finally, paypal + some other things

So I finally have set up paypal for those who are interested in helping out my friend Margaderina. However, I have a lot more than I originally asked for (at least $200) which is AWESOME. Thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart. I honestly believe she will be so thankful not only for the money, but mostly to know that people from all the way across the world care about her and what she is going through.

My plan when I return is firstly to tell her that my family and friends have heard about her situation and decided to help her. She doesn't know yet that we are doing this so I know she will be ecstatic, it's not every day that something like this happens. Next I will immediately set her up with a bank account as a way to safely store the money. Jealously may be a problem (as it is almost anytime someone receives some kind of help or prospers in any way, regardless of circumstances - it's a cultural thing), so I am going to sit down with the chief of my village to let him know what the plans are as far as helping Margaderina. That way if there is any issues with other villagers (jealously, people saying things to her, trying to take advantage of her) he can address it directly.

Lastly, I am going to be helping her on a month-to-month basis to see how she handles the money. I am thinking of starting out at like $30-50 per month for the first few months to see how she does. If there are any issues (which I really don't believe there will be because Malawian women are EXTREMELY responsible), I will work with her to resolve them.

I promise to keep you all up-to-date on how she is doing and if ever have any questions please feel free to ask. Also, if you ever feel like sending her a note please do, I am sure she would love to hear from the people who are so generously helping her out. You could write the letter to her and address it to me and I will translate it and give it to her. I'm sure she could really use some encouragement.

Also, I know there are some people who have pledged to donate but were waiting until I set up paypal. To you guys I want to say a very sincere THANK YOU. You have three options...One is that you can still donate to her through paypal, even though I've raised the amount I think she needs she could possibly need more (maybe in the future). The second option is to give to the women's group which she is a member of. Not only do I want Margaderina to get a bank account, but I would like the rest of the women as well to get one. If they all get accounts with Opportunity International (awesome NGO by the way) then they can apply for a group loan which they are all interested in for their small-scale businesses. The only issue is money for transport to the closest OI bank, which will be about $5 round-trip for each of them to go. So for 13 women it will cost $65. So that's another option. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, is another project I am working on right now. I just finished writing a proposal to build an Under Five Health Clinic designed to give free, vital health care services to pregnant women and young children. This project costs around $4,000 and will be funded by anyone that is willing to give. Hopefully this project will be approved by the Peace Corps asap and then the project will be posted on the Peace Corps website (http://www.peacecorps.gov/) for anyone to donate. So please be on the lookout for that.

If you decide to give, please email me to let me know exactly how you want me to use the money. I will say it again and again and again...THANK YOU.

Now I'm off to Malawi!

peace out america - take 2

Ten months ago I was running around like crazy getting ready to leave my family, friends, and all sense of comfort and normalcy to go to the strange land Malawi. I was scared, nervous, excited, and quite frankly not sure if I could make it over there. And now almost a year later I am back at home preparing to go back again.

I was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to come home for three weeks. Before coming here originally I hadn't really even considered coming home during my service, but here I am. Some of the highlights of my trip home include...

-meeting my beautiful niece Avery for the first time
-catching up with old friends, particularly one that came all the way from Australia!
-giving a presentation on Malawi to my Nana and Pop Pop's retirement home
-spending time with a soon-to-be-married friend (congrats Melis!)
-receiving volleyballs from the GPS Crush club team for my girls volleyball club
-catching up on all the food+movies+music+tv+books I've so missed

In my group of 20 volunteers I am the only one who came home during Christmas so I feel pretty lucky. To see my family and friends has been awesome and I'm feeling so encouraged and supported by everyone here. I can't wait to take this momentum and motivation back to my village. I've got about fourteen months left of my service and it's my prayer that I make the most of every single minute over there. I am so blessed to be doing what I am, it has been great to be reminded of that these past several weeks.

All I can think to say is that God is good, so good in fact. I know I'm only doing this because He allows me to and gives me the strength to persevere through it all. And for that I am extremely thankful. I am also so thankful for my family and friends. If you are reading this you probably fall into one of those two categories so to you I want to say a big, huge THANK YOU. I've been overwhelmed by your love and support, please continue it through this next fourteen months! Please continue praying not only for me, but particularly for the people I am working and living with. Malawi is a wonderful country with beautiful, caring people but there is still an alarming amount of poverty and desperation. Please pray that the Lord will help me to meet their physical needs as well as spiritual.

Again, thank you all. I can't wait to see what will come in 2011! May you have a blessed New Year's and beyond!

my archenemy is a goat

Do I believe in animal cruelty? Absolutely not. However, I do admit to throwing rocks and other various small objects at the goats, pigs, and chickens who like to wander into my yard and eat from my trees and garden. I don't really try to hit them, but more so just scare them away. That's what most Malawians do so therefore I feel like that's just a part of the integration process here. And if one of those rocks might happen to actually hit one of them, well then I just say "zimachitika" ("it happens"). Especially when it comes to Beardy.

