The last blog entry before I get back to you. Feeling pretty sad but enjoying recognising some lovely faces. Wish you couldve seen the pictures... truely spectacular!!! TIZAMUWONANA (WE SHALL SEE EACH OTHER) ‘The vehicle taking us to the end of our placement is moving at great velocity’ – Kho. This is the time ten different individuals from different walks of life grouping up together to achieve a set of daunting and challenging targets. It has been a short and fast-paced journey that has ended up in us acquiring various important skills, experiences and strong relationships. From hoeing, to learning languages, food and culture, to facilitating important subjects and having strong teamwork have all been at the heart of what our group has gone through. As everything, there have been highs and lows but we have managed to get through everything together with a smile on our faces. The end result is that we have hit all of our targets and even better, surpassed most of them. Great work indeed, Team Tikolerane! A special mention and massive thanks for all the support, help and kindness goes to our partner organisation Ungweru which, without them, we could have never have done what we have just achieved – 5 Star! The long awaited event of World AIDS Day which we have been planning with Ungweru came to pass when, on the 1st of March 2014 at St. Augustine’s hall. During which, a number of schools, youth groups and community members performed various activities, all focusing on this year’s theme of getting to ‘zero HIV infection, zero stigma and discrimination and zero HIV/AIDS related deaths’. Four days after staging this big event, we continued by hosting another event at Dunduzu Clinic where we facilitated an awareness campaign focusing on tackling stigma and discrimination in the area. Many different groups joined but the highlights were Dunduzu Youth Club who were ‘warriors ready to fight’ against stigma and discrimination, whereas Nkholongo Youth Club were giants in putting stigma and discrimination in the history for the generations to come. Two weeks before World Aids Day, we found ourselves busy working with Community Based Childcare Centres (CBCCs). We started by facilitating theoretical sessions on early childhood nutrition before involving ourselves into practical sessions the week after. We all sat together, children and caregivers, eating lunch which consisted of maize porridge containing a mixture of all six food groups: beans, beef, pumpkin leaves, groundnuts, sugar and salt. This was an interesting combination which, surprisingly, everyone enjoyed. Where AIDS Support Groups (ASGs) are concerned, we have been in constant working relationships, week after week, sharing thoughts, experiences, dances and meals together. Previously, we have had sessions on nutrition, group dynamics and positive living. This time though, Johnny and Kho went into great detail in talking about the benefits of medical circumcision. This subject went on for nearly two hours as the members were really interested, asking multiple questions. With the help of Progressio, a grant has successfully been accepted to fund Team Tikolerane’s Special Project. After careful research, planning and voting, we have decided, as a team, to initiate a Goat Pass-on Programme to two of the most vulnerable ASGs. After interviews and questionnaires, we have chosen Msiki and Ekwaiweni to be the best suited. We have had initial goat training and constitution discussions with them to make sure the programme becomes successful and sustainable, which they have keenly cooperated. The reality of nearing the end of our placement arose on the final Friday whilst having all 5 ASGs at Dunduzu to have our ‘last supper’ together. It was a real shock and a saddening feeling that in a matter of days we would be out of Mzuzu and in a matter of weeks we would be out of the country altogether. People come and go but memories last forever’ We cannot believe that this will be our final blog post and that we will be soon parting ways to our respective countries, back to normality, with a new found sense of drive and ambition. There is an honest sense of sadness amongst the group, we have gone so far together and that we will miss each other along with the Ungweru family. Saying this, we can reminisce the good times; great happiness and overwhelming joy can overshadow us, meeting amazing people from different walks of life that have had fun together without any real problems. We can say that we have been fully engaged in this placement and that we have come here with some daunting targets that we have now surpassed. We believe we have done an excellent job in building a solid foundation for groups to come and we can accept that we honestly are immensely jealous of them. There is even greater work to be done to change the lives of these amazing vulnerable people that we have met. We are extremely thankful for the opportunity and trust ICS Progressio has shown in us. The longer placements like these last for the closer we get to reach a world of equality. All blog posts have been written by a combination of Kondwani Mwamlowe and Jeremy Jones (mainly Kho but corrected by JJ ). Hope you have enjoyed it x
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 17:01:42 +0000