As our first week in Mulanje moved towards its close, we embarked on our first campaign to celebrate Labour Day. Labour Day is a time to commemorate the role of workers and labourers and the contributions that they make to our society because as none of us can deny at times such contributions go unrecognised. Labour Day is also an opportunity to address how the social and economic wellbeing of workers can be improved. Malawi ranks 171 out of 187 in the Human Development Index (2012), which in turn inevitably produces some of the toughest conditions for workers worldwide. 80 percent of labourers in Malawi work in agriculture and the harsh effect of climate change has put their livelihoods at risk. It became evident to us that not many people actually know what Labour Day signifies/means and as ICS volunteers we should do our part to raise awareness for such an important day. To facilitate such, we joined up with the Nasambe Youth Club to engage their village with the celebrations.
The crowd started showing up for the event
In true Malawian style we gathered the villagers together, around 260 members in total, with some African music. After being given a warm welcome, we proceeded by explaining why we were there, the purpose of our campaign and highlighted the importance of Labour Day. We went on to do a quiz to find out what exactly the villagers knew about their working rights in terms of minimum wage entitlement, working hour regulations, health and safety expectations, maternity leave allowance, pension schemes and child labour. Despite great participation, it came as a shock to me to witness the real lack of awareness amongst the villagers about their own rights. Many did not know what minimum wage they were entitled to, how much paid leave they were allowed to take and how much maternity leave they were permitted. A lack of technology in the villages means that the forms of communication we so easily come by in the UK are not so readily available here to pass on such vital messages. We continued with an activity to illustrate why such issues are of importance and why awareness must be spread, for example, raising awareness on child labour in Malawian tobacco fields. Not least because of the health risks the children are put under but because if a child is in labour it means they are not in education and in turn the child may be illiterate and may have to remain in under paid jobs for the rest of their lives.
Our activity to raise awareness of workers’ rights
Our objectives of the day were to bear vital information to the villagers that they have a right to know but also to provide a platform for discussion amongst the villagers. When we asked a member in the crowd, Mr Star, whether he felt that the day had an impact on him, he responded by stating that our session had not only been of importance to him but also to the whole village because it spread awareness on what Labour Day actually represents. Also it enabled the villagers to know what their rights are so that they know what they must be paid. He also said that it improved his personal knowledge and that he will ensure he shares this knowledge with others.
The Nasambe Youth Club’s organised traditional dance with the ICS volunteers
Labour Day was also a chance for us to learn more about Malawian culture and to develop new skills. The Nasambe Youth Club organised a Malawian traditional dance for us to see and get involved with. It was interesting to see how music and dance has been embedded into Malawian culture as a means of drawing people together. The youth club also put on a drama to portray how people should conduct themselves at the workplace. We were able to see how such an activity really pulled in the attention of the crowd. This is something we drew lessons from and an activity we will include in our future campaigns. As it was our first time presenting, we also learnt how to be confident and engaging in front of a large crowd, but also how to be flexible and handle the pressure of a lot more people turning up than expected.
The Nasambe Youth Club put on a drama to portray workplace behaviour
For me, Labour Day was an inspiring day. I was able to see a community come together, listen, learn, interact and participate in the gathering and sharing of knowledge in order to better their lives and those around them.
Written by ICS volunteer Ashleigh Morris
Photos by ICS volunteer Jonny Gregson
