Public gatherings in Malawi are now restricted to less than 100 people, a figure that's many multiples the guidelines in most wealthier countries at this stage. In Ireland, 4 people are the maximum in a public group. Still it does show some recognition of the likely trauma that will be suffered by a country and a people already under the hammer of poverty and disease.
However, out in the rural areas, amongst the villages and chiefs, there seems little awareness of coronavirus and the inevitable medical crisis that will follow its spread. Washing one's hands doesn't mean a lot when there's no running water. TB is already a huge daily threat. HIV AIDS is rife. Immune systems are wrecked, never mind compromised. Our education projects are on hold until the pupils return, but what will be the broader community backdrop?
We live in hope that it isn't as catastrophic for the developing world - and particularly for our friends and colleagues in Malawi - as it has proven in the developed.
It's wonderful to see progress on this new government-run health clinic on borders of Thuma which TT has given some small support towards. In partnership with WAG and some other NGOs, we contributed to building materials.
In practical terms, this new location will mean people don't need to walk up to 35 km to get to health centre, but around a max of 5km. Of course, by our lucky Western standards, that would still be an extraordinary trek on foot while ill, but for rural Malawi it's a hugely welcome improvement.
Thanks to everyone for their support, we're just the conduit.
We'd like to offer a really sincere thanks to Camara for generously supplying us with a computer for our field staff in Malawi. In particular, Breon Timmons and John Fitzsimons who made it happen for us.
It has landed in Malawi and will be put to good use by our local field manager in running 2 sustainable agricultural projects in villages on the outskirts of Thuma National Forest Reserve. Like any other project, success depends on accurate reporting and recording-keeping, and clear communications, and this will be invaluable for us. So thanks again.
Camara uses technology to deliver 21st century skills, and as such improve education in disadvantaged communities around the world.
To Simon, Liam and the team from Avoca, Clodagh, Sam O'Sullivan for the sounds, Eimear, Emily and Anna – a sincere thank you for helping to pull it off.
To Kieran Fitzgerald – for being your usual loquacious, funny, wonderful self. Thank you.
This was our first event like this, so big thanks also to all the people who have supported us till now:
To the Kili walkers who kickstarted the project in 2008 with their donation making an incredible difference to many lives.
To the many anonymous donors who supported TT along the way, ducking any praise.
To all those who contributed themselves, who came to Malawi and shared their time and expertise, who listened, reached out and gave hope.
To our community of accountants, auditors and very useful, naggy friends – who keep us accountable.
Thank you all on behalf of the women we work with in Malawi from Anne-Louise, Ann, Orlaith Andrina and Tom.
Click here for Anne-Louise's Thank You speech from the night.
Our new food project with the families at Mphizi Village
We work with our women’s groups for a limited period of time so as to discourage dependency and to be sure that we reach as many families as we can. We have decided that we will work in Mphizi Village next. This village will replace our 5 current groups. The village headman has kindly donated 20 hectares to The Tuesday Trust on the edge of a river called The Linthipe River that feeds into Lake Malawi.
We want to start our work here as soon as possible. We plan to grow vegetables on ½ hectare to begin with and to provide sensitization training on new crops that are more drought resistant. We would like to install a treadle pump on site to ensure a good start. That will cost approximately €87. We also want to work with the local school here in the hopes that the school will have at least one meal from the produce everyday for the children.
Ideally we would like to start in November/December. We want to plant OFSP, cassava, chilies, lemon trees, mangos, guava and medicinal plants.
These are all strains of crops that are drought resistant.
There will be massive hunger this season everywhere. Hunger is evident in all of the villages we work in. The market stalls are empty. We want to do what we can to help.
Here's an insightful overview of the bigger picture which gets painted by systemic undernourishment from Irish Aid, Ireland's governmental development agency:
One in seven people in the world suffer from hunger, while a further one in three people are undernourished. The fight against global hunger and undernutrition is a key component of Ireland’s foreign policy and our international aid programme. While we provide emergency assistance in response to hunger and nutrition crises, our main focus is on the prevention of such crises.This is a good fight and one worth fighting at every level."Most people associate hunger in developing countries with the images of extreme starvation and famine often seen on TV or online in the aftermath of disaster or conflict.
Far less attention is given to the devastating effects of long-term chronic hunger and malnutrition suffered by 870 million of the world’s poorest people, most of who live in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia.
Although the world produces enough food to feed everyone, it is estimated that one in seven people do not get enough food to live a healthy life. Poor people are most at risk of hunger. It can impact on all areas of their lives, trapping them in a poverty spiral.
People who are undernourished are less resistant to diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, making treatment less effective. In the case of children, we know it can affect their ability to learn and concentrate in school.
On a wider scale, environmental damage and climate change continues to degrade the land of people already at risk, destroying their crops."
The Garden at Ndi Moyo: place giving hope
We have been lucky enough to work with Ndi Moyo Palliative Care Centre in Salima since we started the Tuesday Trust. Lucy & Tony Finch who set it up and run it have been an enormous support to us, helping us to monitor our projects and to administer funding. They also allow us office space within their busy clinic - which really is a haven of comfort and hope.
