I am currently reading a book by Jeffery Sachs titled "The End of Poverty". He talks about the need for developed countries to help those countries suffering from extreme poverty. He talks about economic development being a ladder in which these countries suffering from extreme poverty need help getting their foot on the first rung of the ladder, and that the only way they can do this is with the help of developed countries. They cannot do this on their own. The way I envision this is thinking about when I was a kid. When one of my friends wanted to climb a tree, we would give them "ten-fingers" to assist them in their first step to get into the tree. This is the same principle needed by these countries and it is needed at the ground level in these rural villages where the tree is out of reach. The thought is that if we can give them "ten-fingers", they can climb the tree themselves.
I feel so lucky and fortunate to have been able to witness and be a part of this process this week. Pendulum Project and Face to Face AIDS Project just gave a grant to a rural village, Chadika, to start a food security program for 40 people either impacted by HIV/AIDS in some capacity, or families taking care of orphans. They participated in a two day training on what it means to own a successful business. They have each been given a plot of land to grow maize for food as well as to sell some for a profit. I was so proud to witness this. How cool to be part of something that could potentially change the quality of these peoples lives who would otherwise not be able to do this?
As I was leaving, they were singing a song to me. Mike asked if I knew what they were saying. I think he sometimes grossley overestimates my understanding of Chichewa. They were singing that " Today is a special day, Today is a happy day, Today is not common". I could not have said it better myself. I felt the same way.
I have gotten a lot of questions about how long I am going to stay in Malawi. My original plan was to come here for two months, then travel through SE Asia. I have been here three and cannot think about leaving yet. How do you walk away from something where everyday is not common, everyday is a special day and everyday is a happy day?
Here is a picture of the training where they are learning about what a business is.
This is how kids travel here. No joke.
One thing I have gotten used to is that whenever I hold a baby, I inevitably end up with pee all over me. The sacrifices I make for a picture. I wonder if politicians would still "hold babies" if I passed them one of these kids with chronically wet pants.
I am pretty sure that I pay more in tip for a five minute NYC cab ride than this guy makes in a 30 km trip.
Let's hope the middle finger is not universal.
So I went to the car, the door was open, and next thing you know, 25 kids are squeezing themselves in the door to talk. You cannot get a clear view of how many kids there are, but I am sure you can hear them. I had the best time making videos of this.
As you watch this, keep in mind that these kids do not speak any english.
Where the Malawian carbon footprint is about the size of Bigfoot due to all the exhaust from old cars and trucks, they make up for it in recycling old materials. Everything that is used has two, three or even four lives. I am pretty impressed with how inventive they can be. Do you know how many toys an empty water bottle can be? They can make the coolest toy truck out of old wires and cans for tires. Now I don't know about tetanus, but the toy sure looks cool. Here is a picture of a kite made out of a garbage bag and shopping bags. I am willing to bet that this garbage bag had another life in between carrying trash and catching wind. Maybe our new recycling policy should be to send all of our trash to Malawi. They could probably come up with some really cool inventions.
