Malawi Diary 1
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Monday 2nd October 2006
I am going to try to update this site as often as possible. Just to let you know that the response
as been magnificent. As you will see from our "friends" page, the money is rolling in. When I
started this I never imagined it would be so good and unfortunately that means I am not going to
be able to get round you all, so if you see me in the street - GIVE ME THE MONEY!
To those that have donated, thank you. I can assure you, your money will be well-used.
Lugh
I am going to try to update this site as often as possible. Just to let you know that the response
as been magnificent. As you will see from our "friends" page, the money is rolling in. When I
started this I never imagined it would be so good and unfortunately that means I am not going to
be able to get round you all, so if you see me in the street - GIVE ME THE MONEY!
To those that have donated, thank you. I can assure you, your money will be well-used.
Lugh
Monday 9th October 10.00am 2006
It has been a truly hectic week. When I started out on this project I thought that I had set an
ambitious target for the fund raising but I have to say I have been totally overwhelmed by the
response. As you can see from the friends page I have reached and surpassed the target of
£5000 with promises of more to come. The main thing that I have discovered this week is that
there is no possibility of me getting round the "five hundred friends" before I go but I will do my
best so if you see me give me the money; I'll find a good home for it.
To all those people who have sent money to me that I haven't been able to see to say thank you I
hope you will accept this until we meet in person.
Lughaidh
It has been a truly hectic week. When I started out on this project I thought that I had set an
ambitious target for the fund raising but I have to say I have been totally overwhelmed by the
response. As you can see from the friends page I have reached and surpassed the target of
£5000 with promises of more to come. The main thing that I have discovered this week is that
there is no possibility of me getting round the "five hundred friends" before I go but I will do my
best so if you see me give me the money; I'll find a good home for it.
To all those people who have sent money to me that I haven't been able to see to say thank you I
hope you will accept this until we meet in person.
Lughaidh
Tuesday 10-10-06
Another busy 24 hours. I hope the site is working properly now and is fully updated. The balance
stands at around £4900 sterling and €960 plus nearly 4000 Kwacha or £30 (currency of
Malawi) so in money terms I have achieved what I set out to do. I intend to carry on so that I can
give the maximum benefit from my trip.
Thank you all
Lughaidh
Another busy 24 hours. I hope the site is working properly now and is fully updated. The balance
stands at around £4900 sterling and €960 plus nearly 4000 Kwacha or £30 (currency of
Malawi) so in money terms I have achieved what I set out to do. I intend to carry on so that I can
give the maximum benefit from my trip.
Thank you all
Lughaidh
Friday 13-10-2006 00:50
I only thought the 24hrs on the tenth were busy because today i received even more money. The
goodness of people is totally amazing. When I started 4 weeks ago i aimed for £5000 and
thought i might get £3000-£3500 but i am at nearly double the higher end of the scale and there
are so many people that i have not had the chance to speak to yet.I will keep you all in my
prayers.
Lughaidh
I only thought the 24hrs on the tenth were busy because today i received even more money. The
goodness of people is totally amazing. When I started 4 weeks ago i aimed for £5000 and
thought i might get £3000-£3500 but i am at nearly double the higher end of the scale and there
are so many people that i have not had the chance to speak to yet.I will keep you all in my
prayers.
Lughaidh
Saturday 14-10-06
Well folks only a few days to go and everything going well. I did an interview for the BBC's Irish
language magazine programme Blas which hopefully will be on Monday evening at 19:30 hrs.
If my maths is right I (taking the value of euros) I should have topped £7000 sterling. This is an
absolutely amazing contribution from my friends. Well done to you all.
Lugh
Well folks only a few days to go and everything going well. I did an interview for the BBC's Irish
language magazine programme Blas which hopefully will be on Monday evening at 19:30 hrs.
If my maths is right I (taking the value of euros) I should have topped £7000 sterling. This is an
absolutely amazing contribution from my friends. Well done to you all.
Lugh
Sunday 15-10-06
Sunday night and nearly there, I hope that I have corrected the errors that were pointed out to
me on the site. There is that much happening that it is herd to keep track of all sometimes so
sorry if it is still wrong. I started to pack my bag last night and have been able to get most of the
stuff in. What I plan to do is take any extra stuff to the airport and spread it around others in the
group who haven't used their full allowance. I now have a collection of about fifty stuffed toys to
add to my baggage so lets hope there will be loads of happy children. I will update tomorrow.
Lugh
Sunday night and nearly there, I hope that I have corrected the errors that were pointed out to
me on the site. There is that much happening that it is herd to keep track of all sometimes so
sorry if it is still wrong. I started to pack my bag last night and have been able to get most of the
stuff in. What I plan to do is take any extra stuff to the airport and spread it around others in the
group who haven't used their full allowance. I now have a collection of about fifty stuffed toys to
add to my baggage so lets hope there will be loads of happy children. I will update tomorrow.