In January the Tuesday Trust provided support in the form of a volunteer gardener to Ndi Moyo. Now we hope to join forces with Ndi Moyo to develop a demonstration garden intercropping OFSP with medicinal plants, a couple of mango trees and chillies.
Lucy already has a fabulous medicinal garden which she runs as part of their incredible palliative care programme. So this fresh initiative will be a perfect fit.
Ndi Moyo Salima Malawi- Registered Charity no. 1111045
2013 Saw a fantastic harvest, now's the time for some new crops
Despite ferocious weather patterns several of our gardens experienced a particularly good harvest in 2013.
Seeing how climate change had such a big impact on our members last year we looked into newer more drought resistant nutritious crops. After careful research we decided that we would work with our groups to grow some sweet potatoes. We are also supporting some rice growing in the wetlands and some cassava.
Your support can help us build on 2013 and encourage self-sustenance. We need to get these families to a tipping point where they can seed next season themselves. Thanks.
TUESDAY TRUST in Malawi, progress to date in 2013
From the time Tuesday Trust rolled out its activities in the villages of Phaka, Mchoka, Magumbwa, Mtika, Chimoga and Chipoka many lives of women and their families have been transformed. Five groups comprising ten women benefited from farm inputs provided by Tuesday Trust.
These inputs include seeds, fertilizers, chemicals and garden tools such as watering cans. In total twenty (20) gardens were planted with crops like groundnuts, cotton, maize, vegetables and c/peas. Currently these groups have OFSP (orange fleshed sweet potato) gardens with Nursery which they will plant immediately after first rains. So far 9 ha of land were planted with maize, 4 ha with ground nuts, 5 ha with cotton, 1.5 ha with vegetables, 5 ha were planted with c/peas and 0.5 ha is currently planted with OFSP nursery.
A part from the farm inputs that were provided, these women benefited a lot from the various training sessions that were held. These trainings includes gross margin analysis, post harvest loss management, budding and grafting, crops dynamics /organisation, vegetable production, food processing and utilization and OFSP seed multiplication.
Success to date:
Tuesday Trust has successfully provided all the necessary inputs to targeted vulnerable women with an aim of uplifting their lives.
Now these groups are eagerly waiting for nutritious food products of the OFSP. However some women have had poor harvest owing to poor organisational skills of their groups and poor soils and scarcity of water among other factors.
by Pindani Mfiti & Chimwemwe Nyirenda for The Tuesday Trust2012 Progress Update:
Climate change affected our village groups badly during 2012 and the rains were very late affecting the whole year's output. 12.5 hectares were planted with maize, soya, groundnuts and cotton. Drought mitigation training was delivered to 4 gardens.
In 2012 we supported 5 gardens:
In November 2012, we took on a new part time employee, Mr Pindani as our Field Manager. He is an experienced agricultural extension worker and we are very optimistic about the contribution he is making already, and not just in horticulture and growing, but areas like conflict resolution.
Many thanks for everyone's support in 2012: your help makes a huge contribution to our small efforts.
The Tuesday Trust supports the work of Ndi Moyo Palliative Care Centre in Malawi. HIV/AIDs is devastating vulnerable communities at an alarming rate in Malawi, with entire swathes of communities being wiped out. Despite its preponderance, levels of stigmatization are high and there are inadequate care and social support services for people living with the virus.
Lucy Finch’s Ndi Moyo Centre provides palliative care for some of these people. It works to alleviate the suffering of those who are terminally ill, bringing care and dignity to those who need it most. Ndi Moyo is a day care centre that is holistic and meets the needs of individual patients and families.
As well as the clinic itself, she has established a wonderful garden full of healing plants. Some help with the symptoms of the virus, others with side effects of the viral treatments.
Lucy Finch, who set up Ndi Moyo (which means The Place Giving Life), is an exceptional person. Malawian by birth and a nurse by profession, after living outside the country for 38 years she returned in 2002 to offer the skills she had gained with Hospice Uganda to her home country.
She herself had had close relatives who had died of AIDS and knew at first hand, the pain and lack of dignity they had gone through. And so she decided to establish Ndi Moyo and its amazing garden.
Here are just some of the plants she nurtures and uses:
Some Facts:
€5 - Buys 1000 tablets for the treatment of diarrhoea
€2 - Buys 1000 aspirin
10 cent - Buys 10 bread rolls for Lucy’s patients
0 - Doctors in Salima
10 cent - Buys dehydration salts for 1 litre
€10 - Buys 50kgs of maize for the patients
€1 - takes a patient up to 30klms on a bicycle taxi
70 cent - Buys a mat for the patient to sleep on
€4 - Buys 100 surgical gloves
€1.50 - Provides a patient with food and transport for a week
More Info:
http://www.dg-web.co.uk/ndi_moyo/
This is our last season working with the Salima Women’s Network, SAWEG. We were delighted to partner them for a few years and over 1000 people have enjoyed food security annually as a result, with dozens of women receiving training and workshops on better planting techniques and crop management.
We wish women of SAWEG the very best with all their initiatives going forward: they are an inspirational bunch. And, who knows, we make well partner again in the future.
The Network envisions a life where women and girls are free from gender-based violence and is addressing education for women and girls, the rights of women & food security and, of course, HIV and AIDS.