Travel blog 2024

Blantyre and Nchalo – First Impressions and Project Work

• Blantyre: A large city with around 1.1 million inhabitants, hilly and green. The city center is lively, with “gated communities” and many phone booths under colorful umbrellas. In the evenings, it’s safer to use taxis instead of walking. Transportation includes motorcycle and car taxis as well as minibuses for shared rides. There is a supermarket similar to Carrefour offering European products.

• Accommodation: Residential house of Francis in Nchalo, single-story, guarded. Occasional power outages can lead to water supply issues.

• Nchalo: A small town with a sugar factory (Illovo) and a relatively affluent Illovo residential area with its own electricity and water supply. The town appears poorer, with dusty roads, markets, and small workshops.

• First impressions: Different perceptions – Jeannette sees the lively, cheerful life; Andi sees the poverty and lack of resources.

• Project kick-off with the YCD team: An open, warm atmosphere, flexible and slower working style, and close connection to the people.

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Blantyre, Arrival

Blantyre is a bustling little town with many hills and lots of greenery. You don’t see where the roughly 1.1 million inhabitants live; the area is large and confusing, and distances to the outer districts are long. The sun sets early in this important commercial and banking center in southern Malawi. The people show interest and speak to us. In the center and along the main streets, we noticed some gated communities, some with Arabic signs (trade?). Countless phone booths with colorful umbrellas and small tables characterize the streetscape. At night, it’s advised to avoid walking on footpaths and to take a taxi. In July, the evenings felt quite cool to us. There are motorcycle and car taxis as well as overcrowded and sometimes ramshackle minibuses used as shared taxis on fixed routes. Shared taxis or regular taxis are used for traveling throughout the country. In Blantyre, there is a supermarket styled like Carrefour, offering goods similar to those in Europe at European prices.

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Francis, Fanees, his wife, and Japhed picked us up from the hotel in the afternoon and took us to Nchalo, where we planned to stay for the next four weeks. The journey through the suburbs down to the lowlands is picturesque, hilly, and green, lined with carpentry shops, stores, workshops, and small markets. Once in the Shire basin, it becomes dusty dry, warmer, and poorer...

We perceived the first impressions of Blantyre and the drive differently. Jeannette was enthusiastic about the light, the bustling life, and the friendly, cheerful people, while Andi more often noticed the limited supply, visible scarcity, and poverty.

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Accommodation

We were able to stay in the guest room of Francis’s beautiful, large, single-story house. During the four weeks, we were warmly welcomed and well cared for. Occasionally, the power went out, and then there was no water either. In the mornings, the water pressure was so low that we showered in the evenings. The house has a small courtyard and an iron gate that is guarded at night, as is usual in Malawi.

First Impressions

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The only paved road is the “M1” along the Shire River and the huge, kilometer-long sugar fields of the South African sugar company Illovo. In Nchalo, the Illovo sugar factory is located, along with a settlement of bungalows and a sports club with a bar, restaurant, and its own water and power supply and butcher’s shop. The most modern lodge, with bungalows and internet at the town’s edge, is mainly frequented by Illovo executives — a "luxury ghetto."

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We stayed on the broad “main road” with workshops, street food stalls, and small shops right in the middle of Nchalo. Further west, you reach a bridge where people wash their clothes and drive cows and goats to the fields. At the crossroads and along the main road (M1) is a large, colorful market, selling everything from vegetables and clothes (second-hand) to tools and workshops. Of course, the usual phone booths are also present.

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The main market day was our second day, Saturday. White people strolling through the village and approaching people are a rare sight (mostly visitors staying with Francis) and were therefore stared at and greeted warmly. Every smile was returned many times over, children and adults waved to us. It was touching. Andi sometimes felt like a politician on an election tour, with so much waving.

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Getting to Know the YCD Team and Planning the Project Period

The day after our arrival, we met at 8:30 am at the YCD office on the main street for the first meeting with the YCD team. There too, we were received very warmly. After a short introduction round, our program was discussed and prepared, responsibilities assigned, and appointments set. After about an hour and a half, everything was arranged, and we were free again. We were both impressed by the open communication and discussion culture of the YCD people. The goal was to give us as broad an impression of their programs as possible. It was also agreed with Matthias and Birgit that we would visit as many orphans (from the flood disaster) in their foster families as possible and interview them using a questionnaire we prepared.

