ICS blog

This is a question which has been asked increasing amounts over the days being in El Bramadero.

A main character in my host family is a ten-year-old boy called Luisito who has named himself my brother, simply because I have the same birthday and age as his actual sister Eleader. “Twins”.

Sitting at the dinner table pulling numerous funny faces at each other. 

“Is he bothering you?”

Popping his head in the window calling my name and hiding.

“Is he bothering you?”

It’s been said that the first two weeks are the hardest for adjustment. Feeling a degree of normality in a country where the culture is so dissimilar to ours could be labelled a task. Relax, you’re here for three months, and relax some more because you most definitely won’t regret travelling here. Malawians have peaceful attributes, living life as it comes. This being said, the first evening I sat down with my host family they explained to me how much Malawians have adopted British norms and values - this is something I have observed and found uplifting through the weeks.

After almost three weeks of working with Tovwirane HIV and AIDS organisation in Mzuzu, an update on our work is definitely due!

The main focus of Tovwirane is to engage with the community in order to increase knowledge and understanding of the HIV pandemic, and ultimately reduce the number of new infections.

Much has been written recently in criticism of the UK’s overseas aid budget, so given that I am here in Honduras in large part thanks to the UK aid budget, I thought that I would set out a brief defence of international development spending. This is not to say that I wish to defend the exact ways in which the aid budget has been spent - I would probably be the first to admit that it could be better spent. Rather, I want to set out the reasons why I believe that the UK should spend money on international development. 

It is so interesting to see how our Masomphenya team, based in Nkhata Bay, is working hand-in-hand sharing ideas on culture, dressing, food, housing and language. Though the team is performing well together there are some challenges, which the volunteers are facing. 

These past couple of weeks, a lot of time has been spent on eco-stoves. We have been surveying all the houses in the village, announced the beneficiaries, had them pick up all the materials and, ultimately, started the construction of our first eco-stoves.

This week has been a lesson in two things; the British digestive system and expertly winging it. Make no mistake, my team are incredibly hard working, and normally very prepared for what’s next in our ICS adventure. However, this week we have been blighted by two cases of food poisoning (no fun, unsurprisingly), another as yet unexplained case of the bad stomach and a whole lot of work to do without the team members we need. Let’s revise what else we’ve continued to learn this week - flexibility and adaptability!

As part of the International Citizen Service (ICS) programme in Malawi, each team is given the opportunity to design and implement their own ‘Special Project’. This is a brilliant opportunity to identify an issue within the community, and improvise a means of tackling it during your placement. At the Centre for Girls and Interaction (CEGI - our partner organisation), our team leaders encouraged the team to start thinking about our Special Project very early on. This was a great idea, because it allowed us to fully brainstorm, research, design and implement the whole project.

Barbara, the pig at José's house, where Andy and Jonny are staying, has grown on all of us. We cherish her so much that having our body parts covered in dirt after one of her many snuggle-sessions is an honour. She was unexpectedly taken away from us one afternoon, in the most emotionally-charged ways imaginable. The UK volunteers have therefore decided to dedicate a few paragraphs to her; our favourite spotty pig.

Rural, idyllic El Bramadero is a far cry from my fast paced city of birth (Wolverhampton), famous for its high octane nightlife and non-stop excitement. El Bramadero is nestled in leafy mountains, surrounded by tiny farms. It looks so peaceful. I never would have thought that I would want or need for a more tranquil place. But sometimes village life can get a bit too hectic. This is almost completely due to how many cockerels there are in the local area. And how early they wake up. And just how loud they are.