SAFARI in the Masai Mara...Another Dream Come True!!!

As most of you already knew, part of my dream of coming to Africa most certainly included me on an African Safari…well, another dream came true! I just returned back to Malawi after a safari in the middle of the Masai Mara in Kenya. WOW!!! There really are no words to accurately describe this experience. I can put it best by saying…I’ve never felt so ALIVE in my 23 years of living. You all know that feeling—when your heart pounds rapidly out of your chest, your butterflies fly rampantly around in your belly, your blood zooms hurriedly through your veins, and your thoughts spin wildly out of control… Now, take the feeling you know inside of you and multiply it by 1,000, and you might just begin to get a slight idea…

There is something about seeing your first lion in the wild that brings this feeling rushing over you! The first time I saw a lion, we were able to drive up to about 4 feet from the King and 2 queens of the jungle, who were all sleeping due to a recent feast on their proudly slain zebra (also only a couple of feet away from me). I watched them sleeping for quite some time, then they woke up, stared straight into my eyes for what seemed like days, then came walking slowly to my car. Can you say petrified??? Wow!!!

I saw everything up close—from zebras, giraffes, and hippos…to hyenas, lions, and cheetahs…to jackals, elands, and topi…to mongeese, wart hogs, and meer cats…to baboons, crocodiles, and wildebeest…and so many more wonderful species of Africa. I was also extremely fortunate to be in the Mara at the time of the great migration…thousands of wildebeest and zebra moving north because of the rains…the 8^th wonder of the world. I was even luckier to see the migration crossing the Masai Mara River, dodging the teeth of crocodiles and hippos. National Geographic, Animal Planet material times 500!

I stayed at a wonderful camp (Serian Camp) right over the Masai Mara River, where the hippos like to bath during the day. Then at night, the hippos retreat on land into the bushes. Needless to say, I could hear the hippos snorting all through the night as they walked past my tent into the bushes. Another completely petrifying moment was when a lion (or leopard, we’re not quite sure) walked right past my tent, and decided to purr, grumble, and give a slight roar right into my delicate canvass tent. Holy moly!!! Fortunately, my Masai guard (armed with a machete and a spear) was hiding out in my outdoor bathroom just in case. Ha ha ha!!! WHOA!!! Hearing the grumbles and watching the silhouette move slowly past my tent now constitutes the coolest 3 minutes of my life!

One of my favorite parts of my safari was visiting a nearby traditional Masai village. For those of you who have never been to Africa, the images in your mind of what you think Africa and its people look like is typified in these Masai villages—brightly colored cloths for clothing, bright and elaborate beaded jewelry/headwear, singing, dancing, jumping, feathered crowds for the village chief, and spears for protecting the village against the evils of the lion, leopard, and the like. The bright colors are amazing, the Masai people’s bone structures are incredible, the jewelry is so cool…all in all, the Masai people are the most BEAUTIFUL people I have ever seen in my life!!!

Wow! Am I dreaming? Somebody wake me up please…

Reflections on My Beloved Neno...

My IPSP was absolutely amazing—I loved Malawi, I loved all of the Malawian people, and I loved my work! On top of all this, I benefited from my IPSP so much more than I had imagined. I was definitely pushed to my limit and presented with new, interesting challenges. My capabilities were stretched, and my communication and leadership styles were tested. But everyday in Malawi I learned an incredible amount about myself, about humanity, about development, about the interconnectivity of all the world’s social problems, and so much more. Every single day in Malawi, I was stimulated, motivated, inspired, fulfilled, and educated.

I benefited from my IPSP in a number of ways, both short term and long term, both professionally and personally. I had never been a part of an integrated development effort in a developing country. So, for starters, I learned an enormous amount on how to effectively enter a country, work with other organizations and institutions, and catalyze sustainable economic growth. In my original IPSP Analysis, I hypothesized that my time in Malawi would educate me on how development programs are integrated across sectors, how to best approach social problems in a holistic, integrated way, and how to make these efforts scalable and sustainable by partnering with governments, other organizations, and communities. I did learn all of these things, but in very different ways than I had originally anticipated.

In the middle of my IPSP, I really started to feel as though I had a good grasp of the integrated development approach. After this realization, I immediately began to analyze the application of this approach by CHDI with a very critical eye. The more I learned, the more critical I became, and the more I realized that this fully integrated approach is so much more difficult than anyone realizes (even those working on development everyday). Although CHDI is not the perfect example (yet) of this integrated approach, I still learned a tremendous amount of what this type of approach requires and the difficulties that are likely to materialize along the way. I also learned a lot about developing successful collaborations and responding to market realities, both of which will inevitably help me in my career.

On a more personal note, I was correct in my IPSP Analysis in that this experience has definitely changed me as a person forever. My time in Malawi gave me a much broader perspective on the world and my place in it. Living amidst some of the world’s most devastating social problems, I became very in touch with the problems of the world. My own personal contributions to the global poverty trap also became frighteningly obvious. I became more in touch with humanity, and my compassion for others around the world most certainly intensified. Working with the Clinton Foundation, I gained a deeper sense of hope knowing that wonderful organizations are exerting their time, energy, skills, and resources to doing great things to resolve problems around the world. However, I also realized that the devastations of these problems are so much greater than the majority of the world’s population realizes and that resolving these problems is a much more daunting task than anyone is currently capable of realizing completely. I will forever see the world through a new and very different lens.

The Clinton Foundation also benefited much more than I had previously imagined. The Clinton Foundation benefited from my IPSP because of my intense commitment to CHDI’s purpose and goals in Malawi. I remained very flexible and adaptable throughout my entire project and, as a result, I was able to contribute to several areas of CHDI in a meaningful way. I worked very hard on my specific work-related activities, while also staying open to helping CHDI in other arising areas as they needed me. Because Tyler Denton had to travel to the United States for a couple of weeks in the middle of my IPSP, my presence in Neno was critical and invaluable. Along with my project tasks, I made myself immediately available to take on Tyler Denton’s responsibilities in Neno as well, which was extremely helpful. I became the main (on the ground) contact for all of the contractors, architects, Ministry of Public Works officials, construction evaluators, etc. that Tyler had been communicating with regularly regarding the construction of the hospital and twenty-three houses in Neno.

