Mission Malawi 3 - May 2008
Jesse Griffiths of Actionaid takes us through the story of MM3, including the hike through Liwonde National Park.
In May 2008, sixteen people from all walks of life met at Heathrow airport on their way to the experience of a lifetime. Sixteen who had fundraised a staggering £85,000 to support ActionAid’s programmes to combat HIV in Southern Africa. Sixteen who had trained, equipped and primed themselves to cycle and trek over four hundred kilometres under the sizzling Malawian sun. Sixteen who would see things they would never forget and meet people who would touch their hearts forever, and who together became part of one team: Mission Malawi 3.
Inspiration was on hand throughout the trek. The first dose was supplied by the wonderfully committed, caring, and professional team running the Chisomo Children’s Club in the Malawian capital, Lilongwe. They help street children to reintegrate into their communities and families, and the families and communities to solve the problems that caused the children to leave in the first place. Everything has been carefully thought through to make sure the solutions they provide last, so children’s lives are changed forever. Tears when we hear of the four children who are HIV positive turn to laughter when we met a group of kids who dance and sing for us. Even losing 2-1 at football to people half our size doesn’t dampen the uplifting atmosphere.
Then to business; testing our bikes ready for the long journey ahead. The first day is a revelation. The dusty red roads wind up and down through the prettiest scenery imaginable, but it’s the welcome we receive along the way that affects us most. Everywhere people greet us in the Malawian language, Chichewa: ‘Waa Waa’ – Hello! Children run to the roadside to watch, to shout, to smile. Sometimes you can’t even see them, but the 4ft long grass shakes with movement and laughter so you know they are running to meet you, until suddenly they burst into view with enormous smiles, giggling hysterically and hi-fiveing us as we speed past. Later in the journey Billy’s bike breaks down and a man fixes it with a spanner and the end of his hoe, refusing everything but a smile and a handshake in return. Inevitably we spend almost as much time stopping to talk, take pictures, and admire the stunning views as we do cycling.
But increasingly we become more serious. We have to work really hard: the distance we cycle increases day by day. Our magnificently organised and expert tour leader, Jurie, fails to persuade us that ‘undulating’ is a welcome description for the upcoming hills. Some of us are becoming expert bike mechanics, others wishing they’d spent a few more hours in the gym, a few are showing off by switching wheels for running shoes. The team spirit grows every twelve kilometres as we regroup for our obligatory pitstop to take in water, compare blisters and play games with the group of kids who come to greet us. But the real bonus comes at lunch and dinner times, as the Kayak Africa team prepare endless quantities of delicious food, no matter the location.
On the way we stop to camp or lodge in too many memorable locations to list: Dedza pottery nestling in the cool of the hills, with everything made from home-made tiles; leafy Nkhoma Mission where the church choir sing to us in three part harmonies.
The third day’s cycling takes us into Mozambique; a chance to practise our rudimentary Portuguese, visit a local market, and admire more sweeping views. Then back to Malawi for the lakeward stretch. Ahead of us is the Dedza pass, which drops one kilometre from top to bottom. The road is new, winding and empty. The wind is in our hair (those of us with hair) and the views are out of this world. We make it down in record time, but would gladly go back up to do it again.
We spend the night camping in the grounds of Funwe Farm, and catch a glimpse of how an inspiring project can affect the lives of thousands. Here they grow improved seeds, which are exchanged for government vouchers by thousands of poor farmers in the district. Yields are trebled, and the farmers can invest in the future. This year the improved seed grown at Funwe will feed 350,000 people.
We leave early morning, by the back route, passing a fish eagle sitting by a small reservoir, anticipation in our veins. A short ride takes us to Nanchengwa Lodge, on the emerald shores of Lake Malawi, where we spend our well deserved rest day swimming, reading and relaxing.
One more day’s cycling takes us to a real treat: the Njobvu cultural village. Here we sample a taste of real Malawi, eating the local staple food, Nsima, visiting the village healer, and being entertained by the village band. The whole team join in the energetic dancing that engulfs the group.
The celebration is timely; our four hundred kilometres cycle journey has come to an end. It’s time to ditch the bikes and put on the walking boots. And take out the binoculars; two days trekking through beautiful Liwonde national park unearth hippo, elephant, waterbuck and impala, warthogs, a crocodile and countless birds. Wonderful.
Fittingly, the end of the trek is dominated by the thing that really motivates us all; ActionAid’s inspiring projects. At Tiyendepamodzi Women's Voice we see how small loans enable women to start their own businesses and take greater control over their lives. At Nyamba AIDS Support Organisation, we meet the inspiring volunteers who educate their fellow villagers about HIV through music and drama.
They proudly show us a new fish pond that will provide both nutritious food for people living with HIV and help raise money to fund their ambitious plans. When we meet a group of people living with HIV, who are bravely working to combat stigma, we meet courage face to face. A woman, Nyamba volunteer, HIV positive, looking after her three children, her parents and grandparents, yet unable to take the anti-retrovirals she needs because she’s currently taking medication for tuberculosis. This is the tragedy of Malawi, where almost a million – 14% of the population – are HIV positive.
But we meet hope too; the People Living With the Virus Network have successfully lobbied their local government to agree to provide ARVs in local clinics throughout the district. Thousands will have access to necessary medication.
The group leader talks movingly of the work they do, and then says something that will stay with us, something that sums up what we’re all feeling. He thanks us for the fundraising we’ve done, and asks us to keep raising more. We can see that the money is needed, that the community projects ActionAid supports have an extraordinary impact.
So we return home, we sixteen who are Mission Malawi 3, with a wonderful sense of collective achievement, friends for life, determined to do more, inspired by a sense that we were part of something far greater than we could ever have imagined.
Jesse Griffiths
