I had never heard the expression "Poverty Tourism" until the Regional Director of the charity I worked for in Malawi used it. He was quite sceptical about the motives & use of the majority of volunteers. It made me think & that is good. We should question our actions & motives.
https://qz.com/665248/the-ethical-questions-that-every-traveler-should-ask-about-poverty-tourism/
This website raises 3 questions:-
1. What sort of consent or rights do the people being visited have?
2. What is the motivation of the people (tourists) doing the visiting?
3. Is the visit helpful to people on both sides of the equation?
Critics argue that this tourism is deeply exploitative, positioning the local people as inhabitants of a human zoo. On the other hand, is it equally, or
perhaps more unseemly, to spend vacations in privileged resorts and designated tourist areas, without actually interacting with the local population other than as servants?
Then there is the issue of charity giving & aid to countries like Africa. There is the argument that there should be less - giving a hungry man fish, & more - teaching him how to fish!
http://challengesworldwide.com/5363-2/
https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/04/9824422/
"Many factors have kept sub-Saharan Africa poor, e.g. famines, civil wars. Huge aid flows appear to have done little to change the development
trajectories of poor countries, particularly in Africa. This is not to do with a vicious circle of poverty,
waiting to be broken by foreign money. Poverty is instead created by
economic institutions that systematically block the incentives and
opportunities of poor people to make things better for themselves, their
neighbours and their country".
We have to find a way to give poor people real hope that they can raise their familes out of poverty & illiteracy. We have to intervene in small ways, which allow local people to be their own agents for change & independence.
We have to stop exploiting their natural resources. We have to stop tolerating their corrupt systems & governments. We should name & shame both individuals & governments. We know who they are.
http://www.africaranking.com/most-corrupt-african-countries/5/
Charities should all have a zero tolerance policy for bribery & corruption.
If we, the developed nations, can't solve the problems of poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy & sickness in the developing world, given our skills & resources, then I can't see the point of us. Unless it's just to keep what we have to ourselves at a huge cost to the poor in the rest of the world.
Friday 29 September 2017
Saturday 23 September 2017
Malawi - Home
Unpacked, washing done, ironing awaits, done big food shop in Sainsbury's, cleaner been. Had a lovely meal & evening with my daughter & one grandson yesterday. (The other one is boarding at school). Done three swims now - How wonderful to get some exercise rather than sitting in an office writing a training manual.
So - Life is more or less back to normal. Have resigned from my volunteer job working at the local Community Centre - A real pity, but my life is too short to tolerate the difficulties of managing elderly British volunteers & Malawi put it into perspective.
It all feels very familiar, but there is a disconnect somehow. I don't think you can go and work in a country as deprived as Malawi without it affecting everything in your life. It is the 6th poorest country in the world with a GDP per capita: $1139 (£844) - Nepal, where I have also worked, has a GDP per capita of $2,480 (£1838) & is the 28th poorest country. The United Kingdom is the 27th richest country in the world with a GDP per capita of $42,513 (£31,500) - (Todays exchange rate)
https://www.gfmag.com/global-data/economic-data/the-poorest-countries-in-the-world?page=12
But it isn't a question of statistics. It's a question of people. People who have so little. "Recurring droughts afflict Malawi's agriculture sector, threatening the livelihoods of Malawi's smallholder farmers, who constitute 80% of Malawi's population. 38% of Malawians live below the poverty line, and 47% of children are stunted -1 Aug 2017"
https://www.usaid.gov/malawi/agriculture-and-food-security
I think I need some time to reflect & internalise what I have seen. At the moment the imbalance seems intolerable. We who have so much & a huge portion of the world who have so little.
Brexit seems a mere media bubble to me at the moment. I can't connect with rich countries fighting & posturing over trade deals. There are much worse things to worry about in this world than who sells what to whom & economic migration within the EU.
So - Life is more or less back to normal. Have resigned from my volunteer job working at the local Community Centre - A real pity, but my life is too short to tolerate the difficulties of managing elderly British volunteers & Malawi put it into perspective.