Beardy is my nemesis, my archrival, my foe. And she just so happens to be a goat. I call her Beardy since I think it's strange that she is a female and she has a long beard. Not a very creative name but I think it fits. From the very first day that I moved to Kakunga she has been continuously finding ways to sneak into my yard and ruin everything. Before I fixed my fence in July I had to plant and replant everything in my garden about four different times. Needless to see I was very frustrated before I was able to have my fence fixed.

I thought that after my fence was finally repaired that all my problems would be over but alas, no. Beardy and her friends thought that since they were no longer able to enter that they would just climb on the outside of my fence and eat from my passionfruit vine, breaking down my delicate fence made of reed-like grass. And they still enter from time to time when some of my neighbor kids enter and forget to close the fence properly.

But last week Beardy really topped herself when she realized that she could climb onto my fence and get on top of a very narrow brick wall that acts as a barrier to my chimbudzi (as shown in the picture above). Who even knew that goats could climb or that they could balance themselves so well? But she has, and she has once again broken my fence in the process.

Whoever said that goats aren't smart hasn't met Beardy. And I don't know if there is some sort of moral to this story or life lesson that I am supposed to take home with me when I finish my time here in Malawi. Maybe it's that animal cruelty is sometimes necessary. Maybe it's that you know you have too much free time when you spend large amounts of your day trying to outsmart a goat. Maybe it's that I should learn to be persistent and to never give up even when facing obstacles, just like Beardy. Who knows. I just know that as long as I am living in Kakunga that Beardy and I will never be friends. I am okay with that, and I am pretty sure she is as well.

help for margaderina

Most of my posts so far have been about certain events, projects, stories, and pictures of things that have occurred during my 9 months of service so far. However, this one is different. One of my friends in my community is a 21 year old woman named Margaderina who is married with a one year old daughter. She is an active member of the Kakunga Village Savings and Loans group, a group of 13 women who lend money to each other to support their own small scale businesses. She also plays on the women's netball team, in which both groups I have been working with. She is a very kind, hard-working young woman. That being said, two weeks ago her husband died suddenly of meningitis.

(This is a picture of Margaderina during a peanut butter demonstration with the Kakunga Village Savings and Loans group)

Taking care of a family in Malawi is difficult, even with two parents. But now as a single mother it's even more challenging. Since most Malawian families rely on agriculture for food and as well as income, she will be forced to do the work of farming herself. It's incredibly labor-intensive, and coupled with the day-to-day responsbilities of women (see my past post, "kakunga women's netball team" to learn just how hard Malawian women work every day), it will be an almost impossible task.

That's why I have decided to fundraise some money for her. I am hoping to raise at least $200 for her and her daughter. $200 is roughly equal to 30,000 Malawian kwacha, which will be enough to see her through this next year, particularly until the end of the hunger season. The hunger season starts in December and lasts until just before the harvest which is in February/March. It's during this time that people begin to run out of maize as they wait until the time when they can harvest and sell their maize, tobacco, groundnuts, etc. It can be a very difficult time for families since if the food runs out they have no cash to buy food or other essentials. This money will help Margaderina to buy vegetables, fertilizer for her crops, soap, medicine, or any other necessities.

The plan is to set her and the rest of the women from the Kakunga VSL group up with a bank account at Opportunity International Bank of Malawi. Any money donated will be put straight in her bank account so that she can access it when she needs to. Since most people in my community do not have bank accounts, I will be working closely with the women, particularly Margaderina, to make sure they understand how to bank properly. So you can be rest assured that the money is safe and will be used only when she needs it.
Therefore, if you are a friend or family member reading this, PLEASE consider donating. I don't care if it's $1 or $5 or $100, anything honestly will help this young woman out a lot. If I will see you when I am home for Christmas feel free to give me then, or else email at kkutzner@gmail.com for more information on how to give.
Again I am asking you to please consider giving to this woman and her child. I know that typically Americans are inundated with requests to give to charities, special causes, fundraisers, etc. But just know that 100% of what you give will go directly to this woman and her child. Think about it...help a family in need!

Thank you!

moringa moringa

Ever since arriving in Malawi I have heard about this tree called Moringa, which in Chichewa is referred to as “chambwamba”. Many people call it a “miracle tree” because of the many benefits of it. Since nutrition, working with people living with HIV/AIDS, and tree nurseries all have been a big focus of the projects I am doing so far, it only seems natural that I include moringa in what I am doing. So, here is a brief description of moringa and the many benefits of it…

Origin:
It comes from Asia and has been around for centuries, although it is fairly new to the United States. Although there are many species , the tree I am referring to is Moringa oleifera


Different parts of the tree and its uses:
Leaves- contains a variety of important vitamins and nutrients
Seeds- can be used for purifying water, making soap, cooking oil
Roots- has some medicinal purposes
Branches- cuttings from the branches can be taken and planted and will grow into a new tree!


