Malawi for the third time

It is almost the end of my 3 week assignment in Malawi so it is time to reflect on the country, the people and the work. I was last in Zomba Malawi in August of 2012 and worked with Domesi, a processing cooperative that makes peanut butter and soya milk. My current assignment was very similar to my first Malawi experience in 2009/2010 as I am again working with a private company – in this case, UMODZI Consulting – on a project analysis. When I arrived in Johannesburg South Africa I was told that my Mother, Doris Drennan had been hospitalized after calling 911. I had talked with her while in Atlanta waiting for my Delta flight (a ghost in the middle seat!!) and she said that she had the flu. Having just seen her two days before, I thought she had dehydrated. Unfortunately, it is more serious and she will need surgery soon. At the moment, she is back in her villa with full time aides. Arriving in Lilongwe, I assumed that I would travel to Blantyre on the next day. However, UMODZI had executives from the funding agency (Challenges Worldwide, a Scottish NGO) and were fully occupied with other activities. I did have several interviews with clients who used a technology solution – ESOKO – provided by UMODZI. I also met with several people from the US Aid Mission; US Aid and other donors are funding the fertilizer subsidy program. The Easter holiday in Malawi begins on Thursday night and ends on Monday night – 4 days. Therefore, I stayed in Lilongwe at Cluny Lodge, a wonderful guest house run by Marinus and Bev Taale. Another CNFA volunteer, Jim Traub and his wife Linda, were also there. On Saturday, we hired a car and driver for an adventure – Dedza Pottery factory, the Chamare Museum at Mua Catholic Mission, and lunch at Livingstone Hotel on Lake Malawi. The Chamare Museum describes the culture of the three main ethnic groups of Central Malawi – the Chewa, Yao and Ngoni and their interaction with Islam and Christianity and each other. The first display in the entrance area depicts the history of Mua – a Catholic Mission founded by the White Fathers in 1902. Two further rooms have a wealth of photos, displays and artifacts illustrating traditional beliefs, rituals and rites of passage. There is a fabulous collection of over 400 Gule Wamkulu masks. While in Lilongwe had two wonderful Chinese luncheons at Noble House; as good as I remember from my previous visits. Driven to Blantyre on Easter Monday, I went back to Mama’s B&B. This is the private home of James and Nellie. I had my same room with en suite bath. It was wonderful to see them again after almost 4 years. All of their three sons are living in Blantyre – 2 are married and the third is graduating from medical school in June. Nellie’s sister died last fall so Nellie now has a “daughter/niece” who will move to Indiana in the summer and live with her brother, Nellie’s nephew. I walk every morning for 30 minutes in the neighborhood. Others are walking but not for exercise; they need to get somewhere and walking is the most common form of transport. Of course, they are all fit and I am not. On Sunday morning the grasshoppers were swarming so dozens of people were out collecting the thousands of grasshoppers. Yes, these are fried and eaten (without wings and legs). Most of the time though, I encounter only a few people. UMODZI Consulting was created, is funded, and has consultant support from Challenges Worldwide. There are currently 7 Malawian staff – 2 Managing Consultants, the Finance/Administrative Officer, 1 driver and 3 “apprentice consultants”. It has been in existence for several years. It offers a full range of services. My assignment was to work with one of the apprentice consultants, Sungeni Segula, on the ESOKO Project. ESOKO is a technology solution using mobile phones that allows for information to be sent and received efficiently and effectively to large groups of people. www.esoko.com In Zimbabwe, agricultural cooperatives had linked to members. In Malawi, there are several users of the technology: examples include price notifications on 30 different agricultural products; shipments of fertilizer from warehouses to Agrodealers; Land O’Lakes notifies farmers when radio shows will be broadcast. UMODZI is a “re seller” of the technology which was created in Ghana; UMODZI provides training and customer service for clients in Malawi. As my assignment time was shortened, I completed a 2013 financial projection of revenue, expenses and monthly cash flow as well as milestones and KPIs. I am back to Lilongwe early Wednesday morning for meetings with ACDI VOCA, the US Aid Mission, and CNFA. I fly out on Friday and arrive home on Saturday.