel bad for her because I know she’d like to go to school. That is why she is still being allowed to come for meals.

The children do not have mosquito nets. I think I need to find a way to buy one for each of them. The cost would be about $8 each. This is malaria season and it’s not good to be sleeping without protection. I sleep with a net in a house that is reasonably secure and I have been covered by mosquito bites.

Azikiwe and I discussed taking the kids to the lake at one point. I’m sure they’ve never been and would be amazed to see it. It’s not far from their home but it’s not something they would have experienced.

All in all it was a good visit. They are healthy and happy. Maggie told me she wants a small bicycle. I told her I’d like one too but that we can’t buy one for her. She’s bold. I like her.

I’m hoping that when the website is updated there will be a link on there where I can post the monthly spending reports so those people who have expressed concern about where their donations are being spent can see the cost of things. We are being very careful to use the money wisely and to ensure the kids have a healthy, balanced diet. Mabvuto stole most of the maize that was planted last year so we have not planted this year but it is something we are considering for the future.

Thanks for reading.

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

The kids went for gym this morning. When they came back, one boy, Madalitso, gave me a hug. You know I love the spontaneous hugs. After his hug I got two or three others. That made the day better.

Yesterday morning I woke up to find the biggest cockroach I’ve ever seen lounging in my kitchen sink.

Almakio came and killed it only to tell me that it wasn’t that big and there are others in our house. This thing was the size of my thumb. I thought that was bad so I went to town to buy some powder for killing them. Unfortunately I was unable to find the “Blue Death” I was looking for. I bought some insecticide that plugs into the outlets. Unfortunately the plug is not the same as the outlet. Why would they sell a product that does not work in this country? I have to go back to town to buy an extension cord with an adapter for that kind of plug.

Last night I was sitting enjoying a piece of bread with peanut butter and honey when something suddenly appeared in my shirt. I screamed and whipped off my shirt (luckily I was wearing 2). It was a cockroach. IN MY SHIRT. No this is not good.

That is the news from Malawi this week. I am in better spirits now having had a productive weekend and having seen my friend Denis. It was nice.

Tags: jennifer douma, malawi

Jennifer,

I would like to let you know that the money you wired whilst in Canada is in the Itatu account now.Thank you very much for all your efforts, we can discuss more when you come. The name of the new girl who replaced John is Rita Zingwa. Everything is going on well so far and i am sure the children will be happy to chat with you on Friday. Will this be alright with you? Please let me know.

I will call at least.

yebo
azikiwe

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

I have been asked if I have planted crops and built a building. For those who’ve been following my journey since the beginning you will recall that my previous manager was a thief and the day care was close to closing. As a result, I hired a new team to manage things. They are working hard to set things right. The previous manager left me with no option but to buy maize and beans for the year as planting is expensive. I have not planted crops, bought livestock or built any structures as of yet. I am being cautious about what I do with the money you have so generously donated.

I have been in Malawi for only two weeks. The day care is about a two hour drive from this city. As of yet I’ve not seen the children but I’ve spoken frequently to Azikiwe and I am confident that all is well.

Selfishly, I’ve spent these last two weeks trying to learn a new city, a new language, a new curriculum and a new way of life. I’ve been adjusting slowly and I apologize to those who feel I have not been forth coming with information about the orphans.

Thank you for reading,
Jennifer