PIH also greatly benefited from my presence in Neno. Because of my flexibility, I was able to work on several more objectives in many different content areas. In my spare time, I helped PIH stock the Neno pharmacy with the necessary HIV, TB, Malaria, etc. medications for thousands of patients. I worked with PIH and the Ministry of Health on the planning and implementation of HIV-VCT trainings in Mwanza. I also helped Dr. Jon Crocker (PIH) in the HIV clinic. In conclusion, all parties involved in my IPSP benefited much more than I had originally predicted.

Before I left for the summer, I was completely prepared to have the best experience of my life. However, my IPSP experience exceeded all expectations and was so much more incredible than I could have ever imagined. I made a significant impact to CHDI and truly loved every minute of my work. My view towards international development work completely changed, and I strongly anticipate that my public service career will revolve around the eradication of poverty. After experiencing what I experienced in Malawi, it is close to impossible that my conscience will ever allow me to focus on any other issue in the world. Before this summer, I was intensely focused on women’s empowerment issues. However, empowering women is worthless if those women are dying because they do not have food to eat or clean water to drink. So many chords inside of me (most of which I never even knew existed) were struck this summer, and I have been changed forever. My entire experience in Neno, Malawi touched my heart in an extremely meaningful and very special way.

So, to all of my friends and loved ones, thank you so very much for everything you have done for me. I have dreamed of living and working in Africa since I was a very small child, and this summer my life-long dream came true. I have truly loved every single second spent here in Malawi, the “Warm Heart of Africa”. Thank you all for shaping me into who I have become—a young woman dedicated to serving others, inspired by places and things that seem to frighten most others, motivated by those who suffer, stimulated by the world’s complexities, angered by the world’s inequalities, and determined to make a difference.

Being placed in the village of Neno for the past couple of months was such a blessing. As Tyler Denton’s new boss (Bono) humbly stated, “there is much more to learn from Africa than there is to teach”. I cannot reiterate enough how accurate this statement truly is. I have learned more meaningful things in the past two months than I have in a lifetime. I learned about myself, the world, my place in the world, development, and so much more. I made incredible friendships with so many people, engaged in very meaningful work, and hopefully made a positive difference to the people of Neno. Nevertheless, what I have gained from my special relationships with the people of Neno has changed me forever and most certainly impacted me in the most positive of ways. I will carry the touching stories of Rose, Janet, Mary, Fortune, Elias, Frank, Dick, and Simeon in my heart for the rest of my life and hopefully someday pass on every wonderful thing they taught me to my children and grandchildren!

Again, thank you all for being who are you to me, thank you for everything you’ve done for me over the years, and thank you for shaping me into who I have become today. I only continue to pray that all of you continue to remain a strong force in my life, shaping me and molding me in the future, just as you have for the past twenty-three years. Thank you all for supporting me in this opportunity of a lifetime. Thank you for your encouragement. Thank you for your endless support. Thank you for your love. And most of all, thank you for your friendship.

GOD BLESS MALAWI AND GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!!!

Review of my International Public Service Project...

For the past couple of months, I have been in the Republic of Malawi carrying out my International Public Service Project (IPSP) as part of the curriculum at the Clinton School of Public Service, where I’m currently earning my Masters Degree. My placement was with The William J. Clinton Foundation, more specifically with the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative (CHDI) in the Republic of Malawi. Malawi is a democratic, densely populated country located in the southeastern region of Africa. The national language is Chichewa, although those who are fortunate enough to attend school learn and speak English. Malawi gained its independence from the UK on July 6, 1964. Malawi has a GDP per capita of 596 US dollars, which makes it one of the five poorest countries in the world. Its three most important export crops are tobacco, coffee, tea, and sugar.

For the people fortunate enough to earn a living in Malawi, most are earning between $0.30 and $0.70 cents per day. Subsistence farming is the way of life—people try to grow enough food on their property to feed their families. The life expectancy in Malawi is around thirty-six years old, and the number has been steadily dropping over time due to the country's impoverishment, which is constituted by the following factors: lack of foresight by the government, lack of access to medical care, insufficient nutrition, insufficient school education, low income (less than $1 a day), rapid spread of HIV/AIDS, government economic restrictions, and corruption. Out of every ten children born in Malawi, one does not survive birth. The primary health issues in Malawi are HIV/AIDS (infection rate of 14.2%), Malaria, and water-borne illnesses.

The Clinton Hunter Development Initiative (CHDI) was announced as one of the first commitments at the inaugural meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2005. The Clinton Foundation and the Hunter Foundation (based in Scotland) established CHDI with seed funding of $100 million to be used over 10 years, to develop a self-sustaining, integrated and systemic approach to poverty alleviation. CHDI’s holistic approach integrates four core elements: agriculture (food security), health, clean water and sanitation, and education.

At the Malawian government’s request, CHDI is initially focusing on three districts in Malawi: Chitipa, Dowa, and Neno. My main focus for the summer was working on health and health infrastructure issues in the Neno district, primarily with CHDI’s partnering organization, Partners in Health. CHDI is responsible for the implementation of health-related programs in Malawi, including existing Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) efforts and overall efforts to strengthen the Malawian healthcare system. As part of this effort, Partners in Health (PIH) began working in Malawi with CHDI in the beginning of 2007.

Neno district currently has no hospital. The current health facility is about 2,500 square feet and sees more than two hundred patients everyday, with a staff of three, the most senior of which is the equivalent of a second year medical student in the United States (until the PIH physicians arrived in February 2007). CHDI is working with PIH to expand the district health center to create a district hospital, staffed by PIH physicians and local clinicians, which will have five times as many hospital beds and offer significantly more life-saving health services. The clinic will provide primary care, including care and treatment for HIV, TB, and malaria. CHDI is also funding and managing the construction of twenty-three district hospital staff houses that will be used as incentives to attract good physicians and clinicians to Neno to work in the new district hospital. The Clinton Foundation and Partners in Health are working together with the Malawian Government to build a sixty bed hospital that will employ 150 people, including thirty nurses and fifteen highly educated medical doctors. As many as 100,000 people in the Neno district (and beyond) will have access to free healthcare and free prescription drugs, including ARVs (anti-retroviral) and other first and second-line drugs that fight HIV and AIDS. In order to make sure that the new hospital is staffed by well-trained, government-certified health workers, CHDI and PIH are also building up the capacity of local, trained health workers.

