ICS blog

Now the niceties, greetings and settling in are over, hard work needed to commence. Not only was there to be between four and five hours of construction each day, there were also community activities to plan and daily Spanish lessons to undertake.

In collaboration with our partner organisation El Movimiento Salvadoreño de Mujeres (MSM)  our group from Nuevo Gualcho were given the opportunity to participate in a turtle liberation as part of a conservation project.  MSM has been involved in the project since February 2009 in an attempt to reduce the number of turtle eggs attacked by wild animals or stolen and sold illegally to be consumed as restaurant delicacies. At a social level, the encouraged participation of local women has promoted the importance of gender equality through their enhanced responsibilities in communal projects.

As week 4 draws to a close, after having hung up our shovels and scrubbed the caked-on mud from every crevice of our body, it is safe to say that the week has been a resounding success. Our team has finished eco- latrine number three and we continue to construct with smiles on our faces despite the unrelenting heat and unforgiving dove grey Progressio t-shirts which make it near impossible to disguise profuse expiration.

On Wednesday 15th October, the real work began.  Our first objective is the construction of a bus stop in the main square.  On that Wednesday the team started collecting rocks for the structure of the bus stop from a river and gathered more as we snaked our way uphill towards the hayfields.  Armed with nothing but machetes and a strong will to work, we chopped down the hay and organized it into neat bundles ready for distribution.  However, during the late morning it rained, which made it difficult for trucks to come and collect the materials we had collected.

So we’re a third of the way through our placement here, it feels like time here is going way too quickly for my liking! Construction is going well, everyone is getting really stuck in and our group is working so well together. Aside from building eco latrines part of our mission out here is giving back to the community in other ways as part of our complimentary activities. Two afternoons a week, we split off into smaller groups and brainstorm ideas for activities and events that we can hold in the local community of El Pochote, based on our individual interests and passions.

It´s difficult to know how to describe our first week here and settling into Nueva Gualcho – there have been so many activities, stories and emotions – yet I think it´s fair to say that for all of us here, we already feel at home. For us, orientation week began with name badges and a lot of awkward hugging, but it is uplifting to see how quickly we´ve all adapted to chickens laying eggs in our beds, frijoles (refried beans) for breakfast, and having friendships which stretch far beyond the limitations of language barriers. 

"English volunteers are not foreigners but part of my family and part of my heart" - Esperanza Del Carmen Brenes Alemán

Arriving on a yellow American school bus, the busy hussle and bussle of Masaya had a definite buzz about it.  Beaming with excitement, the British volunteers gurned out of the windows like a pack of hungry mooses.  

As well as excitement, there was a determination of development and progression.  Seeing the people whom we were here to work alongside walking the streets was humbling and really reiterated the purpose of our visit.  

International Rural Women’s Day is an International celebration led by the United Nations; celebrating and honoring the role rural women play in the world. The day falls on 15th October each year, where it recognizes the importance of women in enhancing agricultural and rural development worldwide. 

In Malawi, Team Sapitwa chose to celebrate the day with an awareness campaign at Njedza Secondary School in Mulanje, with the theme “A Chance to Choose”.

Here we finally are! After weeks of preparation, expectation and excitement, our team of ICS Progressio volunteers finally stepping into the rhythm of life and work in Zimbabwe. 

Mulanje Mountain is a monadnock (an isolated rock) in Southern Malawi, rising sharply from the surrounding plains of Chiradzulu, and the tea growing Mulanje district. It measures approximately 572km 2 22x26 Kilometers (13x16 208 sq miles) and has a maximum elevation of 3,002 m at its highest point Sapitwa Peak. 

The elevation of the mountain is great enough for it to disturb upper level air flow and form its own microclimate making it an important source of water for almost every river that runs through this part of Malawi.