Other advantages of Moringa:
Easily intercropped with other food crops and trees
Fast growing, tolerant of droughts
Very good agroforestry tree (can be used as a live fence, it fixes nitrogen into the soil)
Potential income generating activity from leaf powder, oils
Wood can be used for firewood
Leaves can be used for animal feed


Nutrition of 50grams of leaf powder:
7 times the vitamin C of oranges
4 times the calcium of milk
3 times the vitamin A of carrots
2 times the protein of milk
3 times the potassium of bananas

The potential for using Moringa in projects is practically limitless and I hope that as these trees mature and more people are aware of this amazing tree I will be able to do more projects with it. But for now these are the ways that I am currently working with moringa…

1. Tree Nurseries- I am working with a variety of individuals, groups, and one primary school right now on planting several tree types, one being moringa. Most of the tree types will be used for reafforestation, however I am incorporating nutrition and food security as we are also raising moringa and fruit tree seedlings. What each group does is plant several seeds into a small plastic tube and after much care, watering, weeding, etc, the groups will plant the "seedlings" into a designated area (ie- woodlots and homes) after about 10-12 weeks. Most of the groups are raising between 2 to 6 thousand seedlings.

(The community members of Kamera where we are trying to get an under five health clinic built, they are raising seedlings to replace the many trees that were cut down in order to burn the bricks needed to build the clinic)

(Nkumbi Community Based Organization- a group of volunteers that work with orphans, people living with HIV/AIDS, elderly, and the youth - they are raising moringa, papaya, and several agro-forestry trees)

2. People living with HIV/AIDS- since nutrition is a critical part of staying healthy for those who have HIV/AIDS, I am working with an HIV/AIDS Support Group in encouraging traditional/natural medicine.


If you are interested in learning more about moringa and how it is changing people's lives in developing countries here is a couple helpful links...

1. http://www.janeemo.org/ - I HIGHLY recommend clicking here to learn more about this innovative NGO operating in Malawi. They use moringa and two other useful trees (jatropha and neem) to encourage people living in rural activities to use moringa as a natural medicine and income generating activities as well as some other really cool projects. Please check them out!

2. http://www.treesforlife.org/our-work/our-initiatives/moringa - another cool NGO that does work all over the world

what you've all been waiting for...

Maybe not all of you have been waiting, but I have received some requests for pictures of my house. The reason why I have waited six months to share pictures of my humble abode is because there was very little to be desired about the house when I first moved in. It was messy and there was a ton of work and cleaning that needed to be done, so to be honest I felt a bit ashamed of the place. However, my attitude quickly changed when I realized that it simply meant there was a lot of things I could do to make it my own. That's a big deal for me since I have never lived by myself before. The whole idea seemed very intimidating, especially knowing that I had to have a new bathing area built, a new pit latrine built, to replace my roof, to fix my fence, to replace my outdoor kitchen roof, plant the garden, and the list goes on. So I kept figuring that I needed to wait until ALL of those things were done and until I could finally be proud enough of it to show my family and friends. Well, I now believe that's a silly idea, especially since each different home project takes a long time to do, I know that I will be repairing and maintaining the place right up until I leave Malawi. And just like everything in this country it seems, things take a while and it's all a process, so you might as well get comfortable and, as my blog title so appropriately says, love the journey. Yes, it's something I am learning every single day here and I am very thankful for that.

So, just click on the link below and you will get to see where I live, laugh, cook, cry, sleep, and everything else in between. Hope you enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024770&id=170100061&l=68e81ea457

mwayi vs. the chimbudzi

I don’t have many rules at my house but I think from now on I will always live by at least one… ALWAYS cover your chimbudzi properly. My “chim” is a pit latrine that acts as my trash pit and toilet. It is about 8 feet deep and all waste that can’t be composted goes there. It’s good to cover it because of flies and any unpleasant smells, but as I've learned it's also good so that one of your beloved kittens doesn’t fall in.

Two weeks ago I was returning to my house from a meeting and I could hear some faint cries coming from the chim and to my horror I realized that it was one of my 4 week old kittens who fell in and was crying for help. Unfortunately the hole to the chim is only about 10 inches in diameter so it made it nearly impossible to see him. That made recovery efforts quite difficult, but thankfully after about 2 hours and many failed attempts by myself and my neighbor kids, we were able to rescue the little guy.