Freedom, Compassion, & HOPE...but the Greatest of these of HOPE!!!

In my Leadership course at the Clinton School, Dr. Bill Grace guided our class in an activity to help us discover our core values in life—the three inner-most values that should guide every decision in our lives. Through this exercise, I learned that my core values are freedom, compassion, and hope. Even though the stakes, circumstances, and risks will always change, I must always uphold these three core values in all that I do. This realization helped make sense of my deepest passions, while also giving me a clear sense of purpose and direction. In the fall of 2006, I dedicated my life to freedom, compassion, and hope and made the commitment to let these values guide all of my decisions in the future. My commitment to these values has overwhelmed me with a sense of peace. Knowing that remaining true to these values will always lead me in the right direction will help make difficult decisions seem easy.

Thanks to Dr. Grace, I knew, from the beginning, that the driving force of my IPSP was hope. I was very excited because I had always wanted to work in Africa, yet I was so scared that I would not be able to help and change things as much as I would like. I was so happy that my life-long dream was coming true, yet so sad that I was inevitably going to have to look into the eyes of all the Malawian children and leave them all in August, knowing that I could not make all of their dreams come true as well. Leaving all of my family and friends and everything else that is comfortable, uncomplicated, and alluring about living in the United States of America was simple. Living in rural Malawi (one of the ten poorest countries in the world), knowing that I could not make every dream of every Malawian I met come true was exceptionally difficult. However, my commitment to hope was my saving grace, and hopefully it will be the Malawian’s saving grace someday as well.

I was intensely committed to helping lift the Malawian people as much as I possibly could. I had come to peace with the fact that even if I failed miserably in my mission, all of the Malawian people (especially the children) would see that someone they do not know, from a small town and a small state very far away, cares about them in an extraordinary way. This realization that people outside of their family, from across the world, care that much about their well-being would hopefully create hope in the hearts of the beautiful Malawian people. Hope is not created through impact measurements, or bricks laid, or negative HIV test results. Hope is created by the most rare human connection of all—people reaching out to people, driven by compassion and sincerity, simply to show that they care. And that is exactly what my IPSP was all about. Once I stumbled upon this gem of truth, I was confident that I would succeed and make a real difference in the lives of the Malawian people. Freedom, compassion, and hope have led me to serve everyday of my life, but this summer hope was my driving force. Now that my IPSP is complete, I reaffirm my previous realization—because of my dedication to creating hope, I did succeed and make a real difference in Malawi.

Sophocles, Locke, King, & MERRY...What Do Ya Know???

My time in Malawi has made me intensely reflect on the ethical theories of several social thinkers, and I have concluded that I span human life’s long timeline by way of my agreement with Sophocles, John Locke, and Martin Luther King, Jr. I believe that a Higher Law definitely exists in societal life. As a social change agent, I will always try to make the world a better place to live and ensure that all human beings are granted their inherent human rights defined by Locke, guided by the principles and values of my Higher moral law. In doing so, I will always check the laws of the state with the principles of my Higher moral law. This curiosity, or questioning the status quo, acts as the catalyst for my deepest passion—social reform.

How do you weigh pain across the human race? Many people in developed countries believe (or try to believe) that pain is weighted differently in Africa and other under-developed parts of the world where poverty and poverty-related death is rampant. Millions of people die of AIDS, Malaria, and other infectious diseases every year. Many people in developed countries accept this as merely the nature of things and attempt to comfort themselves in the thought that people in these parts of the world accept this situation just as they do (as the “nature of things”). As a result, they believe that the pain caused by these deaths is not weighted as heavily as it would be in the United States or anywhere else in the world where this disease-death rate is not nearly as high.

In Mill’s utilitarian theory, everyone’s happiness has the same weight, and everyone’s pain has the same weight. In Appiah’s theory of cosmopolitanism, all people should be valued equally, and we have an equal, moral obligation to all human beings on the planet. I agree with both of these social thinkers. Of course the occurrence of death in Malawi is NO less painful or less significant than it is in the United States. Every human being experiences the same emotions with the same weight. We all have moral responsibilities to every human being we meet, regardless of who they are or where they come from. Valuing all people equally will also increase humans’ capacity to make consistently moral decisions, which is desperately needed now and into the future.

John Locke Would Be Furious...

Every day of my project in Malawi, I found myself pondering inherent human rights and the duties, if any, human beings have to each other here on earth. John Locke believed that human beings are all given inherent rights by God (the right to life, liberty, and property). He also believed that human nature is characterized by reason and tolerance, and we deserve these inherent rights no matter what the circumstance. As a result, the state’s main duty is merely to protect these inherent rights, given to us by a Higher law. Viewing the public problems in Malawi through the lens of John Locke is quite disturbing. The Malawian people are characterized by reason and tolerance (just as everyone born in a developed country where these inherent rights are a given) so they deserve the three inherent human rights. However, thousands of people in Malawi are deprived of all three of these inherent human rights, and unfortunately the government does not have the capacity or the resources to do anything about it.

Malawians are stripped of their right to life by the rampant spread of infectious diseases and poverty and the lack of tools to combat these two deadly weapons. Malawians are stripped of their right to liberty because of their lack of access to education (without knowledge, their freedom becomes more and more limited by the day). Malawians are stripped of their right to property by the lack of access to economic opportunity and/or advancement. According to Locke’s theory, the Malawian Government should be stepping in to solve this disaster of human rights…but this is not happening. They argue that they do not have the capacity or the resources to tackle the vast public problems in Malawi. I would argue (based on the government’s decision to build a brand new multi-million dollar Parliament building) that government corruption is getting in the way of these basic human rights. Fortunately, CHDI is in Malawi fighting for the inherent rights given to every human being on the planet (that these Malawian people are tragically being deprived of). Some people might perceive initiatives like CHDI as a charitable effort, but the truth is that initiatives like the one I worked for this summer are merely a cry for adjustment in morality.

WITCHCRAFT??? I THINK NOT...

John Dewey states that “no man and no mind was ever emancipated merely by being left alone” and that knowledge cooped up in private consciousness is nothing but a myth. Several people in Malawi think that AIDS is caused by witchcraft, and as a result, it is never talked about in public. In relaying these two messages to the HIV/AIDS problem CHDI is addressing in Malawi, it is clear to see that freedom of speech, shared experiences, and the dissemination of intellectual energy is necessary to spark positive social change in this light. Dewey speaks a lot about the importance of knowledge, and even more specifically the importance of sharing and exchanging this knowledge with others. It is by sharing knowledge with other engaging individuals that the public begins to emerge from its shadow and move towards the “free and enriching communion” which is true democracy.