It all feels very familiar, but there is a disconnect somehow. I don't think you can go and work in a country as deprived as Malawi without it affecting everything in your life. It is the 6th poorest country in the world with a GDP per capita: $1139 (£844) - Nepal, where I have also worked, has a GDP per capita of $2,480 (£1838) & is the 28th poorest country. The United Kingdom is the 27th richest country in the world with a GDP per capita of $42,513 (£31,500) - (Todays exchange rate)
https://www.gfmag.com/global-data/economic-data/the-poorest-countries-in-the-world?page=12
But it isn't a question of statistics. It's a question of people. People who have so little. "Recurring droughts afflict Malawi's agriculture sector, threatening the livelihoods of Malawi's smallholder farmers, who constitute 80% of Malawi's population. 38% of Malawians live below the poverty line, and 47% of children are stunted -1 Aug 2017"
https://www.usaid.gov/malawi/agriculture-and-food-security
I think I need some time to reflect & internalise what I have seen. At the moment the imbalance seems intolerable. We who have so much & a huge portion of the world who have so little.
Brexit seems a mere media bubble to me at the moment. I can't connect with rich countries fighting & posturing over trade deals. There are much worse things to worry about in this world than who sells what to whom & economic migration within the EU.
Monday 18 September 2017
Malawi - Travelling Round.
I haven't travelled South of Lilongwe. The furthest North & East I have been is Mzuzu & Lake Malawi. The furthest West is Kasungu National Park which is close to the border with Zambia. So although my body has registered every mile on bad roads, I haven't really had time to cover a lot of the country.
To me it is endlessly fascinating. All of life is there on the roads because most "villages" are strip development along both tarmac & dirt roads. Daily life; household tasks; caring for animals - chickens, goats & cows, & children, pounding food in a big pestle & mortar, cooking, washing, sweeping, chatting, all goes on outside because it's too hot inside & people are very sociable.
Traffic, both human and vehicular is constant. People walk long distances, the women often carrying big loads on their heads & also a baby on their back.
Everywhere I've been, even the most remote villages "in the field", there have been people selling something at the side of the road. Seemingly people sit, all day if necessary, in the shade if possible, but in the blazing heat if not, until their goods have been exchanged, usually for very small amounts of cash. The goods may vary, but the patience of the people for very little reward is humbling.
Published unemployment figures are - Youth unemployment 23%. National unemployment 21%. I am surprised, because this seems relatively low compared to what I've seen. Young people are being sold expectations which are not realistic in the current state of Malawian development - that if they work hard & go to school & then to college or apprenticeships of some sort they will get a good job. If their parents can afford private school, which is far, far, better than state education, they are very lucky. According to Malawi 24 - "Unemployment becomes a disease in Malawi: Graduates scrambling for non-graduate jobs".
Africa & Africans have a huge amount of potential. The problems are immense, but I have loved being here.
To me it is endlessly fascinating. All of life is there on the roads because most "villages" are strip development along both tarmac & dirt roads. Daily life; household tasks; caring for animals - chickens, goats & cows, & children, pounding food in a big pestle & mortar, cooking, washing, sweeping, chatting, all goes on outside because it's too hot inside & people are very sociable.
Traffic, both human and vehicular is constant. People walk long distances, the women often carrying big loads on their heads & also a baby on their back.
The simplest form of transport is the Kabasa - a bike with a makeshift
seat on the back & handlebars & foot rests if you are lucky. On a
dirt road I wouldn't risk it, but they seem completely safely balanced.
There are also shared taxis & mini buses packed tight with more people than you would believe. People do very long journeys lasting hours in these. I would be in agony & would melt with the heat.
Everywhere I've been, even the most remote villages "in the field", there have been people selling something at the side of the road. Seemingly people sit, all day if necessary, in the shade if possible, but in the blazing heat if not, until their goods have been exchanged, usually for very small amounts of cash. The goods may vary, but the patience of the people for very little reward is humbling.
Published unemployment figures are - Youth unemployment 23%. National unemployment 21%. I am surprised, because this seems relatively low compared to what I've seen. Young people are being sold expectations which are not realistic in the current state of Malawian development - that if they work hard & go to school & then to college or apprenticeships of some sort they will get a good job. If their parents can afford private school, which is far, far, better than state education, they are very lucky. According to Malawi 24 - "Unemployment becomes a disease in Malawi: Graduates scrambling for non-graduate jobs".