Lugh
Monday 16-10-06
What an unbelievable day! As I said I was staggered by the response until now well tonight just blew my head away. I received a cheque
from Fermac Properties for £2000 yes that is right £2000. I couldn't believe it. That leaves the total well over £9000. Not bad for 4 1/2
weeks. Of course this is all down to the 'friends' and guess how lucky I feel tonight to have friends like all of you.
I will travel to Dublin tomorrow evening and stay overnight as we are to meet at the airport at 07:30 on Wednesday. Unfortunately this
means another night away from the family but that goes with this expedition. It is a really strange feeling knowing that so many people
have so much faith in me and all I can promise is that I will do the best I can. The interview was on Radio Ulster tonight and I hope to keep
in touch with them when I am away.( Phones permitting of course). So keep an ear to Blas, the Irish Language programme which is
currently on at 19:30 but will be moving to !9:00 each evening.
What can I say except that the time of truth is here and I hope that I can live up to the expectations of you all. As I said all I can do is my best
and I promise to try and do that.
If you have a spare prayer use it for all of us that are travelling.
Lughaidh
What an unbelievable day! As I said I was staggered by the response until now well tonight just blew my head away. I received a cheque
from Fermac Properties for £2000 yes that is right £2000. I couldn't believe it. That leaves the total well over £9000. Not bad for 4 1/2
weeks. Of course this is all down to the 'friends' and guess how lucky I feel tonight to have friends like all of you.
I will travel to Dublin tomorrow evening and stay overnight as we are to meet at the airport at 07:30 on Wednesday. Unfortunately this
means another night away from the family but that goes with this expedition. It is a really strange feeling knowing that so many people
have so much faith in me and all I can promise is that I will do the best I can. The interview was on Radio Ulster tonight and I hope to keep
in touch with them when I am away.( Phones permitting of course). So keep an ear to Blas, the Irish Language programme which is
currently on at 19:30 but will be moving to !9:00 each evening.
What can I say except that the time of truth is here and I hope that I can live up to the expectations of you all. As I said all I can do is my best
and I promise to try and do that.
If you have a spare prayer use it for all of us that are travelling.
Lughaidh
Wednesday/Thursday 18th/19th October
The odyssey began. Stayed overnight in Dublin and was at the airport for 07:30. Big group travelling and a good mix of people. I know it will
be hard to remember everyone's name but tried to mingle as best I could to meet as many as possible. Flights were long but it was hard to
sleep as there is the whole mix of emotions. Bahrain is unreal when it comes to wealth. You can buy anything in the duty free if you have
the money. Johannesburg was a five hour stop over but was pretty uneventful. Plane to Blantyre was small in comparison to the A320's of
Gulf Air. Arrived at accommodation late Thursday evening. The place is good but remote from the town and little or nothing to do once you
are there. Most people are a bit on edge as they don't know what to expect.
Lughaidh
The odyssey began. Stayed overnight in Dublin and was at the airport for 07:30. Big group travelling and a good mix of people. I know it will
be hard to remember everyone's name but tried to mingle as best I could to meet as many as possible. Flights were long but it was hard to
sleep as there is the whole mix of emotions. Bahrain is unreal when it comes to wealth. You can buy anything in the duty free if you have
the money. Johannesburg was a five hour stop over but was pretty uneventful. Plane to Blantyre was small in comparison to the A320's of
Gulf Air. Arrived at accommodation late Thursday evening. The place is good but remote from the town and little or nothing to do once you
are there. Most people are a bit on edge as they don't know what to expect.
Lughaidh
Friday 20th October
We divided into our respective groups for the different projects and met our local liaison for the duration of the trip. It rapidly became clear
to me (and I suspect others) that we do not fully understand the scale of the problems in this country. 1 in 6 is HIV positive and increasing.
The culture of the country is so alien to our understanding that I know that it will take some getting used to. This afternoon we visited a
number of projects that Playing for Life and the local group Self Help International Malawi have started. The projects are relatively small in
nature but it is already apparent that they are having a real impact on peoples lives.
I think that I have really learned my first lesson here- no matter what we do here it will all be wasted if people cannot feed themselves and
while that seems so obvious now the true understanding only comes when you enter a home and find that they have nothing. I know that
tonight I have examined my whole belief system and I don't think I will be as quick to jump to conclusions from here on in. It is amazing
how arrogant our western value system has made us and how we are so sure that we can solve all problems.
Sobering Day
Lughaidh
We divided into our respective groups for the different projects and met our local liaison for the duration of the trip. It rapidly became clear
to me (and I suspect others) that we do not fully understand the scale of the problems in this country. 1 in 6 is HIV positive and increasing.
