International

It’s hard to try to explain anything about my life in Malawi. I have trouble believing that I’m the one actually living it most days. There is a part of me that remains in denial, cannot believe I am in Africa, as if I’m still in Canada and this has been some elaborate reality television prank. But I’m here, and I’m usually glad for it. I have finally set up home in Dowa, which is about 8km away from the Dzaleka Refugee camp where I work as an academic tutor for the refugees taking part in an online university diploma program. When asked whether Dowa (pronounced with drawn out syllables as dough-uh) is a village or a city, you will get all kinds of answers. A better way to imagine it is to think of it as an area, with mini villages and neighborhoods throughout. The Gloucester of Malawi.

I’ve tried to break down my daily schedule here to give a sense what a day in my life is like.

People are awake and doing things around 4 am, and are taken aback when their desire to talk to me at 5:30-6:00 clashes with my indulgent desire to sleep into 6:30. Oh the idle pleasures of the mzungu (white person). When i do get out of bed, i stumble about, trying to avoid the bugs on my floor, taking the various medications necessary for this exotic adventure, and trying to remember how I got here. Oh, I use a currently unplugged refrigerator as a cupboard. It’s really handy, as otherwise my things get filled with salamanders (true story), although I am trying not to get too attached, as there will likely come a day when my roommates have something they want to keep cold.

Transportation is neither particularly safe nor reliable, so I try to walk to camp every day. According to my roommate Chloe’s pedometer, the walk is over 8km and takes us about an hour and a half, as it is mostly hills and not much pavement. Cute goats though. Along the way, children scream and squeal, overwhelmed at the hilarious sight of the mzungus. Some ask for money, but most are just tickled to get to look at me and my alien self.

Work usually starts around 8:30. The work is not easy, but can be very satisfying. My supervisor has allowed that I have more control over the structure of my day. This is a much more flexible environment than I am used to in Canada and I still am having trouble adjusting. Typically my work involves sitting down with the students individually and going over their assignments/forum posts for their current course (appropriately) Intercultural Communication. I am working the second year university students, so they are very independent and rarely ask for my help. Regardless, I try to gently insert myself in as minimally annoying way as is possible. Jokes are involved (issues with cross-cultural senses of humor decrease daily).

It can sometimes be difficult to establish myself as a figure of semi-authority and respect, so that the students want my help. The refugee students are mostly from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC or, affectionately, Dr Congo), with a few from Burundi and Rwanda. In the camp there are also refugees from Ethiopia and Somalia, but none who’ve been accepted into the JRS HEM (Jesuit Refugee Service Higher Educations at the Margins) program. Anyways, as the students have told me (both in conversation and in reading their papers on identity), women in Africa typically take a subordinate role to men, so it is different from them to be looking to myself and my female colleagues for advice.

After a casual lunch in our preferred ‘restaurant’ in camp, where the girls eat beans and ‘chapatti’ and I scarf the African version of doughnuts (sometimes called a fritter or mandazi) and chai (to soften the occasionally tough treat), there is a shorter afternoon session. Usually the internet stalls up from its not-so-speedy-but-very-manageable- morning version to a version that is mostly unusable. The students and I are still very lucky to have daily access to this internet, which is powered by an advanced solar power system on top of the building.

I am finished around 4:30 every day. Sometimes I can grab a minibus right home, which is ideal. Other times I wait for over an hour, pacing and worrying about the consequences of being outside after
dark. Rations for the refugees have been delayed a week, so I am surrounded by starving people. Usually I feel pretty safe, but I have had some…tense encounters with some people who view me as a rich person who is deliberately choosing not to help them. I can empathize, despite having no real concept of the kind of desperation that would accompany hunger. This, and other issues of meeting basic human needs within the camp, causes me a great deal of internal conflict. I want to be helping, am trying to help, yet here I am, providing education, while people starve and their homes collapse in the rains. It makes it difficult to feel like I am helping at all. Anyways, I am trying not to be a defeatist. The camp is incredibly developed in comparison with many refugee camps worldwide and most people are glad to have the support of JRS. I cannot curse my metaphorical candle for providing insufficient light, lest I allow darkness to win. Maybe.