Africa & Africans have a huge amount of potential. The problems are immense, but I have loved being here.
Friday 15 September 2017
Malawi - Coming Home
This is the end of my final week developing a Training Manual for Branch Managers working for the MicroLoan Foundation. It's finished, much to my surprise, (given the short timescale), & huge relief, (because I really didn't want to have to work on it remotely from the UK).
It is a minor miracle that it's done, given how little I know about finance in general & Micro-Finance in particular. I have had some help, but it's been fairly intermittent. More of that in another Blog. I've just got Monday to do any revisions the CEO wants.
Then on Tuesday I'm starting the 2 day journey back to the UK for a good mug of breakfast tea with real milk, a hot shower with plenty of water pressure & a trip to M&S "Simply Food" for some treats. I'm also looking forward to no power cuts every day, my own bed & not being woken at 5am every morning by the kitchen help in the "Lodge"! My close friends know I'm not a morning person.
I will miss many things about Malawi. The sunshine. The landscape, which I love. The people, who seem to be eternally cheerful & friendly in the face of various levels of adversity.
It is a country which deserves to be better served by it's politicians - Check out Maize-gate for example to see how a Minister is currently in Court for a huge fiddle involving Zambian maize. He is by no means alone in defrauding the poorest of people.
I was talking to a Forestry NGO man who was telling me similar stories about misappropriation of money meant for tackling the huge problem of de-forestation. The people need wood. Most of the population live in very rural areas & use wood for almost everything - their fires for cooking, houses, stalls to sell goods, stockades for animals.....They just need to be taught not to cut down old hardwoods & to be given alternatives. Meanwhile money for projects is "diverted"
How can Malawian politicians treat their disadvantaged countrymen & women so badly in order to line their pockets? This in a supposedly very Christian country.
It is a minor miracle that it's done, given how little I know about finance in general & Micro-Finance in particular. I have had some help, but it's been fairly intermittent. More of that in another Blog. I've just got Monday to do any revisions the CEO wants.
Then on Tuesday I'm starting the 2 day journey back to the UK for a good mug of breakfast tea with real milk, a hot shower with plenty of water pressure & a trip to M&S "Simply Food" for some treats. I'm also looking forward to no power cuts every day, my own bed & not being woken at 5am every morning by the kitchen help in the "Lodge"! My close friends know I'm not a morning person.
I will miss many things about Malawi. The sunshine. The landscape, which I love. The people, who seem to be eternally cheerful & friendly in the face of various levels of adversity.
It is a country which deserves to be better served by it's politicians - Check out Maize-gate for example to see how a Minister is currently in Court for a huge fiddle involving Zambian maize. He is by no means alone in defrauding the poorest of people.
I was talking to a Forestry NGO man who was telling me similar stories about misappropriation of money meant for tackling the huge problem of de-forestation. The people need wood. Most of the population live in very rural areas & use wood for almost everything - their fires for cooking, houses, stalls to sell goods, stockades for animals.....They just need to be taught not to cut down old hardwoods & to be given alternatives. Meanwhile money for projects is "diverted"
How can Malawian politicians treat their disadvantaged countrymen & women so badly in order to line their pockets? This in a supposedly very Christian country.
Monday 11 September 2017
Malawi - Questions
What is normal?
Well that very much depends on an accident of birth & how lucky you are. Here very little is recognisable as normal to Western eyes. Dreadful dirt roads & dust is normal. Trying to cultivate food in earth, which is only once removed from sand, is normal. Very basic, small, mud brick housing with reed or tin roofs, which accommodates many people is normal. Scratching an existence & earning a pittance is normal. Having big families, so most of the population is very young, is normal. Not having a job is normal. Lack of choice is normal. I could go on, but I'm sure I don't need to.
However what is also normal is a general happy disposition & much laughter. An almost universal entrepreneurial spirit is necessary to survive. As is unbelievable stoicism & patience - a willingness to tolerate a life most of us couldn't. People believe in helping each other. Not just their immediate family, but huge extended families. If a relative, however distant, or unknown, turns up & asks for help, it is your duty to provide it - they are " your blood".