The culture of the country is so alien to our understanding that I know that it will take some getting used to. This afternoon we visited a
number of projects that Playing for Life and the local group Self Help International Malawi have started. The projects are relatively small in
nature but it is already apparent that they are having a real impact on peoples lives.
I think that I have really learned my first lesson here- no matter what we do here it will all be wasted if people cannot feed themselves and
while that seems so obvious now the true understanding only comes when you enter a home and find that they have nothing. I know that
tonight I have examined my whole belief system and I don't think I will be as quick to jump to conclusions from here on in. It is amazing
how arrogant our western value system has made us and how we are so sure that we can solve all problems.
Sobering Day
Lughaidh
Saturday 21st October
This morning we spent visiting more of the projects funded by the group and at first I must confess that I wondered how useful this would
be but then I learned that the purpose is double edged. The charity wants to re enforce the message that self help and facilitation work and
change lives. On the other side of the coin the local groups want to show us that even small scale investment has made a huge difference
to lives and that the money we bring is really working. It also allowed them to present a vision of where they could go in the future now that
they are taking control of their own lives.
On the way back we stopped at a local market. Now there was a place that we could all learn from. Nothing in this country is wasted.
Everything is used reused and worn out before being discarded. If they don't have what you need there will be somebody that can make it.
An object lesson in recycling.
Lughaidh
This morning we spent visiting more of the projects funded by the group and at first I must confess that I wondered how useful this would
be but then I learned that the purpose is double edged. The charity wants to re enforce the message that self help and facilitation work and
change lives. On the other side of the coin the local groups want to show us that even small scale investment has made a huge difference
to lives and that the money we bring is really working. It also allowed them to present a vision of where they could go in the future now that
they are taking control of their own lives.
On the way back we stopped at a local market. Now there was a place that we could all learn from. Nothing in this country is wasted.
Everything is used reused and worn out before being discarded. If they don't have what you need there will be somebody that can make it.
An object lesson in recycling.
Lughaidh
Sunday 22nd October
Quiet day today and I think we all needed it to recover from the travelling and the huge amount of information we have been given in the
past few days. Went to Mass in Zomba this morning and as with everything here it was just so different.
We had time to explore a little of our surroundings and get ready for the real hard work to come. I am both looking forward to it and a little
nervous but we will try.
Lughaidh
Quiet day today and I think we all needed it to recover from the travelling and the huge amount of information we have been given in the
past few days. Went to Mass in Zomba this morning and as with everything here it was just so different.
We had time to explore a little of our surroundings and get ready for the real hard work to come. I am both looking forward to it and a little
nervous but we will try.
Lughaidh
Monday 23rd October
Very Frustrating day. It appears that our accreditation has not been approved and that we cannot practice in Malawi until this happens. Not
all lost as we were able to get a better understanding of the way the health system works.
Each hospital has a network of clinics which they service. These clinics can be up to 20KM from the hospital. People present at either the
hospital or clinic and are then treated or referred to the hospital ward. It is their own responsibility to get to the hospital(except women in
labour) which cost 40 Malawi Kwacha(MK) per KM by ambulance(260 MK to the pound 170 to the Euro and the daily wage for a labourer is
80 MK) so a 20KM journey would be ten days wages or a long walk for a sick person. Ambulances only transport people, the driver is not
medically trained in any way and the patient must have their own "guardian"(escort).
The concept of emergency medicine seems alien in this society and that is understandable when the remoteness of so many homes is
taken into account. We visited one of the rural clinics but it was unusually quiet due to a death in the local community. I learned that some
communities have what they call an Ambulance Bicycle. This is available to people to take the chronically sick to a clinic for treatment
especially those with Aids. Anti retro viral drugs are provided free by the Government but access for seriously ill people is a problem and
although a lo tech way of getting them there it works. Simply put it is a bicycle with a trailer that can accommodate a person and is a very
practical solution where even 4 wheel drives cannot travel. Will have to look into this more before the end of the week.
Lughaidh
Very Frustrating day. It appears that our accreditation has not been approved and that we cannot practice in Malawi until this happens. Not
all lost as we were able to get a better understanding of the way the health system works.
Each hospital has a network of clinics which they service. These clinics can be up to 20KM from the hospital. People present at either the
hospital or clinic and are then treated or referred to the hospital ward. It is their own responsibility to get to the hospital(except women in
labour) which cost 40 Malawi Kwacha(MK) per KM by ambulance(260 MK to the pound 170 to the Euro and the daily wage for a labourer is
80 MK) so a 20KM journey would be ten days wages or a long walk for a sick person. Ambulances only transport people, the driver is not
medically trained in any way and the patient must have their own "guardian"(escort).