Ideally, I am home for no later than 5:30, as it gets dark by about 6:30. We’ve all been strongly advised against being outside after dark meaning, as yet, I do not even know what Malawi looks like after 7. I’ll have some night escapes in the future but, for the time being, I am so exhausted after work I really have no desire to go anywhere. What I look forward to after work is trying to wash the grime off my body (for 2 minutes I am clean and then the cycle restarts). I have limited clothing so am usually caught trying
weigh the benefits of feeling clean and comfortable for the evening against using up all my clothes and having to do more laundry. Other than my ‘delicates’, I am able to have my laundry washed by hand by the niece of the woman I live with for about 2 dollars. Having a non-family member look after my chores feels very strange to me. I become extremely self-conscious of my ‘white privilege’, even when having different people to look after different chores is very common in African Culture. It’s one of a few typical ways for the younger members in a family to earn money (like an allowance). Still…

With an hour and a half before dinner at 7:00, I usually do mini-chores, sit down, and try to decompress. My audio novels on my laptop brought me a considerable amount of pleasure for the first few weeks I was here. However, they have expired from the library, as they only have a 2 week limit. I intend to try a mission to make Ottawa’s public library accommodate me here in Malawi. Mission Not Entirely Improbable.

For dinner, the host family is really trying to accommodate us, even creating what they call “irish potatoes” (mashed) and “spahghett) (spaghetti) to go with our various pieces of goat and cow. There is always a vegetable component (called relish regardless of what vegetable is used), but I have learned this does not sit well with my stomach. There goes my green consumption. I really appreciate the effort, even if my craving for the abundant food selections of home sometimes leaves me in a bittersweet reverie. Being a ‘foodie’ is both a privilege and a curse. Every meal has a starch (usually rice as they know we prefer it to nsima), some protein (meat or eggs), and the greens. The other interns and I usually have a stash of a seasonal fruit in the back for later; I regret that mango season is coming to a close.

After dinner, around 7:30-8:00, I usually speak on the phone (most often mother). It helps me center myself and reconnect to home. Apparently Canada is still cold in my absence. Well, I’ll be…

Somewhere thereafter (8:00-8:30) I try to prepare for the next day. Clothes, bag, snacks. More pills, and then a mad dash into bed. On a good day, there will only have been a minor power outage. On a less
good day, I will have been relying on my flashlight and glowbugs to orient myself. Note to future interns, I scoffed at the suggestions of a head lamp, but it would be really useful. Stay tuned for an upcoming list I will make of all the essential things to pack for Malawi. Anyways, flashlight on, I turn off the lights and go to bed, hoping rain will come during the night and keep the otherwise…chatty? boisterous…dogs quiet, but not enough that I will have to tread an unbearably muddy path the next day.

Being here, I want to be better than I am. I try to be present, but I get caught up, planning the future. Hoping. Wishing. Dreaming. It’s a challenge of self, so hopefully I like what I find out.

I am writing this from Nairobi’s JKAI Airport where I first touched down on African soil some three months ago. It’s incredible to think of the personal and professional changes I’ve undergone as a result of the internship, and how much my education has both hindered and enhanced my experience and understanding thereof.

In my first internship blog, written for World University Service of Canada’s (WUSC) Students Without Borders (SWB) blog site, I was extremely cautious of what in feminist/gender studies is called ‘the white wo/man’s burden’. The concept comes from the colonial belief that it is the “white” or “Western” world’s responsibility to “rescue” the third world, as they are deemed “incapable” of self determination. Specifically I said: “In the course of my engagement with Women’s Studies the issue of “the white wo/man’s burden” was a recurring source of debate and disagreement. As such, I am particularly concerned with how my work within Malawi will be perceived by those that I work for and with, as my intention is not to impose the structures and beliefs of the Western world, but rather to learn from and work with the local strategies and structures for progress. However, I think my hyper-awareness of this issue will allow me to approach every situation with increased sensitivity and an openness that will hopefully be transparent.”

Interestingly, I found myself in a number of situations where I was either explicitly or implicitly expected to be an expert and I can only assume this was based on my ethnicity. In addition, I was often asked to critique Malawian culture from the basis of Western culture, and determine which is “better.” I found myself always prefacing any observations with an explanation that Western culture has many downfalls, is no where near perfect, etc etc etc. In essence, I was trying to highlight the fact that there are things that can be mutually learned, but also apologizing for my advantage having experienced both cultures.