I have huge admiration for Malawians. I also find some of the cultural differences in work practices deeply frustrating, both to achieving what I set out to do working here, but also to the prospect of the country lifting itself out of poverty.
Normal needs to be challenged & become less normal. People need to have rights, to good education & health care for example. Politicians need to get off their backsides & stop filling their coffers at the expense of the people they are supposed to serve. NGOs need to consider carefully whether they are really helping. Vast amounts of money is wasted or " diverted".
This is a really interesting experience. I am meeting some really interesting people & having truly mind expanding conversations with almost everyone I meet, both old & young.
I doubt I will be the same person when I return.
Well that very much depends on an accident of birth & how lucky you are. Here very little is recognisable as normal to Western eyes. Dreadful dirt roads & dust is normal. Trying to cultivate food in earth, which is only once removed from sand, is normal. Very basic, small, mud brick housing with reed or tin roofs, which accommodates many people is normal. Scratching an existence & earning a pittance is normal. Having big families, so most of the population is very young, is normal. Not having a job is normal. Lack of choice is normal. I could go on, but I'm sure I don't need to.
However what is also normal is a general happy disposition & much laughter. An almost universal entrepreneurial spirit is necessary to survive. As is unbelievable stoicism & patience - a willingness to tolerate a life most of us couldn't. People believe in helping each other. Not just their immediate family, but huge extended families. If a relative, however distant, or unknown, turns up & asks for help, it is your duty to provide it - they are " your blood".
I have huge admiration for Malawians. I also find some of the cultural differences in work practices deeply frustrating, both to achieving what I set out to do working here, but also to the prospect of the country lifting itself out of poverty.
Normal needs to be challenged & become less normal. People need to have rights, to good education & health care for example. Politicians need to get off their backsides & stop filling their coffers at the expense of the people they are supposed to serve. NGOs need to consider carefully whether they are really helping. Vast amounts of money is wasted or " diverted".
This is a really interesting experience. I am meeting some really interesting people & having truly mind expanding conversations with almost everyone I meet, both old & young.
I doubt I will be the same person when I return.
Thursday 7 September 2017
Malawi - Ups & Downs.
This morning was a bit of a low.
Finally - today I got
some money from an ATM. Goodness knows why, but my card has been blocked all week & I can't change sterling in a bank without having an account, which I don't want. I was just about down to my last Kwatcha & I
owe money. Then I was able to buy some airtime on my phone from Airtel.
So now I can phone & text at last.
The
last 24 hours have been one thing after another, but that's only to be expected.
It's deeply frustrating to have so many, such long, power cuts & no water pressure for a shower, (I'm not sure when I last had one!). I lost almost a whole document I had written for the Training Manual I'm creating because of a power cut. (I thought the computer had been set up with autosave). There are cultural differences with the way people work here & this project has to be completed by the time I go in 8 working days. Too complicated to go into, but its all a bit much.
The food situation last night was dire. Our pasta was cooking on a barbecue because of the outage & the glass dish exploded. The food & glass pieces fell into the charcoal so we couldn't eat it. It was already late, but fortunately, for the first time we had a car at the lodge, so we went to a local hotel for a meal. We thought we would try goat - it was inedible, really tough. So we just ate the chips & coleslaw. A big group from Thames Water were there to do some water project - They obviously get their expenses paid in better accommodation!
It's deeply frustrating to have so many, such long, power cuts & no water pressure for a shower, (I'm not sure when I last had one!). I lost almost a whole document I had written for the Training Manual I'm creating because of a power cut. (I thought the computer had been set up with autosave). There are cultural differences with the way people work here & this project has to be completed by the time I go in 8 working days. Too complicated to go into, but its all a bit much.
The food situation last night was dire. Our pasta was cooking on a barbecue because of the outage & the glass dish exploded. The food & glass pieces fell into the charcoal so we couldn't eat it. It was already late, but fortunately, for the first time we had a car at the lodge, so we went to a local hotel for a meal. We thought we would try goat - it was inedible, really tough. So we just ate the chips & coleslaw. A big group from Thames Water were there to do some water project - They obviously get their expenses paid in better accommodation!