The fact is, however, that the rhythm and working style cannot be compared to ours. Everything runs much more slowly, not least due to the lack of infrastructure. The big advantage of YCD, and we already felt this at the first meeting, is their closeness to the people. The YCD house has only two office rooms, and meetings take place outside, under an open thatched roof.

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Prison Project

We visited the district prison (men only) in Chikwawa three times in total. In Malawi, sentences for minor offenses are very harsh, and poverty and hunger are often the reasons for small thefts, which are then severely punished (e.g., two years for a bicycle theft). They sit together with convicted serious offenders. Poverty is not a crime, and YCD gives prisoners the chance for a future without relapse through a “skills program,” contact with relatives, and financial start-up help for a small business. They work closely with the prison management, which cooperates openly because there is hardly any other help. The prison authorities themselves describe the conditions as “poor,” and the relapse rate among those in the YCD programs is very low.

We admired the way Francis and Alan dealt with the prison management, showing great “political” skill. They know and respect each other.

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The Program:

We were able to attend admission and release interviews with Alan and Francis for one day each. The prisoners are selected by two guards, always the same, and brought to the outdoor meeting place.

The discussion leaders, Alan and Francis, have very good access to the inmates with a lot of sensitivity, cultural know-how, and empathy. All prisoners expressed that prison is very tough and they are hungry. There is only one meal a day at noon. There are some work programs with learning content, but prisoners only start these shortly before release, then the risk of escape decreases.

The next step is visiting relatives in the villages. This step is central to the success of reintegration. We were impressed that the families of the prisoners are visited and involved. They are given a role for the time after the prisoner’s release.

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It was also impressive that all relatives agreed to visit the prisoner in prison, and all did! (YCD/Patimalawi cover the transport costs, which could otherwise be an obstacle.)

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Visiting relatives in remote villages, often without electricity and over bumpy dirt roads, was very impressive for us. It is time-consuming but a key to success and culturally very important.

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Jeannette experienced village life as picturesque and idyllic, while Andi was depressed by the poverty and hopelessness found. Both of us were especially affected by a family with five children who had not eaten for days and showed the marks of hunger and poverty. The grandfather sat in torn, old, too-small pants in the dust; the baby had cloudy, hungry eyes. We were welcomed kindly; they were open and cooperative and did not complain. The husband and main breadwinner is in prison, the misery tangible. It was almost unbearable. With support from YCD, the family was sponsored with 50 kg of maize, enough until the husband’s release and then a possible business starter.

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After release, and in cooperation with the family, the freed prisoners receive financial start-up aid to become self-employed (skills program).

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Experience Exchange after Business Start

As a third step, we attended an experience exchange with former prisoners. We were impressed by how the ex-prisoners, after a brief motivating input by Francis and the prison chief, actively discussed in working groups. It was very interesting how they listed what works and what is difficult since being outside and trying to run their businesses. They spoke of their good and bad experiences, that they were supported by their relatives, that it helps to talk to customers and neighbors, but also that it is difficult because of strong currency fluctuations and rising transport costs. They seemed to come up with new ideas and it was noticeable how much they enjoyed the exchange. Officers from the prison also took part and thanked Patimalawi and YCD for their valuable support. Surprisingly, their presence did not spoil the good mood and serious discussion. When they received a letter of recommendation from YCD, their chance of getting a loan would be higher, they hoped in the closing round. (They receive this with the final certificate of the skills program.)

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Contradictions also emerged: For example, charcoal production and wood trading led by a woman (problem of illegal logging). Francis addressed this and suggested other business areas. The business starter in the prison project is a great success. However, we also wondered how long this would last and what happens in economic (consumption) crises.

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During a soap distribution to prisoners, we were allowed into the inner area, the prison yard, at the end of our visit. The prison was relatively empty due to a pardon wave, which usually happens twice a year. In six schoolroom-sized empty rooms, 60 to 100 men live. There were some blankets, but far from enough for all (it can get cold at night). We saw no mattresses or beds. There isn’t enough space for everyone to lie down, so they sleep sitting. Personal belongings, if available, are kept in Tupperware boxes or cardboard boxes. Our soap boxes were highly coveted. The people were grateful.

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Visiting Orphans in Foster Families

Together with Blessings, who takes care of the children and knows the foster families well, we interviewed over 40 families. These are often kinship foster arrangements. The foster parents were carefully selected. Francis also knows all families and their backgrounds. In general, we perceived great empathy between the foster parents and the orphans. Most had to