The kitten was miraculously not hurt, although very dirty and smelly, but I think he was just happy to be alive. After the incident I gave him the name “Mwayi” which means lucky in Chichewa. The other two kittens do not have names yet, I think I am just waiting for the time when they get to earn their name like Mwayi did. And “mwayi” he is indeed!

witchcraft

In my first month at site I attended a witchcraft trial right in my village. One lady in her 60’s was being accused of practicing “juju” and therefore a trial was held to decide whether or not she was guilty. At first I was shocked to even hear that the trial was being held, in training we were taught that witchcraft is practiced in Malawi but it’s not the sort of thing you expect to possibly happen in your very own community. The trial was held at the GVH’s (Group Village Headman) house which is less than 50 meters from my house, and this man oversees many villages in the area as well as the chiefs in charge of those villages. I went with my neighbor and as soon as I sat on the ground with all the women and children (men of course sit separate from the women), a man came up to me and directed me to some chairs in front of all 100+ people who were attending. I soon realized that I was sitting on a jury of ten people which included the GVH, some of the area chiefs, and…me. I have no idea why I was included in the group, maybe because I was still new to the community, maybe to make the trial more interesting, but most likely because I am the only white person around.
The trial began with someone stating the charges and then there was the testimonies which came from 3 girls who claimed she was teaching them at night, from the chief of the woman’s village, from the parents of the girls, and from several other witnesses. After they explained their stories they called forth the woman to defend herself. She denied all of the allegations and said that it was unfair that she was being accused in the first place. She was being accused of teaching children to use a “witch plane” to fly to Lilongwe and Johannesburg during the night. Throughout the entire hearing the jurors, particularly the GVH, were asking her questions. I of course did not ask any questions since I was struggling enough just to understand what everyone was saying. And since the meeting lasted several hours and still no decision was reached, the GVH decided to postpone the rest of the trial until the following week.

To make matters worse, two days before the second hearing a young girl who claimed she was being taught by the woman suddenly died. The gossip in my village of course ran rampant, and people were saying that this woman killed her through witchcraft. And what’s more is that they said her brother, who was suffering from some physical and mental problems, became that way after falling out of a witch plane that was flying at night. Now the truth of the matter is that the girl died of cerebral malaria and that her brother was suffering from tuberculosis. The real tragedy in this situation is not that people were gossiping about the use of witchcraft on her but that her family refused to take her to the hospital when she first started to shows signs of having malaria. Because the closest hospital to Kakunga is private and therefore you must pay money to go, the family decided that since they didn’t have enough money that they would just wait. It wasn’t until the malaria had gone to her brain that they decided to take her to get help, but unfortunately it was too late.

The funeral was held the day before the trial and to my surprise the hearing was not postponed out of respect to the girl’s family. After further testimony from several people the woman was again called before the jury to defend herself. When she finished the jury met to discuss the hearing and to make a decision. After that the GVH made his decision and declared the woman guilty of practicing witchcraft and also of teaching it to children. Her sentence was simply to stop practicing and teaching. This was very unexpected since it is custom for the accused to be exiled from the village. But, that was it, and everyone went on their way and the gossip slowly died down after a few weeks.



Almost every time that I read the Malawian papers I find at a story about witchcraft. One that struck me came not too long ago in the southern region in Blantyre. Here is an excerpt from the news article published in The Nation on September 10:
“Confessions by child-witches in Blantyre North have led to two months of captivity for nine people at the home of a witch-doctor who is administering herbs on the group to exorcise the suspects of witchcraft. [The Village Headwoman] said that the process is commendable, acceptable and necessary to get rid of witches and wizards whom she claimed are ‘terrorizing’ her village…The nine people are under the surveillance of witch-doctor Yakobo who claimed they were referred to her by traditional leaders following some children’s confessions that they are students at witchcraft ‘academies’ run by the suspects. The nine comprise of three old women… four boys aged between 10 and 12 and two men aged 25 and 27...The three old women told The Nation that they were being held against their will and that they have denied the allegations several times…At the witch-doctor’s compound, the nine are allocated ‘admission rooms’ where they take a herbal concoction three times a day and bathe in waters treated with herbs twice a day, in the morning and evening…Witchcraft confessions by children have dominated media reports in recent times and have invariably led to the arrest and conviction of suspects in the country although the Witchcraft Act of 1911, as revised in 1926 and 1946, rejects the notion that witchcraft exists”.

Witchcraft has been very detrimental to the development of Malawi because of several reasons. First, it usually involves jealousy on the part of the one who accuses someone of practicing. Often times when someone makes a little bit of money, has a nicer house, does well in business, etc. , then other people in the community assume that they used witchcraft to help them to improve their status. Secondly, there is no proof to judge whether or not someone is actually a witch, it is completely based on suspicion. Witchcraft is supposedly practiced at night, and in the case of the girl who died there was no physical evidence to prove that the woman killed her. So, the village headman must often make a decision largely based on what he hears from other people. Another reason is that the traditional leaders often go beyond their powers and the laws of the government. Just like the case in Blantyre, there was no jurisdiction for the village headwoman to allow them to be taken captive. Lastly, there is no clear consensus as to how to deal with this issue. Witchcraft has been around for a long time and even though the country continues to develop, it seems like this problem is not going away anytime soon.

