After quite a few days of discussions with the client and with Eoghan Mackie, the Challenges Worldwide MD in Edinburgh, the big one is going ahead. This is great news, because it's a significant and extremely worthwhile project with the potential to make a positive difference to the lives of a large number of Malawians in rural areas.
I've got to spend much of this weekend on some preparatory work, finalising the detailed project plan, before it kicks off for real in the coming week when the clients are visiting Blantyre, and I'll be meeting up with some of the project team in Lilongwe at the end of the week. The current intention is that I'll relocate to Lilongwe from Monday 12 July, possibly for up to four weeks.
I'm going to be project managing the entire process, which involves multi-disciplinary and multinational teams including people from the client's operations, suppliers, my colleagues in Blantyre, and others, so I'll be relying heavily on my PRINCE2 project management skills.
I'm likely to be staying in the house that has been leased by Challenges Worldwide to accommodate volunteer lawyers who will be coming out to Malawi to work on a new justice programme, but there's space there at the moment, so it makes sense to use it. I don't know at this stage whether I'll return to Blantyre each weekend - it's 4+ hours each way on the bus, and it will also depend on what I can do about having access to transport - I'm not particularly keen on being trapped in an albeit comfortable house for entire weekends.
We'll see what happens.
Friday, 2 July 2010
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Malaria
I went to a meeting of the Society of Malawi at the Blantyre Sports Club this evening.
It took the form of a panel discussion and open forum on the subject of Malaria in Malawi, chaired by Professor Malcolm Molyneux, a British doctor who is an expert in the field and is based at the hospital here. He was joined by four doctors involved in the battle against the disease in Malawi, including a paediatrician, an entomologist, a doctor with extensive experience of working in the rural areas in Malawi, and another who specialises in communicating about the disease and its treatment.
Whilst on the face of it, this could have been a "dry" evening, it turned out to be really interesting. Although working from an admittedly low base, I learned a huge amount about how malaria works, what impact it can have on those who contract it, and what initiatives are being undertaken in Malawi to address the issues. Malaria is transmitted by infected female Anopheles mosquitos. These mosquitos are known as "vectors" - the vehicles for the transfer of the malarial parasites to and between humans, but are in effect innocents exploited by the parasites. The female mosquitos need to get to red blood cells to allow them to produce fertile eggs. If they bite an infected person or animal, the parasites are taken into the mosquito's gut where they develop for a few days before the mosquito bites again when they move across into the potentially uninfected victim.
It was frightening to learn, for example, that only around 50% of children who contract malaria and have a fever actually present at a hospital or health centre. The mortality rate is still quite high, especially for children, but is improving.
But at the same time, there is significant progress being made. Particularly impressive was the fact that since 2003, the proportion of children under 5 years old sleeping under impregnated nets in Malawi has increased from 3% to over 60%, thanks in large part to the provision of donor-funded mosquito nets into the country.
Lesson for the day - definitely use a mosquito net. Having said that, being winter here, and with Blantyre being quite high up, it's a bit cold for mosquitos right now - December to April are key months and by then I'll be out of here.
Whilst on the face of it, this could have been a "dry" evening, it turned out to be really interesting. Although working from an admittedly low base, I learned a huge amount about how malaria works, what impact it can have on those who contract it, and what initiatives are being undertaken in Malawi to address the issues. Malaria is transmitted by infected female Anopheles mosquitos. These mosquitos are known as "vectors" - the vehicles for the transfer of the malarial parasites to and between humans, but are in effect innocents exploited by the parasites. The female mosquitos need to get to red blood cells to allow them to produce fertile eggs. If they bite an infected person or animal, the parasites are taken into the mosquito's gut where they develop for a few days before the mosquito bites again when they move across into the potentially uninfected victim.
It was frightening to learn, for example, that only around 50% of children who contract malaria and have a fever actually present at a hospital or health centre. The mortality rate is still quite high, especially for children, but is improving.
But at the same time, there is significant progress being made. Particularly impressive was the fact that since 2003, the proportion of children under 5 years old sleeping under impregnated nets in Malawi has increased from 3% to over 60%, thanks in large part to the provision of donor-funded mosquito nets into the country.
Lesson for the day - definitely use a mosquito net. Having said that, being winter here, and with Blantyre being quite high up, it's a bit cold for mosquitos right now - December to April are key months and by then I'll be out of here.
Sharife Returns
I drove to the airport after work this evening to pick up Sharife, back after his week in his native Australia where he'd been to see his parents, attend a wedding, and see his brother's new baby.
His journey was long and arduous, so it must have been pleasing for Sharife that on his arrival back in Malawi, he was waiting for his bag in the baggage hall when the airport power failed, and he was left groping in the dark to try and locate his luggage. Meanwhile outside in the arrivals hall I was waiting for him whilst passengers emerged from customs with heavily-laden trolleys (many with wonky wheels) in the pitch black with the inevitable consequence of multiple pile-ups, yelps of pain as trolley met ankle or leg, and general carnage all around.
Thankfully the power came back on relatively quickly so the injury toll wasn't too bad.
Welcome back to Malawi, Sharife.
His journey was long and arduous, so it must have been pleasing for Sharife that on his arrival back in Malawi, he was waiting for his bag in the baggage hall when the airport power failed, and he was left groping in the dark to try and locate his luggage. Meanwhile outside in the arrivals hall I was waiting for him whilst passengers emerged from customs with heavily-laden trolleys (many with wonky wheels) in the pitch black with the inevitable consequence of multiple pile-ups, yelps of pain as trolley met ankle or leg, and general carnage all around.
Thankfully the power came back on relatively quickly so the injury toll wasn't too bad.
Welcome back to Malawi, Sharife.
Sunday, 27 June 2010
A Taste For Tea
This morning, Chris and I set off in Daisy to drive down to Mulanje to take a look at the tea plantations. We also drove on to the Mozambique border.
There are some spectacular mountains that rise up steeply and majestically from their foothills, and the area is much greener than around Blantyre. On the way down there, we passed the usual array of roadside stalls selling bananas and sugar cane, but there were very few vehicles around apart from the occasional minibus plying its trade between Blantyre and the border
When we reached the tea plantations, I was just amazed at how far they reached - they stretched for miles and miles, and looked meticulous - all the bushes being trimmed to the same height. There were two colours of bush: one a bright vibrant green, and the other much darker. Unfortunately the plantations aren't open to visit on Sundays, so getting the full story will have to wait for another occasion.
After we'd reached the border and turned round, we headed for the Kara O'Mula Country Lodge situated about 2kms above Mulanje town, up a narrow road (with the emphasis on the word "up"). In my Bradt guide to Malawi, it says:
We stopped in the Lodge for a quick drink before heading back to Blantyre (I've got a meeting this afternoon before we head off to Sally's to watch the England v Germany match at 4pm).
More pictures are on Flickr.
".. this stylishly rustic lodge has been converted from a former District Commissioner's residence built in 1905."It also says that it has one of the best restaurants in Mulanje, but we didn't have time to test that out.
We stopped in the Lodge for a quick drink before heading back to Blantyre (I've got a meeting this afternoon before we head off to Sally's to watch the England v Germany match at 4pm).
More pictures are on Flickr.
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