Fortunately, the Malawian Government (the entity which claims political responsibility for this problem) allows for the healthy education and dissemination of knowledge about HIV/AIDS in schools, communities, clinics, etc. Primary schools in Malawi are now teaching children about HIV/AIDS as an important science topic of study. CHDI, PIH, and the Malawian Government are all working together to hold educational training sessions for community members about HIV/AIDS, tests, counseling, treatment, etc. This wide dissemination of knowledge and sharing has been made possible by the collaborations of CHDI, PIH, and the Malawi Ministry of Health, and it is extremely helpful in achieving social change related to the public problem of HIV/AIDS. Generating knowledgeable and meaningful exchanges between people ushers in that feeling of a fraternally shared experience which deeply bonds people on a positive level. These bonds created between people solidify the desire for influential communication, shared knowledge, and a strong identity, thus moving them towards true democracy, bringing into existence the arena for positive social change to occur—to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in Malawi.

The dissemination of knowledge, sparked by PIH, CHDI, and the Ministry of Health will also hopefully create a transcendental collective interest of everyone in Malawi to achieve social change related to HIV/AIDS. Dewey argues that the only possible solution to a public problem such as this one is “the perfecting of the means and ways of communication of meanings so that genuinely shared interests in the consequences of interdependent activities may inform desire and effort and thereby direct action”. Public opinion comes from a common understanding and shared interests emerging from citizen conversations. The dissemination of knowledge and the creation of a transcendental collective interest will hopefully move these citizen conversations in Malawi from silent to public, from mythical to educational.

Thank you Post Modern T-Diddy!!!

Just so everyone knows...I owe all of my best pictures of Malawi, cool stories, fun times, many laughs, etc. to my fellow public servant, wonderful friend, post-modern extraordinaire...Tyler (T-Diddy) Denton.

T-Diddy...Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I am forever indebted to you and yours!!! Hahahaha :0)

Lake Malawi--Monkey Bay

After the craziness of Clinton's visit to Neno, we all really needed a vacation. So, Friday night (after Clinton's helicopter departed), we went to Lake Malawi--Monkey Bay, and stayed at Taffy's lake lodge on the beach. I really didn't know what to expect, but I was completely blown away by the beauty. I guarantee that in 20 years, Lake Malawi will the "the hot spot" to vacation for millions. It is the prettiest lake I've ever seen (yes, even prettier than Lake Ouachita). Taffy (a middle-aged man from South Africa) discovered the beauty and has since moved and taken refuge on a small plot of the beach right in the heart of Monkey Bay. Fortunately, he rents out his lovely beachside rooms to people who crave this beauty and this down-time like...ME! We arrived Friday night, and Taffy had a lovely dinner waiting for us on his veranda right over the beach. WOW!!! There are really no words at all to describe this setting. Saturday morning, we woke up and Taffy had another wonderful meal prepared for us on the veranda. We chilled out, relaxed, and then we went out on Taffy's cedar boat!!! Incredible!!! Taffy took us to some great cliffs for jumping...it was sooooooo much fun. The sand was white, the water was clear blue, and the wine and beers were flowing freely, haha. After a couple of hours on the water, we headed back to Taffy's for lunch on the veranda. Then, playtime on the beach with the local kids...watching the monkey's playtime on Taffy's roof, haha ...dinner served on the veranda...fun card games...and bedtime! Sunday morning, more beach time and meals on the veranda...and then, sadly, we had to say goodbye to Taffy and get back on the road to Lilongwe.

By the way, this week I'll be in Lilongwe with Tyler. We'll also be heading to the northern district to do some work mid-week, stopping along the way to stay in the Nyika Plateau to hang out with some sweet leopards, zebras, etc. Then, next week, I'm heading to Neno for my last week in Malawi :0(

I LOVE MALAWI!!!!!!!!!!!!!

President Clinton's Visit to Neno, Malawi

As most of you have probably already read in the newspaper or seen on TV, President Clinton and his prestigious entourage (including Sir Tom Hunter of Scotland, Dr. Paul Farmer, top Malawian government officials and others) visited Neno, Malawi this past week. Much of my time at the beginning of last week was spent working with Clinton's advance team on the preparations and plans for Clinton's visit to Neno. The logistical work that is undertaken for WJC to visit a small village like Neno is massive, intense, very stressful, but lots of fun! After preparing all week for the visit, Clinton and others arrived into Neno via helicopter on Friday, July 20. Apparently word of the visit had been leaked because THOUSANDS of Malawians from all the surrounding villages of Neno walked into Neno for the day. Some people walked over 10 hours to get to Neno. Thousands of Malawians, dressed in their finest clothes (traditional Malawian fabrics/prints), were lining the dirt, bumpy road of Neno, singing and dancing in the traditional way to welcome this fine distinguished guest. When they heard the helicopters in the sky, everyone started going crazy! The songs got louder and the dancing picked up and never stopped for the rest of the day.

Clinton got off the Malawian helicopter and first stopped to talk to a local farmers' association about CHDI's work with wheat in the Neno district. Then, the motorcade began...through the single dirt road of Neno. Clinton then stopped at the existing district health clinic to talk to patients and see the poor conditions and lack of services offered by the existing clinic. Then, he toured the new district hospital construction site (the site that I have been managing for the past couple of months) and shook hands with ALL of the construction workers on site, learned about their building process--EVERYTHING BY HAND, noted progress, etc. He spoke with the District Health Officer about all of the wonderful and much needed services that this new hospital (built by CHDI and PIH) will provide for Neno and surrounding areas of Malawi. Clinton then made his way to the staff housing construction site (also another site that I've been managing this summer) to speak with the workers, tour one of the houses, and learn all about the SSB (soil stabilized brick) making process (CHDI chose to use SSB's to build the 23 houses in Neno in order to recycle earth's precious resources, reduce deforestation, conserve energy, and reduce pollution).