People here all the time ask me if witchcraft exists in America. I usually say no although I am sure it does to some extent. Even still it is a strange and uncomfortable thing to encounter and I struggle greatly in finding ways to deal with it. I want to tell people that it’s ridiculous and that they shouldn’t be afraid of it, but I know it is deeply ingrained into their culture. And whether or not people choose to believe that it’s real, we should understand that it exists and that it can be a huge obstacle to progress in developing countries. The next step is to find ways to fight against it and to preserve people's basic human rights.

i can start a fire like a malawian woman...

...yep, that's right. Last week I received that compliment from a friend and for me this was just about the greatest thing a Malawian could have said to me, especially since I spent my first three days at site eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches because I was unable to start a fire. As I thought about what he said, I realized that in the 7 months of being here I have learned an incredible amount of things, whether it be about how to make compost, how to speak Chichewa, to look right and not left first when crossing the road, how to process honey, how to draw my own blood to test if I have malaria, and the list goes on. But, I know that there is still so much to learn, some days I feel like the most unqualified person ever to do my job. I mean honestly, what in the world can I do to help these people in the two short years that I am here? However, I just keep praying that God will use me in whatever capacity He wants and I try to be open to learn and experience new things. I guess that's all I can do!

kakunga women's netball team

This is a very special post about a very special team... Anyone that knows me at all knows that I love sports, particularly soccer and volleyball. And thankfully for me Malawians play both of these sports. But unfortunately soccer is strictly played by the boys whereas the women only play netball. Both sports are referred to as "mpila" in Chichewa, but the meaning changes as to which gender you are talking about. So to say that a girl playing mpila is actually playing soccer is very taboo. As unfair as that may seem to me, it makes me even more excited about encouraging the youth and adults to play volleyball since it is played by both males and females (but I'll dedicate more to volleyball in a future post).

What makes the netball teams in my area unique is the fact that the women play and not just the girls. Here in Malawi women do not share the same social or economic status as the men, and on top of that they carry the overall burden of taking care of their families. They do the cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids, drawing water, searching for and cutting the firewood, and even for the most part the farming. Now I don't want to put down the men, but they don't do nearly as much work as the women. Most of them are unemployed and when they don't feel the need to work in the fields, they mostly sit around being idle. This is not true for the azamayi, who usually wake up before the sun rises and are the last to go to sleep. Simply put, they work extremely hard, so that's why I love seeing them take some time for themselves to have fun and let loose.

One of the reasons this team has become so significant to me is because of the way netball has helped me to integrate into my community. Since speaking Chichewa has proven to be quite difficult and since sports is a universal language, netball has been a great way for me to get to know the ladies in Kakunga. It's also especially important since the majority of women don't speak any English because they are less likely than the men to attend secondary school. Playing netball is also a great way to remove stress whether it be from the goats eating my vegetables a second or third or fourth time in a month, feeling homesick, getting sick once again after eating okra (I never learn), and the list goes on.

So after receiving birthday money from my mom I had the idea to use the money to buy jerseys for them. I figured that since the men's soccer team has jerseys, why can't the ladies as well? They were very excited to receive them and now they are the best looking netball team in all of Mchinji! Thanks Mom!

Here are some pictures of the team...enjoy!

meeting bingu and a quick update

Yesterday the president of Malawi, His Excellency Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika, hosted a special luncheon for all Peace Corps volunteers serving in Malawi at his residence in Lilongwe.
Here is a few thoughts that I wrote down during the ceremony…

- I saw a zebra!
- Real silver utensils
- Swan shaped napkin for Bingu
- Lots and lots of booze
- Being served 3 kinds of meat and no nsima
- “Real development occurs at the grassroots, in the rural communities” (the Pres)
- Feeling so proud to serve in Malawi on behalf of the US government
- Bingu has really soft hands
- Dancing!


All in all, it was an amazing ceremony and I was very impressed with the President. He seemed genuinely thankful for the work that Peace Corps volunteers have been doing in Malawi since 1963 and said that PC Malawi is just one piece in the jigsaw puzzle of world peace and economic development. This is a very true statement and a good reminder to me that even the smallest accomplishments are still helping to move this country forward. It was quite a special event, and since it’s not every day that one meets a leader of an entire country, I think I will remember yesterday for a very long time!



Work has been going slow and often I find myself frustrated by that and also with some difficulties I am having with a couple of my counterparts. Each PCV is issued an official counterpart who works for the government and mine works for the District Forestry Office. However, we can have many counterparts who are people in the community that we work with. One of them is extremely unreliable, he tells me to show up at his house and he’s not there, or that he will call me and he doesn’t, or that he will attend a certain meeting and of course doesn’t. He’s a nice enough guy, but just doesn’t seem to care much about working with me. Another is constantly asking me for things, whether it be for money to fix his roof, to pay school fees for one of his kids, to help him in building a fish pond at his house, and the list goes on. And what’s more, I just found out that he has two wives. Polygamy is certainly not uncommon here, but it doesn’t encourage me to want to work with him. But if this is the worst of my troubles so far I consider myself very blessed. And despite those two people, I have been fortunate to meet some other people and groups that I am very inspired and motivated by. Here are a few examples…

Mary: She is a good friend of mine even though communication is very limited for the both of us. She is 28 and has 4 kids and is one of the hardest workers I have ever met in my life. Rarely do I ever see her sit down to relax and yet somehow finds the energy to play netball with the other women in my village. She is very entrepreneurial and always looking for ways to make money to support her family.

