In 2018 Jaine, our representative in Malawi, moved to Malawi to focus on transforming Makwawa house into a self-sustainable, ecological space for travellers and tourists to come and stay. This is her first hand account of what it is like to be a woman living in a culture and climate so different from her own.
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Cyclone Idai hit southern Malawi after only one week had passed since the last cyclone. Idai also devasted vast areas of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, affecting thousands. So many have died, lost their loved ones, their belongings, their crops and been left homeless. Cyclone Idai has been declared By the UN “one of the worst weather-related disasters ever to hit the southern hemisphere”. Cholera and malaria are major dangers with so much standing water. There are collections locally for flood victims: food, kids clothes, kitchen utensils and buckets with lids are at the top items in demand. The current flood zone is estimated to cover 3,000 sq km (1,200 sq miles). If you want to make a donation I can buy these locally and have them sent to the worst areas.
Here in our village of Mponda, where, like most of rural Malawi, the houses are built using simple mud bricks, some homes have collapsed. A father lost his legs and two children in Songani, our nearest town. Many villagers fear that the harvest will be affected and therefore maize will be in short supply later this year. On the mountainside, we have not suffered from flooding, only the effects of too much rain. As my neighbour Ruth said "farming is a difficult business, too much rain is as bad as too little." I am still surviving without electricity but enjoying the abundance of avocados and pineapples. The maize is not yet ripe until the end of April. Makwawa Malawi charity is again buying maize for the village. Feeding around 150 people for a month for £500 doesn't seem like much but it is a lifeline many in Malawi don't have. The legacy of Makwawa is bringing blessings to this small corner of poverty stricken Africa. What is very apparent is that climate changes, where weather systems like cyclones can be so ferocious, devastating thousands of peoples lives, are far more damaging to people who live in the third world than when they occur in more developed countries, where resources and aid are in larger supply, where the infrastructure of rescue exists. Here tarmac roads, vehicles and rescue services are rare. Thank God for the rescue services that are now being deployed. I am writing this on my phone as still, 3 weeks later, we have no electricity and my computer has no power. The effects of this disaster will impact lives for years to come.
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 Makwawa river is full, rain water is gushing down and for the first time I can hear the river from the house. Southern Malawi just had four days of heavy rainfall brought in by a cyclone off the Indian Ocean, across Mozambique, which then ground to a halt overhead (5th-8th March inclusive). And the forecast is for another this weekend (15th-17th March). The lowlands have been devastated by floods. Lake Chilwa to the east of Zomba city, has grown to twice its size. Great for the birds but not so good for the villages on the plains and around its shore, where people eek out a living from fishing its muddy waters and growing rice. Rice fields and maize crops will have been lost. Some houses made of mud bricks have collapsed in our neighbouring villages. Two children lost their lives and their father lost his legs when their bedroom wall fell on them in the night. Many families ended up in the mosque, schools and churches to find respite from the rains and their ruined homes. ‘This is the life’ is a saying I hear from Malawians, who continue about their daily lives, grateful for what they have, which is not much. There are few jobs here in Malawi, very little money and everyone hoping for their share. There are prospects only for the educated and the brave. Survival is the name of the game. ‘Only God knows’ what the future will bring.
 I have had no electricity for a week. Relying on power from generators, I manage to get my computer and phone charged in a local shop, whose wiring system would amaze you, charging at least 300 devices at once. The mobile phone has become an essential item alongside pots, pans and food, of course. We are lucky though, living up on the mountain side. The rainwater swiftly runs off into streams and rivers. Although the maize is not yet fully ripe, we are eating ‘green maize’ - a whiter version of corn on the cob, not so sweet but very tasty – and boiled pumpkins. Freshly grown rice is available now, if you can afford it but for many there are only cooked pumpkin leaves to eat. Some grow beans, bananas, guava, pineapple and avocados, which are now in season, unless the monkeys get them first. Tomatoes and onions are becoming plentiful again. But most people here rely on maize for their main food ‘nsima’, made from maize flour. It is the end of the ‘hungry months’ coinciding with the busiest time in the fields as rainy season is the growing season. As soon as the maize is ripe there will be plenty to eat. Last year’s crop ran out in November so Makwawa Malawi Charity was called upon to provide food aid. We purchased 37 sacks of maize in December which was distributed to 150 households in Mponda village, just a short downhill walk from Makwawa. So far this has been required in December, January and February. I am waiting for a report from the Chief of Mponda village to see if any will be needed for March. This time there was no surplus to share with other nearby villages, as has happened in the past. This might be because of a growing population in the village and a larger number of old people unable to tend their fields. And yet Malawi is at its most beautiful. Lush and green from the rains, grasses, green trees and flowers, with swollen rivers and streams. Butterflies, insects and birds are in abundance. Children are always out playing and people gather to go to church or to chat, share stories and laugh. The contrasts of life here are forever beguiling.
I am bound by a tight budget and therefore have no vehicle. Instead I walk down the mountain road to Songani trading centre and catch a minibus to Zomba for some supplies and a bit of social time. Either a taxi will bring me back to Makwawa or a motorbike will bring me up the road from the bus stop. At first I was nervous of the motorbike ride but now it is such a fun way to travel, often without a helmet! Going into Cape Maclear to visit friends and swim in Lake Malawi’s clear blue waters, through the National Park’s mountains and forest is a major highlight of my stay here in Malawi. Jaine Raine, March 2019   Visit Malawi: I would be so excited to welcome guests to Makwawa to visit all these projects and do some gardening or teaching English at the local schools. And then there are Wildlife Safaris, snorkeling or scuba diving in Lake Malawi, trekking up Zomba or Mulanji Mountains, visiting tea plantations, waterfalls, permaculture projects and seeing the Rift valley from the top of the mountains near Livingstonia. Car hire or buses, we can arrange a tour to fit your budget. For more information contact me on [email protected]  |
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November 2019
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