In talking with one (Malawian) colleague in particular who has lived almost equal halves of her life in Malawi and the United States, I came to realize the damage of speaking on behalf of any particular nation, culture, ethnicity, etc. Though my notion of human rights has certainly been influenced by societal and cultural influences, the reality is that these have only sparked an awareness, while my own beliefs and world views have been formulated by my understanding of and reflection on my own humanity. By prefacing any discussion with talk of my culture or society, I set the stage for a discussion of comparison which can be easily dismissed as North vs South whereas a discussion based on our understandings and assumptions of humanity is more organic, more relatable, and therefore more productive. Acknowledging my advantage or privilege, while well intentioned, essentially exacerbated any preexisting distance between us.

So what has this experience taught me? Though there is definitely great benefit to being aware of social structures and applying theories to interpret, analyze, and understand the lived experiences withing different cultures, gender groupings, etc., it is extremely important to also bring it back from the academic to the real world. In truth, my relative privileges still bother me to some extent, but I think the greatest lesson I have learned is that my world view is grounded in my humanity, and when I speak from my experience of humanity rather than my experience of any particular culture, the room for discussion and positive change grows.

In the same blog mentioned earlier, I also identified a desire to learn more about gendered approaches to and effects of HIV / AIDS as well as a desire to contribute to the resource mobilization of my organization (COWLHA). Having now wrapped up all of my projects, I am amazed at the amount of things I was able to accomplish in three months, and how many new skills I have acquired. My major project was to develop a resource mobilization report for COWLHA – an area in which I had no prior experience, but can now confidently and informatively discuss. As a by-product of my internship I also learned internal and external forces and structures within the NGO world, the process of acquiring funding and implementing programmes, and even how programmes translate from paper to the field. Overall, an incredible experience which definitely cannot be learned in the classroom!

I am now in the fifth week of my internship with the Coalition of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (COWLHA). My official position with COWLHA is Resource Mobilization Officer but the internship has allowed me to branch into a couple of other areas as well.

Over the course of the last five weeks I’ve developed a good understanding of what COWLHA does in Malawi as well as a general understanding of how NGOs operate. In short, COWLHA is a grassroots network of women living positively and openly. Over their six year history, COWLHA has instituted several programmes including woman-woman support groups, sustainable livelihood programmes, and advocacy for everything from ARVs to the end of gender based violence.

As a Resource Mobilization Officer, my main tasks have been to come up with a business profile as well as a membership database. In recent years, major project donors have tended to donate on a project to project basis without taking operational costs into effect. As a result, COWLHA now needs to diversify its financial support by turning to the private sector. So, as a resource mobilization officer my first task was to create a business profile in order to market COWLHA as an organization which benefits civil society. This task proved a mutually beneficial activity as the research I performed in compiling the profile gave m e an excellent understanding of COWLHA. The membership database is also essential in resource mobilization as the 15,000 + members have previously been kept track of via lined paper lists that have not been backed up in any way.

In addition to studying political science, I have a keen interest in women’s studies and gender issues, which is what attracted me to the placement at COWLHA in the first place. Thus far, my internship has allowed me to put theories learned in the classroom into practice. One of the most recurring things is the concept of intersectionality, which has featured prominently in modern feminist discussion. The idea is that any one issue is uniquely influenced by a number of others; they intersect with one another. For example, being a woman influences a number of experiences will occur in ones lifetime, but each person is also influenced by other factors such as age, class, race, sexual orientation, etc. That intersect with each other. By its very nature COWLHA deals with the intersection of womanhood and HIV / AIDS, but they also take into account things such as class, age, and ableism when planning and delivering programming and addressing the needs of their membership. It’s great to see the concept of intersectionality in practice and to get a better understanding of how intersectionality plays out in the ‘real world’ context.

One of the more exciting parts of my internship has been being invited to a conference involving various NGOs in Malawi that address issues surrounding HIV and AIDS. The conference was held by the newly created Coalition Of Gender-sensitive HIV and Aids Advocacy in Malawi (COGHAAM). COGHAAM is essentially an overarching body comprised of various organizations that address HIV and AIDS created in order to ensure that programming is not overlapping and to have a stronger voice when advocating and lobbying government. Over four days, I had the opportunity to interact with representatives from other NGOs in the HIV/AIDS sector in order to come up with key issues and objectives for COGHAAM. I think the other members appreciated my input, and I certainly learned a lot from the interaction. As a result of my participation, I have been invited to form the constitution for COGHAAM over the coming week, which I am really looking forward to.