Stella: She works for an company that buys seeds yet is also very involved in community development . She is an agriculturist who believes that development should be more business-oriented instead of just pumping aid and money into the hands of the people, which is a serious problem here. She has been a good example to me of how a woman can effect change in a man’s world, particularly when it comes to agriculture. She is incredibly smart yet very humble and is very passionate about development in a holistic manner.

Tilimbike CBO: This is a community based organization that has several groups such as orphan care, HIV/AIDS support, elderly care, and a nursery school. Instead of just waiting around for help from donors or the government, as many CBOs do, they took action by molding enough bricks to build two school blocks and are continuing to build more. Also, as a way to make money, they have planted trees and sold the seedlings to help support their projects.


Until next time!

happy fourth

While all of you in America are preparing your grills and fireworks, I am in Lilongwe for the 4th which will be held at the US Ambassador’s house. All 130 volunteers as well as all expats living in Malawi are invited to the event. The Ambassador has an amazing house which includes a swimming pool and tennis court, so I am glad for the opportunity to escape village life for a few days. I am very excited for the event since there are many volunteers I have yet to meet as well as I get to chance to reconnect with the other 20 volunteers in my group, I haven’t seen most of them for two months and I miss them greatly! Also, Malawi’s Independence Day is on the 6th so I am interested in seeing how they celebrate here. Either way, this will be a fun and interesting first 4th of July away from home!

I’ve been living at my site for two months and I am still keeping myself busy with meeting new people and getting to know the area a bit better. I’ve still been doing a lot of work to my house, I had my fence fixed and extended it so that I could include more area for my garden. I am excited because I finally have gotten rid of the goats who have been terrorizing my garden and eating everything that I’ve planted. I had a new pit latrine built and also painted the inside and outside of my house with lime. My next projects on the list is to replace the roof on my outdoor kitchen before the rainy season comes as well as to replace the wooden beams on the inside of my house, unfortunately termites are a major problem here and they have done a lot of damage to my house.

Although I am still not technically supposed to start projects for another month or so, I have been planning on several small-scale projects to do in the community. This includes several tree nurseries, business training for women, home gardens, building mudstoves, and some beekeeping. Also, the volunteer before me worked with some fish ponds as well as a primary school so I am trying to continue in helping with both. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to do such a variety of projects as well as to work with different groups and individuals. It sometimes feels overwhelming to see all the needs of the people here, but I know that as long as I am living and working here I will never be bored!

a traditional Chewa dancer, pretty scary

some of the iwes in my village

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

life and lessons from malawi

These past three months I have learned more than I could ever have imagined. I have been fortunate to grasp a better understanding of this beautiful and interesting country. Therefore, I have decided to make a light-hearted list of some of the things I have learned along the way. I hope you enjoy!

1. People will call you Madonna if you have blonde hair and wear sunglasses.

2. If you want to get chores done like sweeping, gardening, drawing water, etc. that you don't feel like doing yourself just ask the kids to do it, they will gladly do just about anything, especially if you reward them with a pencil or "masweetie".

3. The azamayi (Malawian women) are superwomen. Seriously, they can do just about anything.

4. If you want to show people that you are becoming a Malawian, tell them that you love to eat nsima (the staple food here) and that you know how to cook it, even if both of those statements are completely false.

5. If you want to cure a bad mood, go and play netball with the girls and the amayis in the village.
6. Malawians will find a way to put Obama's name or face on just about anything (skirts, bread rolls, bags, buses, tshirts, etc.)

7. There are never too many people to fit inside a car or on the bed of a pickup truck.

8. Just the sight of a white person will make some infants and toddlers either cry or scream with terror.

9. ALWAYS tuck in your mosquito net unless you want to wake up to a cockroach crawling around your face.



life in the village

For those of you who would like an idea of what my day-to-day life looks like in the village, I will give you a snapshot...

