Les det første rapport fra Malawi fra Ellen
Ellen kommer fra Spania. Hun har trent som frivillig ved College for International
Cooperation and Development (CICD) i 6 måneder. Hun har nylig ankommet Malawi,
hvor hun har overtatt etter Airi på Mikolongwe yrkesskole
The Beginning:
Once we settled in Mikolongwe, we managed to organise our house over the weekend and
started to get familiar with the surroundings. And then… the kids started to show up! First
one, then another one, and then … around 60 excited children came to see us in two days!
Then came our first Monday morning, and WOW!!! What surprise!
On Monday mornings, the school has a weekly Assembly where the students usually sing.
Even though most of them speak and sing in Chichewa, the music speaks for itself. It was
absolutely beautiful.
During the first and second weeks, we followed a schedule together with our Project leaders
– visiting and meeting the community leader of Mikolongwe (who welcomed us warmly) and
visiting a preschool called Nazareth. The school facilities needed improvement – broken
walls, damaged roof, no tables, no chairs, no board, no learning materials — and no toys.
Making toys for the preschool children:
While we were waiting for meetings and decisions to be taken and announced by the PLs
(project Leaders), we decided to start working with the students on how they can impact the
reality for some kids in the community.
The students accepted the challenge, and we did the first moves together by developing
different toy patterns. The idea behind the toys would be to channel the needs of the children
and help them to explore their creativity.
For the toy production, we used leftover fabrics. It was important to have the support of the
MVS in providing the reusable materials. In case we need more fabric – we could ask DAPP
Shops for their leftovers so we can start upcycling, and, in this way, there is no waste.
Improving sports facilities at the school:
Watching some football matches at the school, we noticed that there were very few places to
sit, and the available seating was all under the sun or rain—which can be extremely harsh in
Malawi. With that in mind, we proposed the idea of building benches and shelters for
spectators.
Additionally, in the area of sports, Belén identified the need to improve the volleyball court.
The plan is to transform the current soil court into a sand court, possibly repair the net
poles, and purchase more balls. We were actively working together to bring this project to
life and making the budget to do it. In the next report, we will have more news about it!
Personal reflections of the first month at Mokolongwe Vocational School:
From the moment we arrived at the National Headquarters – we were treated with respect
and immediately noticed how friendly and welcoming most people were.
When we arrived in Mikolongwe, we were provided with a comfortable home base, and
guidance on what we needed to do. The two-week schedule was a great initiative that
helped us settle in smoothly.
The teachers have been interacting with us and assisting.
Some are shy, while others are more open, but we have been able to communicate well
with all of them.
The students are wonderful. Like the teachers, some are quite shy, while others are more
eager to form friendships with us. We’ve already braided our hair with some students,
played games with others, and even gone on walks together. There are people here who
will undoubtedly remain in my life forever.
The children in the community also made us feel incredibly welcomed. Every
afternoon we talked, played games, and simply spent time together. They loved taking
pictures and playing, always sharing their smiles and happiness with us.
Greetings from Ellen and Bela:
The first two weeks were especially challenging due to all the changes and balancing our
responsibilities — housekeeping, cooking, and, most importantly, our activities within the DI
Programme — to ensure everything ran smoothly.
Both of us are committed to doing a good job here in an ethical, fair and friendly way. At the
same time, we would like to push for improvements in the place.