Business aside, life in Malawi has been great! I am finding Malawians very helpful and friendly. My coworkers in particular have been a wealth of cultural knowledge and an awesome support network. Living in a country with such a different culture and such a high poverty rate has been challenging at times and has definitely forced me to evaluate life as I know it in North America, but the experience really has been a privilege and I am extremely grateful to have it.

As I am sure is always the case – time has passed much too quickly and it is hard to believe my internship is half over! Looking forward to what the next six weeks bring!

Cheers!

Before I left for Malawi, I read many blog entries posted by students living in Malawi. I recall a post of one individual who wrote about returning to Canada. She expressed the sentiment that she was struggling with the reality that everything seemed the way she left it, yet she had changed so much during her three month placement. Initially, I had a hard time believing one could genuinely feel this way after only being abroad for three months. However, after returning to Canada, I’ve gained a different perspective on this particular post. Someone once told me that Africa has a way of changing you. I think my perception on many issues concerning development, poverty and western materialism have definitely changed. I have also had the opportunity to learn a great deal more about myself.

It is definitely a strange feeling to have had so many experiences and return to a place that is virtually the same as you left it. Returning to Canada has been very bittersweet. I was very happy to see my friends and family and have a much greater appreciation for many things I have taken for granted in the past such as paved roads, the OC transpo, and Canadian health care. However, there many things I already miss about being in Malawi. Firstly, the friends I made and living in a country where the concept of time is different than North America. Generally, people did not seem to live by the clock but more so by the day. The pace of life seemed slower and much less stressed. It was also very exciting not knowing what would happen on a daily basis and walking to work everyday would allow me to encounter the wonderfully friendly and warm people of Malawi.

            Overall, I had an incredibly fulfilling internship. I re-read a journal entry I wrote at the start of my placement expressing why I decided to volunteer abroad. I have accomplished all my personal goals such as gaining a deeper understanding of international development, travelling around Malawi and even had the opportunity to see parts of Zambia. I was also able to challenge myself in my abilities to deal with new stressful situations and gained a better idea of future career path I can pursue in development work. The only negative thing I can say about the internship was the time limit. I felt the entire experience was about myself insofar as accomplishing my personal goals and monitoring my own learning and development. By the time I became comfortable enough in the country and understood the way things worked, it was already time for me to leave. I felt I could have done much more for the communities and the organizations I was working with. However, on a positive note, I believe this is me just getting my feet wet in terms of living and working abroad. Hopefully next time I will be that much more prepared and contribute more to the cause rather than focus on own personal experiences.

I hope as many students as possible are able to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to travel abroad. I would definitely recommend it to any student interested in international development or simply those that want to discover a new area of the globe and open their minds to different experiences, cultures and ways of living life.

I have just returned to Canada after two days of exhausting travels back from Malawi and it feels strange. Three months went by way too fast and I really wish that I could have stayed in Malawi longer. To sum up the experience in one word: amazing. I’ve met so many wonderful people, experienced so many great things and learned more than I ever could learn simply in a classroom. In my opinion, every International Development student needs to do something like this before they graduate.

During the last few weeks of my internship, I mostly worked on wrapping up my work so that my organization would be able to carry on without me. Mostly it entailed finishing up a couple of funding proposals, as well as an end-of-internship report that summarized everything that I had accomplished. It’s funny how when you write it all down in a report, all the work that you’ve done seems like a lot but at the end of the day, I’ve come out of this internship with the feeling that I could have done so much more. I guess that is a pretty normal feeling but I have definitely wondered why my organization wanted a Canadian intern around. I really hope that I was an asset but I’m sure a Malawian intern would have been just as good as a fit – maybe even more so, since a Malawian intern would have also known Chichewa. However, I am very thankful for the experience.