Meeting Clinton a number of times in the U.S. has been incredible, but watching him interact with these Malawians, seeing him in this element of his, was one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed in my life. No matter how much we planned his movements, minute by minute, it was absolutely inevitable that, in the end, he would not follow our plan at all because he would be so overcome and enthralled by the Malawian people and would want to throw all caution and all plans out of the window and just connect with as many people on a one-on-one basis as possible...well...this is exactly what happened and it was incredible!!! He shook every single person's hand that he passed, every kid in the road, every worker on site, every singer and dancer along the way. Towards the end of his visit, he stopped the motorcade so he could get out in the middle of the road (amidst the thousands and thousands of people lining the one dirt road of Neno) and talk to everyone! Of course, the press was bombarding him, and of course the kids were going crazy...but that didn't phase him one bit. He was his usual sincere, compassionate, and wonderful self and truly connected with the thousands of people around him.

Around 5 pm, Clinton got back into his vehicle and the motorcade headed back to the helicopter landing zone. And then, he descended back into the sky from which he came--like an angel to these Malawian people.

It was truly one of the most precious, touching days of my life. When you see the coverage on ABC or read the stories in the newspaper, I urge you to look a little deeper, look beneath the surface, and really see the astoundingly positive impact that this public servant/former President of the United States is making around the world.

My Day at Neno Girls Mission Secondary School

Last week, the Head Master of the Neno Girls Mission Secondary School (NGMSS) asked me to come speak to the girls in his school. So, this past Monday morning, that's exactly what I did. It was one of the coolest experiences I've had since I've been in Malawi. I showed up at NGMSS around 9 am and met the Head Master (HM). He and my good friend Ruth (one of the students at NGMSS) took me on a lovely tour of the school campus. I saw the 4 classrooms-one for each form (grade)-the library and all of the living hostels. The campus was very nice and the girls there were soooooo happy! After the tour, the HM gathered all of the girls in the courtyard and I spoke to them for about 30 minutes. I explained what brought me to Neno, a little bit about my job here, and then mainly just gave many words of encouragement. We talked about the importance of a good education (both personally and for national development). We talked about their career and life aspirations and what it is going to take to get there. They were all so happy to have me there, but I can assure you that I was much happier to be with them! They thought I was teaching and inspiring them, but I can assure you that they were teaching and inspiring me so much more! These girls are truly incredible! Not many people in Malawi are fortuante enough to attend secondary school (roughly equivalent to junior high and a few years of high school). These girls are extremely lucky, and they NEVER take their education for granted. They study at least four hours every single night. And when they're not in class, studying, or cleaning the campus...they all gather together and sing the most beautiful songs (in Chichewa) that I've ever heard in my life. Fortunately, I always hear them singing from my guesthouse. They are so wonderful, and Monday, July 16 was one of the best days of my entire summer!!!

Go Chikonde!!!

In case any of you ever wonder what I do on the weekends...I watch lots and lots of soccer!!! My favorite thing to do in Neno is watch my two favorite teams: Chikonde and Chiwale--both secondary schools in Neno. This picture is of the Chikonde soccer team. Games are usually every Sunday afternoon, and the hype, energy, celebration, etc. at these games is unlike anything I've ever seen before. I have some truly amazing video footage of the celebrations that I will show you all when I get home. When someone scores a goal, the whole crowd (hundreds of people) for that team runs laps around the soccer field, chanting and singing and dancing...until the game is over...sometimes for two hours straight. It's wild!!! For those of you that play soccer in the states...try playing your next game as a Malawian--barefoot and without any shin guards...

4 Weeks Left...

I can't even believe that I'll be home exactly 4 weeks from today. A part of me feels like I just got here, and another part of me feels like I've been here for months...how does that happen? I haven't posted in a long time becasue I've been ridiculously busy. Just as I had imagined, my scope of work increases daily as the demands in Neno continue to increase. I love staying busy though, so it's a good thing! My Chichewa knowledge is expanding, and I'm still getting compliments from locals about my pronunciation, haha--yeah! I had the tailor in Neno make me a couple of African skirts. I've actually started to enjoy...not just tolerate...nsima. I have gotten used to the hour and a half walks to visit my friends. I have witnessed my first slaughtering of a guinea fowl (and I'm a temporary vegetarian as a result...but don't worry, I don't think it will last long). I have made a trip to the maize mill with Rose to make nsima flour. All in all...I'm pretty mch a Malawian now, hahaha...

On a more serious note, I'm really enjoying my work these days. I've really settled into all of my roles and I'm really beginning to realize the impact of my work. I've already been asked to start training the Malawian people that will take over all of my tasks when I leave...this transition is going to take a while and be difficult. I've really taken on a lot more than I thought I would in the beginning. I am continuing to manage the construction of the new district hospital, along with 23 staff houses. I'm continuing to manage the CHDI guesthouse and supervise all guesthouse staff members. I've worked in the HIV clinic. I've helped with HIV-VCT training sessions. I've worked with the ag team on a feasibility study for organic cotton. I've started the heavy load of preparatory work for the big secret visit! I've done pretty much everything under the sun, and nothing seems to be slowing down anytime soon.

I'm LOVING my Malawian friends!!! For the rest of my life, few things will be as sweet as my memories of Malawian smiles...

Flat Stanley continues his public awareness campaign about HIV/AIDS...
He has now put up this sign outside of Zalewa in an attempt to eliminate the belief that HIV/AIDS is caused by witchcraft (very widespread belief).

He is a very dedicated public servant for such a young lad...I commend his efforts, don't you???

Go CHDI Agriculture Team!!! I LOVE my Mother Earth!!!

The past couple of days, I engaged in work much different than my main jobs here in Malawi. I traveled all over the southern part of the country with the CHDI Agriculture Team, starting a feasibility study of organic cotton production in Malawi. Our team consisted of Austin Ngwira (CHDI Director of Agriculture), Walker Morris (CHDI Director of Business Development), Austin and Dedericks (2 experienced organic cotton farmers from Zambia), and Simon and Silvere (2 men working with Organic Exchange on the market side of organic cotton production). We traveled from Lilongwe to Blantyre, to Zomba, to Zalewa, to lower Neno, to Mwanza, and back to Lilongwe. We met with the various stakeholders for our trial production of organic cotton: the farmers, ginners, spinners, weavers, dye-ers, finishers, garment designers, manufacturers, etc. We had productive meetings with every single part of the value chain of cotton! It was so, so interesting, and I'm now an expert on organic cotton (haha, not really but close).