I wake up around 5am every day just before the sun rises (which are absolutely amazing here). I then make myself breakfast which is usually coffee, oatmeal, rice porridge, some bananas, or else a peanut butter and jelly sandwich if I am lacking the motivation to start a fire on my mud stove. Then, if my two cats (Chips and Chambo) are begging me, which they almost always are, I give them some small fish. After that I sit outside on my hammock as I do devotions, journal, read, and prepare a list of things I need to do for the day. I am usually interrupted at least a few times by kids on their way to school as they peek through my fence and try to talk to me, or else they just simply stand there and stare at what I am doing. Then I do some chores such as sweeping, drawing water, doing dishes, chasing the goats and chickens from my garden, doing laundry, etc. After that I go out and chat or at least say the traditional morning greetings (it's "madzuka bwanj?" for those of you who are interested in learning some Chichewa). Also, I try every to do at least one thing that is related to my service as a volunteer. This includes visiting local fish ponds or irrigation sites, meeting community groups (ie- HIV/AIDS support groups, orphan care, youth clubs, etc.), chatting with the chief in charge of my village, going to the local primary and secondary schools, meeting with a bunch of ladies in my village who started a Village Savings and Loans group, going to farmers' fields and learning about what they are growing, working on my garden, planning for my demonstration medicinal garden, and much more! Also, I often ride my bike to the local trading center that's only about 3km from where I live and I buy vegetables and fruit that are in season as well as rice, candles, firewood, and the occasional Fanta.

My afternoons and evenings consist mostly of doing home improvements and decorating. I also try to be intentional about simply walking outside of my house and attempting to talk in Chichewa and the phrase "pang'onopang'ono", which means "little by little" has been my slogan here for the pace at which I am learning. It's the most helpful chatting with the kids sine a group of them will just sit with me and when I point at something they will tell me what it is in Chichewa. It's like a game to them and they love it. Sometimes I will play netball or soccer or else I will just chase the kids that are too little to play in the pickup games. After that, just before the sun goes down, I will take a bucket bath and then cook myself dinner. So far I have perfected cooking rice, omelettes, chips, and vegetables. I am trying to branch out but again, "pang'onopang'ono". It gets dark by about 6pm so I head inside my house to escape the mosquitoes and sit in my hammock and read. And in case you were wondering, yes I do have two hammocks, one outside and one inside, and they make life here so much nicer! I will read, sew, do some research on potential projects, write letters, journal, etc. Then by 8pm I am tucked nicely inside my mosquito net!

So that's basically my life here in Malawi so far. It will stay pretty similar to that for the next two months since the Peace Corps requires that we not start any projects during that time. The purpose is for us to focus on integrating into the area and although I know it's extremely important, I sometimes feel like I'm doing nothing here. I know that isn't necessarily the case and that I need to take the time to get to know my community, and to have them get to know me and trust me in return, to learn the language, to try and figure out what the needs of the community are, and finally how I can help to address those needs. And along the way I have met some really great people and been able to experience many things that I would have not been able to in America.

Also, I do have a cell phone and although it is too expensive for me to call America, I can receive calls for free. I suggest using Skype since that seems to be the cheapest option. If you'd like my number feel free to email me at kkutzner@gmail.com or just ask anyone in my family and they will give it to you! I would love to hear from you all!

rip zig

Not in too much of a great mood right now, but I feel I must blog
since I have the opportunity. Two days ago my dog, Zigamba, was hit
and killed by a car. I have not been in the village very long, but
from the very first time I stepped into my village he was the best
part of my site and was always following me around wherever I went. He
was my constant companion. And for those of you that know me, I love
dogs very much, so it’s been pretty rough. It’s hard enough having
something like this happen, but to have it occur in another country
where I am still learning the language and the culture, it’s been
difficult. Enough said about that.

On April 28th myself and 20 other trainees officially became Peace
Corps volunteers. We swore in at the US Ambassador to Malawi’s house
in the capital city of Lilongwe. It was a really special day as we
celebrated the culmination of our two months of training and preparing
for our service. Although all the volunteers were happy to finally be
done training, we were definitely sad to leave each other and head out
to our sites without each other.

My site is in the central region of Malawi in the district of Mchinji
and it is in the village of Kakunga, close to Zambia. My house is
situated within a family compound and it is a brick house with a tin
roof. I have three rooms and a nice backyard and although it needs
some repair and cleaning, I have been having a lot of fun making the
place feel like home. This is the first time in my life I have ever
lived by myself, and although it is a strange and new feeling I am
enjoying it.

My day-to-day life these past couple weeks have consisted mostly of
cleaning, decorating, cooking, meeting people, gardening, reading, and
still trying to learn the language. Basically, I am just taking care
of myself, my house, and trying to integrate as well as possible into
my community.

There has been some challenging times, such as what happened two days
ago, but I am being constantly reminded of how blessed I am to be
here.  I’ve also been able to meet some great people who have made me
feel very welcome here. I knew before coming to Malawi that I would
have good days and some not so good days, and thankfully the Lord is
giving me the strength I need to get through both. That’s all I could
ask for.


“Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the
One who makes me who I am” (Philippians 4:13, The Message)



ALSO… I have a new address, so here it is:

Kathryn Kutzner
PO Box 50
Kapiri, Mchinji
Malawi

hello from the warm heart!

Hey everyone!

I am so excited to share my first blog post from Malawi! I have been here for almost a month and a half and a lot has happened since then. My environment group has been going through a ton of training and in less than two weeks we will be swearing in as official Peace Corps volunteers!

