Hospitals and the End of Camp

My two favorite children. It is hard to say goodbye.

Hospitals and the End of Camp

Well those who know me know that any trip I am on is not complete without a trip to the hospital. Luckily, being in Africa, the only thing wrong was a ear and sinus infection. I definitely did not want to fly 27 hours with sinus pressure!! So after to days of taking medication I now have a voice back, can breath and am not coughing every 5 minutes. It was definitely worth the 4,500 kw it cost (about $26). It is amazing that I can see a doctor, from the states, and get medicine here for a little more than my co-pay back home.

The last camp ended yesterday. Everyone really loved the school. The job of the team leader, my job for the week was just OK. I guess it was good for me to see the organization of the program but I really missed working with the kids. From talking to the other volunteers and listening to the presentations It seems as if some of the teachers were very hard to work with because they had been drinking or where drunk. Two teachers even wrote a presented a poem during the presentation and they were definitely under the influence. It is sad that these people choose these behaviors. Teachers are so important especially here where they could provide such needed guidance and assistance to the young people. I know that the Malawian government has a difficult time requiting and retaining teachers because it is such a difficult position, but it is hard to see people who are not dedicated or do not make good choices left to the education of any child. The head master and deputy head master seemed to like our curriculum and support World Camps ideals. They let us present the donated condoms at the presentation, in front of the community. I think that this small gesture shows forward thinking and acceptance of the problems. And this is a good start for sure. If the adults are not willing to talk about sex and how it causes AIDS kids will continue to have no knowledge and therefore the problems will continue.

Many of my blog readers have asked about the ease of getting condoms once World Camp leaves. In many villages it is not easy. Hospitals and clinics will give them for free but the villages we have worked at are between 8-20 km from the nearest one. Now this does not sound far but with no car, few bikes and bad roads many villagers have never taken a trip that far. Condoms are often for sale at the local market areas but many people either don’t have the money to buy them or are embarrassed to ask because then people will know they are having sex. This is I believe it is so important to discuss sex with many villagers here. In public it is viewed as a taboo subject. People do not talk to their partners or the children about it because it is this hush hush thing that shouldn’t happen, yet im many villages children are starting to have sex between 10-12. I see a real disconnect there between the ideas on sex, and what is occurring. It seems that hiding it is not helping, but instead the lack of knowledge is making it more prevalent.

There are a lot of things I am going to miss about being here. I have really enjoyed learning about a new culture and way of life. It is impossible, even from my pictures and videos to really understand the number of challenges that these children face, some just to go to school each day. But I find so many people here who are warm and open and want to change they just need the skills and knowledge. I hope that my being here, World Camp being here has helped. I am excited about the governments role in wanting to change and from hearing that many NOGs are looking into forming networks so that a wider range of needs is covered by all the groups working in Malawi.

I am not sure who this trip has effected me as a person or as a teacher and I am not sure I will know for a while. One thing that it has shown me is that the kids in the states are very privileged and have been given so many tools to succeed. They have all this opportunity at their fingertips and as their teacher I cannot let it slip away because somewhere there is a child without all those things struggling to reach his or her dreams. Although I cannot help every child all over the world I can make sure that my students find success in everything they do.

Yesterday after camp we acted like the azungus that we are. We had been joking about celebrating Obama’s birthday. So Jaren, the only Canadian here, brought a bunch of Malawian fire works (bottle rockets) and gave us a surprise Obama party. It was a lot of fun and our neighbors probably thought we were crazy shooting of rockets yelling and singing.
Tonight we are going to to dinner to celebrate and out to the only bar in Area 3 called Diplomats. Three people leave tomorrow morning. I have to make one last trip to the fabric and craft market. I have lost of random stuff to try to trade with the market vendors. We will see how good my bargaining really is. And I am hoping to maybe play with the babies at the nursery one last time. So now I am ending my trip. Hopefully I can talk to most off you all in person and I will post more pics on Facebook.