There is an increasing demand for organic products all over the world (especially in Europe and North America), and Malawi has a great opportunity to become one of the primary exporters of organic cotton. Exploring these possibilities for a trial production starting this November was extremely interesting, and I'm so happy that CHDI is taking on this organic cotton project!

Another one of the most interesting projects that the CHDI Agriculture Team is taking on in Rwanda and Malawi is the "carbon sinking" project. A little background on this issue will be helpful, so sit back and enjoy learning this very interesting lesson about our Mother Earth...

For over 150 years, industrial societies have been releasing carbon from underground coal and oil reserves, adding about 175 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Another six billion tons are being added each year. This transfer cannot go on indefinitely. Signs of climate change can already be seen in many places around the world: The mounting list of impacts ranges from rising average temperatures, melting of polar ice caps, more extreme weather events, and uncontrollable forest fires. At long last, the international community has been forced to recognize that global warming and climate change pose a real threat to humanity. Fortunately, CHDI has fully recognized this fact and is committing to doing something about it..."carbon sinks"...

A carbon dioxide sink is a carbon reservoir that is increasing in size, and is the opposite of a carbon dioxide "source". The main natural sinks are (1) the oceans and (2) plants and other organisms that use photosynthesis to remove carbon from the atmosphere by incorporating it into biomass and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. This concept of "carbon sinks" has become more widely known because the Kyoto Protocol allows the use of carbon dioxide sinks as a form of carbon offset.

Carbon sequestration is the term describing processes that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. To help mitigate global warming, a variety of means of artificially capturing and storing carbon (while releasing oxygen) — as well as of enhancing natural sequestration processes — are being explored.

CHDI is exploring a "carbon sink" project with the production of tree farms in both Rwanda and Malawi. Carbon dioxide is incorporated into forests and forest soils by trees and other plants. Through photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, store the carbon in sugars , starch and cellulose, and release the oxygen into the atmosphere. A young forest, composed of growing trees, absorbs carbon dioxide and acts as a sink. Mature forests, made up of a mix of various aged trees as well as dead and decaying matter, may be carbon neutral above ground. The forest eco-system may eventually become carbon neutral.

As of now, there is an increasing demand for carbon sinks from the rich Europeans who are flying around in their jets, polluting the environment every minute of their lives. Fortunately, it has become very trendy for these people to invest in "carbon sinks" to offset their carbon emissions. They are beginning to measure their carbon footprints and invest in carbon sinks (i.e. tree farms) in order to offset their massive CO2 emissions. Currently, these rich Europeans are the main market for carbon sinking, but this market will only continue to increase over the next 20 years, and the market for carbon sinking will be very popular and very large! Hopefully, it will be the norm for all people to measure their carbon footprints and offset them in some way (using carbon credits or another method).

CHDI is at the forefront of this market, and is beginning to do some really, really exciting things! I hope you enjoyed learning about this as much as I did...

Things to Remember on this Independence Day...Happy 4th of July!!!

I’ve been thinking a lot about this upcoming 4^th of July—I’m sad that I’m having to miss the family celebration at the lake, I’m happy that Americans are able to celebrate our independence so openly, and I’m curious as to how people in other countries celebrate their independence, if at all. In thinking about all of these ideas, one thought continues to weigh heavily on the forefront of my mind. We Americans…we are some extremely lucky people!!! And I thought that maybe I could use today's holiday to remind everyone in America just how lucky we really are.

If you asked every person celebrating today in America if they chose to be born in the U.S.A., of course they would say “no”. If I went around Malawi and asked everyone I met if they chose to be born in Malawi, of course they would say “no”. The point is that not one person on this planet gets to choose the situation into which they are born. Unfortunately, the people that I am trying to help here in Malawi did not choose to be born into one of the world’s most impoverished lands, with scarce food, dirty water, mud huts, rampant disease, and complete lack of economic opportunity. In just the same way, we Americans are all very lucky—we did not choose our birth nation, but we were all born into the world’s richest land, with everything from the bare necessities of food galore, clean water, shoes, sturdy roofs over our heads…to the luxuries of electricity, free public schooling through the 12^th grade, a democracy in which everyone has a voice, bountiful opportunities for economic advancement, and the chance to fulfill the “American Dream”. We are extremely lucky people!!! I am reminded of just how lucky I am every single moment of my time in Malawi…the reminders are constant, and they are very important. It is imperative that we always remind ourselves of the incredible fortunes we enjoy in America…not so that we can boast, but so that we will be humbled…not so that we can wave our American flag with a sense of victory and arrogance, but so that we will wave our American flag as a sign of accomplishment and gratitude to our founders and as a sign of hope to our fellow human beings born into nations less privileged than ours.

I have officially lost count of the number of Malawians that have asked me to take them back to America with me when I return in August. Everyone here has only the loftiest images of the U.S. in their minds. They often dream of one day making it to America to earn a living…they dream of sweeping the streets of New York City and earning more money in one month in NYC than they would ever earn in a lifetime in Malawi. I am always troubled with my response to these requests…I can never find the right thing to say in these moments. Of course a part of me is warmed that everyone around the world (even people in the most remote parts of Africa) dreams of the U.S. as such a wonderful place because it is indeed that wonderful. Of course the other part of me is so sad that these Malawians have to go through life, completely conscious of their tragic impoverished state, and constantly dream of leaving their home, their family, their friends, and everything they know for another country in hopes of finding a better life. Again, let this serve as a reminder of our fortune in America…not so that we can boast, but so that we can be humbled… not so that we can wave our American flag with a sense of victory and arrogance, but so that we will wave our American flag as a sign of accomplishment and gratitude to our founders and as a sign of hope to our fellow human beings born into nations less privileged than ours.