Now that I’m back in Canada, I’m just working on trying to make sense of all of the mixed feelings that I am currently experiencing. I am going through a bit of reverse culture shock and that, combined with the general sadness of leaving Malawi behind, has put me in a strange mood. On the other hand, it is really nice to be back and to see all of my friends and family so I’m not sure what to make of everything; it’s still a bit overwhelming. I am taking the post-internship intensive courses though so I am hoping that the courses will help me to put things into perspective. It is nice to know that I am not alone and that there are other interns who have mixed feelings about their experiences and about being back in Canada. All in all, I am very thankful to the University of Ottawa for giving me this opportunity and I am already looking forward to going back to Africa, because after this experience, I know that I will definitely be going back.

Change is possible. The last month ofmy time at the Mzuzu Youth Association can be summarized as a time of transformation, a new start. On June 25^th, 2011, the Association gathered all of its Affiliates and community stakeholders for its 10^th Annual General Meeting and 5^th General Elections. During the AGM, the Executive Committee is mandated to deliver its Progress and Financial Reports for the 2010-11 year. This was also when I reported the Organizational Assessment, which I had a chance to evaluate on the performance of the Association using from the data collected from the field assessments, self-appraisal, participatory evaluation, and an internal financial audit. All three reports were photocopied so that each affiliated youth groups received a copy and were able to make comments.

After the reports and questions, the General Elections for the new Executive Committee for 2011-2013 began. All the contested candidates had to be elected by his or her youth organization and meet all the criteria set forth by the Electoral Commission. The final screening is an interview. Each Affiliate was given two votes for each position. The elections were democratic and fair and it was presided over by District Youth Officer, who also chaired the Electoral Commission of the Association.It was a successful AGM.

Following the AGM, there was about two weeks of transition the between the outgoing and the incoming Executive Committees. My role at the Association also changed. I suddenly was a key resource person for handover notes and information. The new incoming Executive Committee entry into Office was critical for change management. I started this process by giving the Strategic Leadership Training was made possible through the WUSC-UNITERRA Sector Fund. The three week training was divided into three sections and all three parts were interlinked and builds on each other. Firstly, from July 11th to 12th, the workshop focused on transformative leadership and teambuilding skills. After from July 14th to 22th, the curriculum covered achieving objectives, strategic planning, and action plans. Lastly, from July 18th to 19th the resource mobilization and financial management training was successfully delivered. Four major deliverables were accomplished during the training to help strengthen the long term organizational capacity of the Association;a new Principle Guidelines, the defacto Constitution, introducing a Code of Ethics and Conducts,the Principles of Financial Management, and learning and doing Strategic Planning. I am confident about the new Executive Committee. The reputation of the Association is now more positive as there is greater community awareness and interest.

Lastly, on resource mobilization, the Association started two new resource mobilization projects, the Youth Computers Vocational Training Centre and a Fruit Orchard. Both of these will take some time to bear fruit. Also, one of Mzuzu Youth Association’s affiliate is benefiting further from WUSC-Uniterra income-generating activity initial funding for poultry farming.To make this sustainable, I linked the Association with other service groups in the community, such as the Lions and Rotary and requested for two more interns for 2012.

My international internship at the Mzuzu Youth Association occurred during at time of many changes. It is a good challenge. According to the Malawian National Youth Policy, over half of the population in Malawi is under the age of 25, making it a youthful nation. The absence of a coordinated approach to youth issues has resulted in the absence of programmes beneficial to the youth. Above all, the youth have not been involved in decision-making on issues which affect them.

This is happening at a time when the youth are becoming increasingly vulnerable in the following areas:

• Inadequate vocational training
• Homelessness
• Unemployment and underemployment
• Sexual harassment
• Health related issues such as HIV/AIDS STDs
• Unlicensed entertainment
• Teenage pregnancy and early marriage
• Crime and general youth deviance
• Marginalisation
• Youth non-involvement in decision making
• Smoking, drug and alcohol abuse
• Lack of sporting and entertainment facilities

Priority groups identified are:
• Poor youth
• Street youth
• Out-of-school youth
• Youth with disabilities
• Semi-literate and illiterate youth
• Deviant youth

All these issues, I personally witnessed during my daily interaction with youths at the Association. It can sometime be difficult and humbling. It is very vital work. One thing that I learn very quickly is to have patience. Patience in youth work or development work is important as change processes takes time.