The concept of emergency medicine seems alien in this society and that is understandable when the remoteness of so many homes is
taken into account. We visited one of the rural clinics but it was unusually quiet due to a death in the local community. I learned that some
communities have what they call an Ambulance Bicycle. This is available to people to take the chronically sick to a clinic for treatment
especially those with Aids. Anti retro viral drugs are provided free by the Government but access for seriously ill people is a problem and
although a lo tech way of getting them there it works. Simply put it is a bicycle with a trailer that can accommodate a person and is a very
practical solution where even 4 wheel drives cannot travel. Will have to look into this more before the end of the week.
Lughaidh
Tuesday 24th October
Question: What do you do when you are a young mother with a premature baby that is not feeding and you present at a clinic to be told the
baby needs to go to hospital? The answer when you don't have the money is wrap the baby up and take it back home to die.
This is the scenario we were presented with today. So we had transport and we took the baby in.(photo in gallery). Not much really but
there will be one life saved hopefully. At last it felt like a real achievement. What else can I say today?
The Irish Consul and his wife came to visit us this evening for dinner. He is from Gortin and she was originally Dungannon. She has set
up a charity with some friends to ensure that young girls will get a chance at education. I hope to go and see the project at the weekend.
Lughaidh
Question: What do you do when you are a young mother with a premature baby that is not feeding and you present at a clinic to be told the
baby needs to go to hospital? The answer when you don't have the money is wrap the baby up and take it back home to die.
This is the scenario we were presented with today. So we had transport and we took the baby in.(photo in gallery). Not much really but
there will be one life saved hopefully. At last it felt like a real achievement. What else can I say today?
The Irish Consul and his wife came to visit us this evening for dinner. He is from Gortin and she was originally Dungannon. She has set
up a charity with some friends to ensure that young girls will get a chance at education. I hope to go and see the project at the weekend.
Lughaidh
Wednesday 25th October
Went to a mother and baby clinic in the bush. Women had travelled for miles for this clinic and waited patiently for us to arrive. The local
health care workers gave a talk about child health and HIV. Talk is not really the right work for much of the lesson was delivered in song
and it was an absolutely fantastic experience. We then got to work checking and vaccinating the children and mothers as appropriate.
Hard but enjoyable work.
Had an opportunity to see the baby we brought in yesterday. As with so many things in this country the change was unbelievable in just 24
hours. Mum says she is going to call the baby Louis after me (the Irish version was too hard to get around).
The Rain came today. As with so much I have seen it is a new experience. Hail the size of marbles. This is unusual and the people are not
sure if this is a good or bad sign. Spent some time talking to one of the ambulance drivers. He is keen to learn more but there is no
opportunities at the moment.
Lughaidh
Went to a mother and baby clinic in the bush. Women had travelled for miles for this clinic and waited patiently for us to arrive. The local
health care workers gave a talk about child health and HIV. Talk is not really the right work for much of the lesson was delivered in song
and it was an absolutely fantastic experience. We then got to work checking and vaccinating the children and mothers as appropriate.
Hard but enjoyable work.
Had an opportunity to see the baby we brought in yesterday. As with so many things in this country the change was unbelievable in just 24
hours. Mum says she is going to call the baby Louis after me (the Irish version was too hard to get around).
The Rain came today. As with so much I have seen it is a new experience. Hail the size of marbles. This is unusual and the people are not
sure if this is a good or bad sign. Spent some time talking to one of the ambulance drivers. He is keen to learn more but there is no
opportunities at the moment.
Lughaidh
Thursday 26th October
Funny how when you go to see things they seem to stop or not happen, well thats the way it seems to have been this week in the clinics
and wards. I decided that I would help out at the building site today after the doctor suggested that there should be a medical person on
standby all the time. Boy was it hot? Some of the lads aren't that keen to drink enough water and that is something they can't afford to do.
So I spent a lot of the day getting drinks and making sure that they took it. Another problem are the minor injuries which at home would not
be even noticed but here become infected so quickly so all in all it was a busy day.
Work is progressing at a good rate and a lot of progress has been made. The site is overrun with children and it is difficult to say no to
them as they stand waiting for you to finish a bottle of water so they can have the empty bottle. As I said before nothing is wasted and they
use the bottles for everything from cups to shoes.
Funny how when you go to see things they seem to stop or not happen, well thats the way it seems to have been this week in the clinics
and wards. I decided that I would help out at the building site today after the doctor suggested that there should be a medical person on
standby all the time. Boy was it hot? Some of the lads aren't that keen to drink enough water and that is something they can't afford to do.
So I spent a lot of the day getting drinks and making sure that they took it. Another problem are the minor injuries which at home would not
be even noticed but here become infected so quickly so all in all it was a busy day.
Work is progressing at a good rate and a lot of progress has been made. The site is overrun with children and it is difficult to say no to
them as they stand waiting for you to finish a bottle of water so they can have the empty bottle. As I said before nothing is wasted and they
use the bottles for everything from cups to shoes.