I have never really understood the “American Dream” until now. I always thought that it was a lovely “pop term” that Americans like to throw around to instill our “place at the top” in Americans’ minds and in the rest of the world’s inhabitant’s minds as well. However, I now understand what the “American Dream” really is, but I think that the term should be changed to the “Humanity Dream”. It is simply not fair that this “dream” can only be realized in America—that this “dream” can only be realized by American citizens…us…born into a country…into luxuries and endless opportunities that were given to us without us even having to earn them. The concept is simple—in America, we can become anything we want to become. We can succeed on any path we choose. If you look into the eyes of a 4 year old in America, you can truly see hope, opportunity, an important spoke of the Capitalist wheel, and ultimately a very clear vision of success! However, if you look into the eyes of a 4 year old in Malawi (or any other developing nation in the world), you see none of these things. Instead, you see despair, worry, fear, and the forgotten people in society; and somehow, you know that no matter how hard this child tries to become educated and tries to work, the sad truth is that the opportunities for success are nowhere to be found. This is not fair! No matter how hard they work, they will more than likely end up trying desperately to live on less than $1 a day, not having enough food to feed their families, losing their loved ones to preventable infectious diseases, and dying before they reach the age of 37. Something about this is not right, but again…let this serve as a reminder of our incredible fortune in America…not so that we can boast, but so that we will be humbled…not so that we can wave our American flag with a sense of victory and arrogance, but so that we will wave our American flag as a sign of accomplishment and gratitude to our founders and as a sign of hope to our fellow human beings born into nations less privileged than ours.

These reminders to the American people are so very important! Our lives are so easy compared to the rest of the world, so we can easily forget how lucky we truly are. It becomes very easy to take things for granted (like clean water, shoes, and access to medical care) when you live in a place like America. There is only one nation of people in this world, and that nation is humanity. Let us Americans use our fortune and our endless opportunities to now bring hope to those who look up to us, to those who wish they could be our neighbor, to those who wish they could be our friend…to those who need hope the most!!!

I am proud to be an American…you are proud to be an American…let us always remember to channel our great American pride in the most noble of ways!!! Let us dedicate ourselves to helping the rest of the world's people enjoy the things that we get to enjoy everyday of our lives!

God Bless the U.S.A. and God Bless Malawi!!!

Excuse Me For the Breakdown...POVERTY MAKES ME ANGRY!!!

My life is very easy; I have everything I could ever want and need. Now that I have a pretty good grasp of one of the world's most poverty-stricken areas, I'm trying my best to keep myself from crying, kicking, and screaming right now. I must stay strong for the Malawian people. My life is so easy, and I constantly have opportunities to make it even better and even easier...if I don't stay strong for these people, who will? Who am I to cry in Malawi next to a young, impoverished, starving, SMILING child? I'm so angry at myself for even thinking that crying is an option.

Tonight, on my way home from an HIV Testing/Counseling Training Session in Mwanza, I sat in the back of an ambulance with a mother who had just given birth to twins yesterday. The boy/girl twins were the most perfect, beautiful new-born babies I'd ever seen in my life. I kept praising the infants to the mother and praising the mother for bringing such incredible human beings into the world. Normally, in this situation, the mother would be glowing, smiling from ear to ear, and completely giddy about her new life. However, as I looked into the mother's eyes again and again throughout our one hour drive back to Neno, the intense fear overcame me and struck chords inside of me very violently. Feeding one baby in Malawi is hard enough, the nightmare of not having enough food for two quickly became the obvious reason for the mother's fear. In such a glorious and miraculous time in a woman's life, this should be the last thing on her mind. Unfortunately, for this particular mother, this fear was superseding all other normal/happy emotions. This is not fair! The chords had been struck, and it was all downhill from there...

Every single human being on this planet is entitled to the basics--clean water, shoes, a roof, and medical care. It is NOT okay that hundreds/thousands of people in Malawi do not have these basic human needs. It is NOT okay that a mother has to spend her entire year's income to travel to the nearest health clinic because her baby is dying of malaria. It is NOT okay that over one million Malawian children do not have families because their parents died of preventable diseases such as malaria, HIV, etc. It is NOT okay that 3 year old children are still breast-feeding from their mother, desperately sucking as if they will be able to create more milk inside, because it is the only form of nutrition available to them. It is NOT okay that 8 year old girls are taking care of their 4 younger siblings because their mother died of AIDS. It is NOT okay that people are dying from diarrhea because they do not have clean water to drink. It is NOT okay that hundreds of children to not have the opportunity to become educated because the 3 hour walk to and from school is too hard on their small, undernourished bodies. It is NOT okay that Rose (one of my best friends in Malawi) just found out about the death of her lover/children's father that occurred over a month ago because she cannot afford communication (he was forced to find work in South Africa). It is NOT okay that people see death in a tiny, microscopic mosquito, yet are too poor to take the necessary precautions to prevent malaria. It is NOT okay that people fear the rain because the thatch roof over their entire life just might not survive one more downpour. It is NOT okay that older people (if they're still living) are too embarrassed to smile because they've lost their teeth due to the fact that they can't afford a toothbrush/toothpaste (those are the last things on the priority list). It is NOT okay that these beautiful, caring, hard-working children cannot become anything their heart desires. It is NOT okay that 1 out of every 7 children born in Malawi will likely become HIV positive. It is NOT okay that every child born in Malawi will likely die before they reach the age of 37. It is NOT okay that these 37 years of living will be so much freaking harder than the majority of the world's habitants could ever possibly fathom! It is NOT okay that a 4 year old boy in Malawi has already experienced more heartache, devastation, and tragedy than most of us will experience in a lifetime.

Is is NOT okay that these people are isolated from the rest of the world, so that everybody who wants to continue their fortunate lifestyles without any guilt can easily do so. It is NOT okay that these people have been forgotten about by so many people, for such a long time.

I am in Malawi this summer, giving these people everything I can possibly give. For some strange reason, the more I give, the dirtier I feel. The more interactions I have with these amazing Malawian people, the more obvious my contributions to the global poverty trap become. The more things I see that are "NOT okay", the angrier and angrier I become. However, the more in touch I become with these emotions inside of me, the stronger and stronger my drive to help becomes!!!

Such is the life of a public servant...

Golden Knowledge about Wowie Malawi!!!

Seeing as how I've been here for almost 3 weeks and I have yet to inform you all of the specifics of where I now live, I figured it was finally time for a lesson. So, if you're ready, read on my dear friends.

The Republic of Malawi is a democratic, densely populated country located in the southeastern region of Africa. It borders Zambia, Mozambique, and Tanzania. The national language is Chichewa, although those who are fortunate enough to attend school learn English. Malawi gained its independence from the UK on July 6, 1964 (so it's looking like I'll be celebrating my Independence Day along with my lovely Malawian friends). Almost 13 million people live on 46,000 square miles. Malawi has a GDP per capita of 596 US dollars. Its 3 most important export crops are tobacco, tea, and sugar.