This blog is going to be focused on two things, Self-Appraisal and Field Assessments. I see this as a way to get a situational analysis and also build the capacity of the Association. I am entering the Mzuzu Youth Association at the end of one Executive Committee’s term of office. General Election will happen on June 25, 2011 to elect a new Executive Committee.

Through observation and time working hand in hand with the Executive members of the Association, I thought it might be imperative to introduce a Self-Appraisal system. The Self-Appraisal system if used well and periodically can help manage and assess personal performance and strengthen its human resource/performance management in the Association. With the assistance of member, I drafted a Self-Appraisal form for the Executive Committee members. The Self-Appraisal form was comprised on two sections. Firstly, the 8 performance indicators were used, which includes, Punctuality, Quantity of Work, Quality of Work, Honesty, Teamwork, Relationship with Others and etc. In order to give objective and a fair appraisal, each member of the Executive Committee were asked to assessment themselves on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being Very Poor and 5 being Excellent. Afterwards two other individuals in the group will objectively rate anonymously to that individual.

The total sum of the three scores, one part self-rating, and two parts rating from others, give an objective and independent Appraisal. Part two of this Self-Appraisal form asked open-ended questions using Appreciative-Inquiry method, with questions such as “When is a time when you feel you performed well?” and other follow-up questions.

The Self-Appraisal forms were completed in a group setting. The finding and the results of the Self-Appraisal was a good opportunity for the members of the Executive Committee to voice the strengths, weaknesses, and discuss about human resources management concerns. A report was produced to give some of the findings and areas that needs improvement.

The Mzuzu Youth Association has over 40 youth groups or community based organizations (CBOs) registered and affiliated with it. I had the fortunate opportunity to do field assessments of 15 Affiliates of the Association. The aim of the assessment is to identify and evaluate how youth organizations in Mzuzu are doing and a way for the Association to identify particular strengths and weaknesses of each group. The assessment was done through a structured interview process in teams of twos. Transport,lunch, communication, and photocopying costs were budgeted to amount to close to over MK15,000 or about CAD100.

The field assessment form was comprised of 5 sections; A. Identification, B. Membership and Demographic Information, C. Activities and Achievements D. Impacts, and lastly, E. MYA Relationship and General Recommendations. In A. Identification, organizational name, date of affiliation, Mission statement, catchment area, and contacts information were collected. In B. group demographic and numbers data were collected to assess the vulnerability of individuals in the group. In section C. information regarding the current activities and sources of funding data were gathered. In part D, the Impact of the youth organization were asked, this was done through using 8 indicators ranging from Meeting Youth Needs to Financial Management were asked and ranked on a scale of 1 to 5, with one being Very Poor to 5 denoting Excellent. Lastly, in part E, the Association was able to give valuable comments and recommendations.

What are the Lessons learned? Field work/assessments are extremely unpredictable. We underestimated the total cost and time budgeted, for example the field assessment took over 4 weeks to complete as compared to the planned one week. Also do not overestimate how much one can do in a day. At the end, a report was produced and given to all affiliated groups to give an overall general conclusions to assist the Association identify the needs of its Affiliates.

As I am writing this post, I only have a few days left in Malawi.  I find it hard to believe how fast my internship in Malawi has gone by.  Looking back on the last 3 months or so I have to admit I have experienced a lot!  The things, good and bad, that I have seen, touched, felt and lived in the past 12 weeks have all played a uniquely important role in the learning experience this internship has been.  While my work as a Child Rights Advisor for NAPHAM was at times frustrating, slow and seemed highly ineffective, I can honestly say that the experience as a whole was extremely rewarding.  I have witnessed first hand how determination hard work and desire to improve ones fate brings progress (however slow it may be) to the table.  When I decided to do an international internship with the FSS I had no idea what it was like to work for an NGO in a developing country.  I now have valuable experience facing challenges on a daily basis with limited time and resources to find solutions.  Malawi is a great country with wonderful welcoming people and a vibrant culture.  I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to come here and make a small contribution to the long process of improving children’s rights in a number of different domains.  I am confident that I will look back on this internship as one of the highlights of my university years.  Finally, I encourage everybody who has an interest in the developing world to investigate the possibility of doing such an internship as it will undoubtedly bring forward new perspectives and prove to be a learning experience that a classroom in Ottawa simply cannot provide.

See you in Ottawa,

Jean-Luc