Refugee Camp and the Lake, Our Last Weekend Hurrah

Cooking Chippies
Beach "Bums"
At the Refugee Camp

On Friday we visited the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi. This camp has refugees from 10 African nations, but most are from Rwanda or Congo. There are a total of 11,000 people living in the camp. Upon arrival the camp was not what I had expected or imagined in my head. I guess I have seen too many movies. There were no gates keeping the refugees inside the camp. When I inquired why this was I was saddened by the answer that , “no the refugees cannot leave the camp, but there are no gates because the people have nowhere to go.” I guess this makes sense. If they had access to live somewhere else, to get a job, or family members somewhere to help them they would not have ever come to the camp in the first place. There was not a vast difference in the houses in the camp compared to those in the villages. But what did strike me was how closed in the camp felt. There were buildings everywhere you looked. Many were almost attached reminding me of row house. You could literally stick your head out one window and reach into your neighbor’s home. The children played in the dusty streets between the homes. What struck me most was the lack of any vegetation or green life. The entire time we were there I saw one small tree. It lent to a feeling of hopelessness. Everything was brown and covered in dust. The kids were dirtier than we have seen in any camp. I know that the villagers live hard lives, but these people have witnessed horrors, and have ran away from their countries in fear of their lives. Now many of them are almost in a state of limbo. They cannot go home because of wars, and ruins but there is not anything for them in Malawi.

I was happy to get to talk to one of the teachers at the refugee camp school. There is only 1 school in the entire camp. There are 4,000 students enrolled in the primary (elementary and middle) school and 350 in the secondary (high) school. The man I talked to was named James. He was one of the few refugees who worked at the school. Most of the 52 teachers are from Malawi. The reason being they teach the Malawian curriculum and it is in English. Most of the refugees speak either French or Swahili. So not only are the schools extremely over enrolled, but the kids do not even speak the language they are being taught in. The school is run and funded by the Jesuit Church but James said that there were very few supplies. I am greatly saddened by the number of students that continue from primary to secondary school. Based on the enrollment numbers there are about 500 kids in each grade for primary school and only 80 or so in secondary. I hate to see these kids not receiving an education, but also wonder what they must be doing instead of going to school in the camp. In many of the villages students leave school because of money, this school is paid for, or to help with crops but there is little farming to be done in the camp. I wonder if that many more are needed at home because of illness of parents or if it is just a lack of interest. I got James’ e-mail address and he wanted mine as well. He has a family of 4. Three of his children were born outside of the camp, but his youngest daughter at the age of 3 has never been outside its walls.

I enjoy meeting people in his country. I know they all want to stay in contact and become “friends” which to most of them means a monetary relationship. I wish there was more I could do. More we could do to help. I would like to continue building these relationships because I feel that the work that is being done is very important. This was evident when we were working with the refugees groups. We conducted small group discussions and education sessions about HIV and AIDS. Although the day was enjoyable and there is a great need for us to be there, it was one of the more frustrating teaching experiences since I have been here. We were told to start with a quick review of transmission and prevention, but most of the people in the group did not know any of the basics. The condom demo was difficult, after we passed them all out 5-10 people said they did not get any, which they did. Looking on the positive side, they were taking the condoms to hopefully use them and keep safe. The discussion about stigma and misconceptions was very difficult. We had never met any of the people before. they had no reason to trust our answers over information they had heard from friends and neighbors within the camp and they did not believe or told stories to contradict much of what we said. This was the second time World Camp has been to Dzaleka, and I hope they go again because I see a great need for the people there.

After we left the camp we drove to Lake Malawi which some call the Calendar Lake because it is 365 miles from top to bottom. The lake was really pretty and looked more like an ocean. It was immediately evident while driving through the village on our way to the camp area that living in an area with tourists effects the level of poverty. The people were still poor, but there were things like glass in windows and doors on homes. Things that sadly many villages lack. We got to watch a soccer game for young men. Most of them play barefoot, but my favorite was one boy who wore one cleat on his kicking foot. They played in sand which must be exhausting to run in. I also got to experience my favorite village food. These are called samosas. The ones I like the best are potato filled. They are made from a product similar to phyllo dough and something, rice, meat potato, is wrapped inside before being fried. They are eaten in about 3 bites and sell for about 10-20 kwacha each, about 15 cents. They also sell fried dough, like large doughnut holes and chippies, french fries that are delicious if cooked extra crispy and covered in a spicy pepper relish or tomato sauce. One of the best things about being at the lake was walking through the village. I have not had a chance to do that even though we drive by the village markets on the way to camps we are too busy ever to stop at them. Each person has a small stand and sells fruits, veggies, buckets, fabric and little baggies of oil. The grossest is the fish and meat markets. The fish are all just dried on the tables with flies buzzing around them and the dead goats and pigs are skinned and hang from ceilings. Believe me, I have not have meat cravings in Africa!!!

We mostly spent a relaxing two days at the beach. We talked to other travelers, sat on the beach or in comfy chairs and read. Both mornings I got up around 6 and went to the chairs by the beach with my sleeping bag and slept there. We also watched the locals bath, wash clothes and play in the surf.