For the last five weeks I was living with a host family in a small village south of Lilongwe. I had a great experience with them and despite the fact that they spoke little English and I even less Chichewa. But, I have learned to appreciate the awkward silent moments! Other than that, my group has been kept very busy with language, technical, cultural, safety, etc. training. I am learning a lot of Chichewa and I am really, really enjoying the technical training such as agriculture/permagardening, bee-keeping, composting, mud stoves, income-generating activities, etc.

And just a few days ago I found out where I will be living for the next two years of my stay in Malawi. My site is in central Malawi in the Mchinji District in a village called Kapiri. I am replacing a volunteer and I am very excited about meeting the people and the potential projects that I may be a part of. Today I will be shadowing a fellow environment PCV who lives in my district, and after a few days I will be going to my site for about three days. Then, I will go for a week of intense language training, followed by swearing in and then moving to my site. Scary, exciting, crazy!

Well that's it for now, but I do want to say thanks again for the continued prayer and support. I appreciate it greatly and ask that you would continue to keep me in your prayers. And if you think about it, send me a letter!

peace out america

The bags are packed!

This will be my last post on American soil for a while (Lord willing of course). I will be heading out to staging in Philly tomorrow and we will be leaving Saturday morning for Malawi. For those interested in my itinerary the next couple of days, here it is...

Fri 2/26:
1pm - registration
2 to 7pm - meetings, paperwork, etc

Sat 2/27:
2am - leave for JFK airport
10:30am - flight departs for Johannesburg, South Africa

Sun 2/28 (Malawi time):
8:40am - arrive in Johannesburg
10am - depart for Lilongwe, Malawi
2:25pm - ARRIVE IN MALAWI!

I can't really explain how I am feeling since I am experiencing every emotion imaginable. And I really don't know what else to say other than that I am going to miss all of my friends and family so much! Thank you for the love and support you have all shown me this past year and a half as I have been through the grueling process of being an applicant, then nominee, and then FINALLY an invitee, and now a trainee and hopefully a full blown volunteer in a couple months. I know that I have talked many ears off either complaining about not knowing if I would even be going or sharing my excitement over each hurdle I had to get through. So if you happened to be one of those people, THANK YOU. I have an awesome support system around me and having that makes it so comforting to know that I am not going to be completely alone in Malawi.

I can't wait for what's ahead, even though I know it will be full of challenges and awkward cultural exchanges. And if you don't hear from me for a while or I am not able to update my blog, don't be worried. Just know that I will be very busy with training and immersing myself into the culture.

Well, I'm off to my Malawian adventure! Here we go...

a bit about the Warm Heart

Hey everybody! Well it's only 16 days until I leave for Malawi, and I thought it might be nice to post something about the country I will be calling home for the next 2 years. If you are anything like me before I got the invitation, I knew next to nothing about Malawi AKA the Warm Heart of Africa. I copied all the info from a fellow volunteer in the enviro group (thanks Mary!).


Geography
Land size of Malawi is about equal to that of Pennsylvania
Lake Malawi (aka. Lake Nyasa) is about the size of Vermont
Climate is subtropical (rainy season November-May, dry season May-November)
Terrain consists of plateaus, highlands, and valleys
Current environmental issues: deforestation, land degradation, water pollution from agricultural runoff, siltation of spawning grounds (endangers fish population)

Population
15,028,757
Life expectancy for males and females is right around 50 years old
11.9% adults living with HIV/AIDS
Nationality: Malwians
Religion: 79.9% Christian, 12.8% Muslim

Government
Multiparty Democracy
Capital is Lilongwe
Time difference is UTC+2, or 9 hours ahead of Mountain time
Declared independence on July 6, 1964

Economy
Agricultural products: tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava, sorghum, pulses, groundnuts, macadamia nuts, cattle, goats
Industry: tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods

Transportation
32 airports, 6 with paved runways
Railways: 797km
Roadways: 15,451km
Ports: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba


Good stuff!

okay, i'm gonna ask you ONE more time...

...To write me! If you all send me mail in the next few days, I will most likely get them by the time I arrive in Malawi. How fun would that be? For me, A LOT of fun. SO DO IT!

staging

FINALLY got the email that tells me where the staging is for our PC Malawi group. It's in.......Philly. Not very exciting since it's basically in my backyard, but hey it's one less flight that I will have to take. February 26th is the official date to leave and I will be in Malawi on the 28th. So, at roughly 12:25pm on Feb 28 I will be in Malawi. Craziness.

My time spent lately has consisted of planning, worrying, doubting, praying, trusting, then back to planning as the cycle starts all over again. Thankfully, I can be rest assured that God has the patience to put up with me.

Overall, I am so completely excited about this next phase in my life. I've been reminded lately of how thankful I should be for this opportunity. The Lord gave me something that I have wanted for what seems like a very, very long time. I am blessed!