Want a deeper insight into what an ICS placement looks like? Read the amazing blogs written by our past and present volunteers. Enjoy the journey!
My name is Ethel Msusa, I am 23 years old and single, I have a Malawi School Leaving Certificate which I obtained in 2012. I also have a certificate of attendance in Electronics.
On 21st October my team and I went to Mfera Health Centre where we conducted a meeting with the Chisomo and Tigwilizane support groups.
Tonight we will be celebrating ‘los Aguizotes’, a traditional Masayan celebration which takes place annually on the last Friday of October. ‘Los Aguizotes’ are characters from folkloric Nicaraguan myths and legends, which come to life on the streets of Masaya in a parade of costumes, dancing and a brass band. Celebrating this wouldn’t be the same without our host families because all of them have made a huge effort to share with us their customs and traditions.
Week 3 brought about our first week of construction, we had already visited the families who wished to receive an eco-latrine last week and instructed them to have the materials ready for us. With the materials waiting on us and after meeting the master of work we set about selecting a location for the eco latrine. The house belonging to the first family was on a slight hill which meant we had to build slightly to the side to avoid heavy rain water and the path for the pony and trap.
So we’ve arrived all safe and sound and ready to tackle whatever the next 10 weeks throws our way.
To document our journey we have all considered the reasons we have for being here, what we hope to achieve and our first impressions of our new home, so we can look back in our final week to see how far we’ve come.
BETH
Across the globe, people can easily be divided into two distinct groups: those that ‘Eat to Live’ and those that ‘Live to Eat’. Whilst the former see food as a source of energy alone, for the latter it is an incessant obsession, where happiness can be measured by the number of cookery books you own and breakfast, lunch and dinner (not to mention elevenses and teatime) constitute the pillars against which the rest of the day falls into place.
Team Gracias finally arrived at our home for the next eight weeks on the 10th after meeting the nine national volunteers and our partner organisation, Red COMAL in the town of Siguatapeque the day before. We've been settled in Gracias for just over a week now and while the girls took a little getting used to the indigenous wildlife sharing our houses with us, after a few days the screaming that accompanied a cockroach sighting was replaced by the sound of a stomping boot.
If Malawi is the Warm Heart of Africa, then Mulanje is its Aorta- the largest and greatest blood vessel, where the lifeblood of the country is at its richest. We may be biased, but a week at the foot of the Mulanje Massif has convinced us that our travel-weary bodies have reached the right destination.
Team Saptiwo is based in the south-eastern corner of Malawi, flanked by Mozambique and enjoying the unique microclimate of the Mulanje
Our first week in Masaya consisted of lots of latrine talk, truck breakdowns and acquiring herculean strength to lift cement blocks, countless buckets of gravel and even move a broken down truck with sheer brute force. All in all the week has been eventful, especially if you consider the fact that Nicaragua is currently on a green alert for earthquakes and that we have experienced torrential downpours which have proved fatal in the capital, Managua.
The first few days in Santa Marta have been very exciting. Starting on Thursday 9th October and ending on Wednesday 15th there has been a festival that commemorates the return of the people of Santa Marta following their forced evacuation from the town during the civil war. Due to the violence that penetrated Santa Marta, the townspeople were forced to flee the violence and seek refuge over the border in Honduras. After 7 years of exile, the first of them eventually returned to Santa Marta on 10th October 1987.
The 3 lads (later to become muchachos) of Progressio Nicaragua cycle 9, had quite the bonding expeience when we had to practice some newly acquired running skills with shock sprinting at the airport in response to the “gate closing” call. We had been too busy gently musing the 10 weeks ahead and what was to come! 15 hours later we, along with the Progressio ladies, had arrived in Managua, capital of Nicaragua, ready to make a difference. Excitement tinged with nerves filled the air – along with the humidity.