For the ones who are fortunate enough to earn a living in Malawi, most are earning between $0.30 and $0.70 cents per day. Subsistence farming is the way of life--people try to grow enough food on their property in order to feed their families. Malawi is the one of the poorest countries in the world. The life expectancy is around 36 years old, and the number has been steadily dropping over time due to the country's impoverishment, which is constituted by the following factors: insufficient nutrition, lack of access to medical care, low income (less than $1 a day), extreme lack of foresight by the government, insufficient school education, spread of HIV/AIDS, government economic restrictions, corruption, and climate change. Out of every 10 children born in Malawi, 1 does not survive. 14.2% of the population is HIV positive, so about 1 out of every 7 people I see is infected. Health clinics are always jammed packed with mothers and their children who are dying because of very preventable illnesses--mainly diarrhea, respiratory illness, and malaria. Many of these mothers have spent months and months of income just trying to get to a heath clinic, again because the area is so rural.

The hospital that CHDI is building is going to be amazing for the entire Neno district. The current facility is about 2500 square feet and sees more than 200 patients everyday, with a staff of 3 (the most senior of which is a 2nd year med student in the U.S. until the PIH doctors came--yeah!). The Clinton Foundation is partnering with an organization called Partners In Health, and together with the Malawian Government, they are building a 60 bed hospital that will employ 150 people, including 30 nurses and 15 highly educated MDs. As many as 100,000 people in the Neno district (and beyond) will have access to free healthcare and free prescriptions drugs, including ARVs (anti-retroviral) and other first and second-line drugs that fight HIV and AIDS. In the past, very few health centers, if any, had access to these life-saving drugs. Did you know that a person with HIV/AIDS can live a perfectly normal life for 30 years or longer, once they get on ARVs? These people will be much more likely to die from heart disease or other cause of death than HIV/AIDS. I quickly learned that access is the number one preventive measure against unnecessary deaths. If the drugs that we now have access to reach the people they are supposed to help, many illnesses can be helped, cured, and even prevented.

The communities are extremely simple and very small--one school, one health clinic, one outdoor market, and a slew of mud huts. There are no paved roads in Neno, and no locals drive a car. A few people have bicycles, but the main way of transport is by foot. Where I live (in Neno Boma), I am at about 4,000 square feet and surrounded by mountainous villages. The land here is so beautiful it looks fake. I wish you could all come visit me and see for yourselves how incredibly beautiful Malawi is--the land and especially the people!!!

This is the location on site where the bricks are made. The small, black compressing mechanism in the middle of the picture is used to compact the dirt, soil, and concrete into bricks. Hundreds and hundreds of bricks are made here everyday...

I have never been so impressed with human beings and what we are capable of...This picture is of the men and women working on the CHDI housing site in Neno. Each individual brick is made by hand from dirt, sand, and concrete. Then, the bricks are cured in the sunlight and carried one by one to the site (so they don't break in transit). The workers then make their own concrete mixture in barrels and roll the barrels to the site to set the bricks. Watching them work is amazing. They are making wonderful progress on the hospital staff houses. The first 8 units should be completed in 10 days or so. I'm continuing go work closely with Cliff, the site foreman, to ensure that progress is made everyday and people are staying on task and on schedule.

Listen to Flat Stanley..."Stop AIDS...Keep the promise."

Rose is a professional, and I am a lost cause!!! hahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, this was hilarious!!!

On the top, Dr. Keith Joseph and I are with some of the ladies working on the housing site. On the bottom is me inside one of the houses being built for future hospital staff. The project is very visually stimulating right now because you can actually see progress being made with each and every brick laid...this is a very exciting time for everyone!!!

Today was a wonderful day!!! I cooked and ate my first taste of SIMA...a special Malawian treat of flour and water...yummy! Rose, one of the keepers of the CHDI guesthouse, taught me how to make it . Literally, boil water and then pour in flour or corn meal (depending on your preference). Stir it with a wooden stick until it gets very hard and thick. Ta dah!!! Sima at its finest...today, Rose, Mary, and I paired it with some vegetables and eggs. The men, however, wrapped fish around their balls of sima (an option I might choose to stray away from, haha). Lunch break in Malawi is a real adventure, as you can now see! It was a wonderful experience and my initiation into the village of Neno.

Things here in Neno are progressing quite well. My job responsibilities change every day, and they will continue to change every day until I leave. I will be doing everything from overseeing the construction of the new hospital and staff houses, to gathering data related to local HIV patients for hospital programming, to doing advance preparatory work for President Clinton's visit in July, to teaching tutorial classes on the Internet for future hospital workers, to doing community outreach for future CHDI and PIH programs, and much more. I'm about to spend my first weekend in the village, and I can't wait to walk through the hills, visit all of the small villages, and meet all of the people. Rice and beans for every meal is surprisingly not bad--it's very flavorful and quite tasty!!! Seeing the people here pump their own water, carry bundles of wood on their heads, and walk 2 hours to and from work every day is making me feel pretty worthless! Maybe they can teach me how to balance a bucket of water on my head before August 10...

Neno Boma is the coolest place in the world! I'm finally here after spending the weekend in Lilongwe (luxury living, relatively speaking). The ride down to Neno was quite interesting. The first three hours were on a paved road, so we could drive a relatively fast speed (when we weren't dodging children, cows, goats, and chickens in the middle of the road). This stretch of Malawi consisted of the most wonderful produce trading markets and the most interesting roadside treats (i.e. Malawian Sausage--boiled rat shish-ka-bob)...yes, it's exactly like the image that just popped into your brain...a long stick holding 8 whole boiled street rats. (For those of you whose stomach isn't quite as strong as mine was today, I will spare you and refrain from posting the picture of this sight on my blog.) Then, the last hour of my trip to Neno was on a dirt path, through a Baobab forest. It was the bumpiest and prettiest drive I've ever taken. When we finally arrived in Neno, I couldn't believe my eyes. This small, rural district of Malawi is going to teach me so much about 3rd world living, development initiatives, humanity, life, and me as a person. I am going to see the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in this village. Every child I see is the most beautiful, perfect child I've ever seen, and I wish I could do more than spend one summer of my life helping them. I want to give them the world!!! Hopefully, my efforts here this summer will instill hope in their hearts.