Very
late to bed. Didn't sleep well, kitchen girls start at 5.00 every day.
I'm going to have a day out or possibly two at the weekend - either going to Kasungu National Park or to Lilongwe. It depends on driver availablilty.
I'm going to have a day out or possibly two at the weekend - either going to Kasungu National Park or to Lilongwe. It depends on driver availablilty.
But I've got a Geko in my room I call George!
Wednesday 6 September 2017
Malawi - Accommodation
I have lived in Lodges while I am here - 4 different ones so far - one in the capital Lilongwe, which is run by Marists, one in Kasungu which is privately run by a family, one in Nkhotakota right on Lake Malawi, & finally one in Nkhata Bay, again on Lake Malawi. The first two are basically bungalows. The tourist ones are purpose built.
As an aged "Mzunga" Volunteer I am being put in "good" accommodation, not even approaching 4 - 5* obviously. The first two are basic. The two on Lake Malawi are aimed at tourists, although both were almost empty. Just a French couple in the first one. The location is lovely.
There are things which are beyond control. The words " no pressure" & " go with the flow" have entirely different meanings in Malawi. Getting a hot shower is a daily issue. The water in Kasungu was off for over a week because of the electricity company. So once the water was used up in a tank, if you have one, there is none. Fortunately I was at Lake Malawi when that happened.
The electricity goes off for hours daily. So if you have solar you can have some light, but it isn't enough to run the pumps. So again showers are not an option. Cooking has to be done over fires.
But, and it's a big but, I am well cared for by nice people. I am fed at least twice a day. I have a clean room & ensuite facilities, a comfortable bed. I meet lots of people who are really interesting to talk to. I am much better informed about Africa in general & Malawi in particular.
The contrast between me & the vast majority of people living here simply could not be greater. If you haven't travelled for ages over dreadful dirt roads to remote villages in an old 4WD you have no idea. Seeing it on TV is not the same, this is the reality. These people literally have nothing. They can survive if they can eat something & they don't get sick. If the crops fail, which they do, they have nothing to eat & nothing to sell. Families are big, there are a lot of children to support. It is subsistence living at a really basic level & surviving is a daily round of hard work in the heat.
So, I'm not in any position to complain. I am extremely lucky. I have everything I need here. Back in the UK I am extremely privileged. When I get back to the UK I hope I will remember that & appreciate it properly.
As an aged "Mzunga" Volunteer I am being put in "good" accommodation, not even approaching 4 - 5* obviously. The first two are basic. The two on Lake Malawi are aimed at tourists, although both were almost empty. Just a French couple in the first one. The location is lovely.
There are things which are beyond control. The words " no pressure" & " go with the flow" have entirely different meanings in Malawi. Getting a hot shower is a daily issue. The water in Kasungu was off for over a week because of the electricity company. So once the water was used up in a tank, if you have one, there is none. Fortunately I was at Lake Malawi when that happened.
The electricity goes off for hours daily. So if you have solar you can have some light, but it isn't enough to run the pumps. So again showers are not an option. Cooking has to be done over fires.
But, and it's a big but, I am well cared for by nice people. I am fed at least twice a day. I have a clean room & ensuite facilities, a comfortable bed. I meet lots of people who are really interesting to talk to. I am much better informed about Africa in general & Malawi in particular.
The contrast between me & the vast majority of people living here simply could not be greater. If you haven't travelled for ages over dreadful dirt roads to remote villages in an old 4WD you have no idea. Seeing it on TV is not the same, this is the reality. These people literally have nothing. They can survive if they can eat something & they don't get sick. If the crops fail, which they do, they have nothing to eat & nothing to sell. Families are big, there are a lot of children to support. It is subsistence living at a really basic level & surviving is a daily round of hard work in the heat.
So, I'm not in any position to complain. I am extremely lucky. I have everything I need here. Back in the UK I am extremely privileged. When I get back to the UK I hope I will remember that & appreciate it properly.
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